Al-Kahf 46

4 min read

This axis 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 Text as Cited

Wealth and children are the adornment of worldly life

Reader’s Answer

The Question

Where does Shahrur cite the verse, how does he distinguish “al-banun” in it, and what function does it serve in his argument?

The citation appears in Muhammad Shahrur’s book Qur’anic Narratives, vol. 2, p. 50. Shahrur holds that “al-banun” in Al-Kahf 46 does not denote male children, but rather construction, and he uses the verse as an example in his argument for this semantic shift.

Shahrur mentions Al-Kahf 46 in a passage addressing the term “al-banun” and maintains that the term there has no connection to male children, but rather to construction. The function of Al-Kahf 46 in Shahrur’s argument is to serve as one of two examples he adduces in support of his interpretation of “al-banin/al-banun” as construction, while declaring that this interpretation has linguistic, Qur’anic, and prophetic evidence.

Citation and Location

Qur’anic Narratives, vol. 2 — p. 50.

Limits of the Reading

  • The citation establishes that this interpretation is attributable to Shahrur and identifies its location in the book, but the excerpt does not set out the full detail of the linguistic, Qur’anic, or prophetic evidence he promises.
  • The citation here does not establish a general ruling for every occurrence of “al-banin” or “al-banun” in the Qur’an; rather, it explicitly addresses the two verses mentioned in the excerpt, including Al-Kahf 46.
  • No additional relationship between this verse and other pages or terms should be inferred merely from the similarity of wording.

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Brief Reading

Shahrur uses it to distinguish the meaning of al-banun from male children and to reconnect the term to construction within thematic unity.

Axes

  • Linguistic and semantic
  • Methodological
  • Thematic unity: 3
  • Construction: 2
  • Al-banun: 2

Its Place in the Conceptual Network

It is connected to the recalibration of meaning and to challenging inherited interpretation.

The Verse’s Role in the Argument

  • Critique of tradition: 3
  • Distinction: 1

Atlas Pages That Refer to This Verse

These links gather the pages that rely on the verse or make it part of the argument within the atlas.

Contexts of Use

  • Qur’anic Narratives, vol. 2, p. 50: He rejects the common meaning of al-banun as male children and shifts it to “construction,” claiming linguistic and Qur’anic support.
    • Concept: construction
    • Function of the verse here: distinction
    • Textual citation: “And al-banun in His saying, Exalted is He, {WEALTH AND CHILDREN ARE THE ADORNMENT OF WORLDLY LIFE…} (Al-Kahf 46), has no connection to male children, but rather to construction.”
    • Corresponding traditional reading: male children
  • the Book and the Qur’an, p. 504: He reinterprets al-banun here as buildings and immovable property, rather than male children, in order to preserve thematic unity.
    • Concept: al-banun
    • Function of the verse here: critique of tradition
    • Textual citation: “And His saying {WEALTH AND CHILDREN ARE THE ADORNMENT OF WORLDLY LIFE} (Al-Kahf 46): al-banun here are buildings.”
    • Corresponding traditional reading: reading al-banun as male children
  • the Book and the Qur’an, p. 505: He uses it again to argue that al-banun here cannot mean male children, but rather buildings and fixed assets within the unity of the context.
    • Concept: thematic unity
    • Function of the verse here: critique of tradition
    • Textual citation: “Then note the unity of the subject in His saying, Exalted is He, {WEALTH AND CHILDREN ARE THE ADORNMENT OF WORLDLY LIFE} (Al-Kahf 46).”
    • Corresponding traditional reading: interpreting it to mean that al-banun are male children
  • the Book and the Qur’an, p. 520: He opposes the traditional interpretation that takes al-banun to mean males, affirming that the context, in his view, speaks of buildings/fixed assets as the adornment of worldly life.
    • Concept: thematic unity
    • Function of the verse here: critique of tradition
    • Textual citation: “Then note the unity of the subject in His saying, Exalted is He, {WEALTH AND CHILDREN ARE THE ADORNMENT OF WORLDLY LIFE}.”
    • Corresponding traditional reading: al-banun are male children

This page is presented within the general atlas-building methodology.

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Muhammad Shahrur Atlas