This entry brings together 4 instances of the use of this verse in Muhammad Shahrur’s books, linking it to the concepts and arguments that appear around it.
The Verse as Cited
And they repel evil with good, and spend from what We have provided them
Reader’s Answer
Question
How does Shahrur read God’s saying, “and they repel evil with good,” in al-Qasas 54?
Shahrur cites the verse to explain “expiation” for one aspect of evil, which he connects to violating prohibitions and interdictions. For him, “repelling evil with good” is an expiation that covers this aspect of sin. But he distinguishes this from the effects of harm inflicted on people or creatures: in his reading, these do not disappear merely through expiation, but through repairing the effects of the harm itself.
Shahrur employs the verse as evidence that repelling evil with good means expiating it. He distinguishes between an aspect of evil that he regards as pertaining to violations of prohibitions and interdictions, whose remedy is expiation, and harm done to others or to creatures, which is removed only by repairing its effects.
Evidence and Location
Islam and Faith — p. 227.
Limits of the Reading
- The evidence does not establish that the verse, on its own, founds a general theory of repentance and repair; what is established is Shahrur’s citation of it in the context of his definition of expiation and his distinction between it and repairing the harm caused by wrongdoing.
- Shahrur attributes “two parts” to evil and describes one of them as a sin against God, while stating that harming God is impossible; this requires a broader reading of his terminology and cannot be resolved from this evidence alone.
- Two pieces of evidence appeared with the same text from the same source; therefore, the more precise evidence is sufficient for constructing the page, and this does not constitute multiple independent corroborations.
Continue From Here
Brief Reading
For Shahrur, the verse establishes the idea that a good deed erases evil and repels its effect within the logic of repentance and repair.
Axes
- Human and ethical
- Legislative
Related Concepts
- Expiation: 3
- Expiation through good deeds: 2
- Repelling evil: 2
Its Place in the Conceptual Network
It is connected to the relationship between righteous action and evil, and to the construction of the meaning of expiation.
The Verse’s Role in the Argument
- Support: 3
- Foundation: 1
Instances of Use
- Islam and the Human Being: He presents it as evidence that evil against God is repelled by good—that is, expiated.
- Concept: Expiation
- Function of the verse here: Support
- Textual evidence: “{ … AND THEY REPEL EVIL WITH GOOD, AND SPEND FROM WHAT WE HAVE PROVIDED THEM } (al-Qasas 54)”
- Islam and the Human Being: He presents it as evidence that good covers evil in eschatological expiation.
- Concept: Expiation
- Function of the verse here: Foundation
- Textual evidence: “The remedy for this part of evil is expiation for it, for God the Exalted says: { … AND THEY REPEL EVIL WITH GOOD, AND SPEND FROM WHAT WE HAVE PROVIDED THEM } (al-Qasas 54)”
- Islam and Faith, p. 106: He uses it to state that good covers and expiates evil within the logic of repentance and repair.
- Concept: Expiation through good deeds
- Function of the verse here: Support
- Textual evidence: “{ … AND THEY REPEL EVIL WITH GOOD, AND SPEND FROM WHAT WE HAVE PROVIDED THEM } (al-Qasas 54),”
- Islam and Faith, p. 227: He employs it to establish that good removes evil and that righteous action counters wrongful action.
- Concept: Repelling evil
- Function of the verse here: Support
- Textual evidence: “- {THESE WILL BE GIVEN THEIR REWARD TWICE … AND THEY REPEL EVIL WITH GOOD…} (al-Qasas 54).”
Related Books
This page is presented within the general methodology for constructing the atlas.