This axis brings together 2 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
And when Moses said to his young companion, “I will not cease until I reach the junction of the two seas, even if I continue for ages.”
Reader’s Answer
Question
Where does The Cave 60 occur in Shahrur’s presentation of the meaning of “fatā,” what distinction does he support with it, and what function does it serve in his argument?
Shahrur cites The Cave 60 within a group of verses he presents after a lexicographical discussion of the term “fatā.” In this context, the verse serves as an example of Moses’s companion, whose description in the cited evidence is linked to serving him during travel; Shahrur therefore does not treat the term here as referring exclusively to a specific age.
Shahrur presents The Cave 60 among Qur’anic attestations of the term “fatā,” following a lexicographical quotation that links Moses’s companion to the description “his fatā” and to service during travel. The presentation supports a distinction between the use of “fatā” in this context and restricting it to the meaning of youth or an age category; the cited evidence states that the description may relate to service and is not limited to age.
Evidence and Location
The State and Society — p. 265.
Limits of the Reading
- The evidence does not provide an independent, detailed interpretation of The Cave 60; rather, it cites it within a group of verses in the context of a lexicographical presentation.
- This passage alone does not establish that “fatā” always means companion or servant in every Qur’anic usage.
- The connection to service occurs in the cited evidence presented by Shahrur, not in the words of the verse alone.
Continue From Here
- The State and Society
- The Signification of Fatā and Fatāh
- Guide to the Contemporary Reading of the Wise Revelation
Brief Reading
The verse is used to establish the meaning of fatā as a companion or servant, rather than as a specific age.
Axes
- Political and social
- Linguistic and semantic
Related Concepts
- Fatā: 2
- Fatā and accompaniment: 1
- Accompaniment: 1
- Service: 1
- Companionship: 1
Its Place in the Conceptual Network
It serves to recalibrate the social signification of the term within the Qur’anic context.
The Verse’s Role in the Argument
- Foundational: 1
- Support: 1
Atlas Pages Referring to This Verse
These links collect the pages that rely on the verse or make it part of the argument within the atlas.
Related Atoms
Instances of Use
- The State and Society, p. 265: He uses it together with other verses to establish that “fatā” is a description of companionship and service, not of a specific age stage.
- Concept: Fatā and accompaniment
- Function of the verse here: Foundational
- Textual evidence: “{And when Moses said to his fatā, ‘I will not cease…’} (The Cave 60) … The meaning of the descriptive noun (fatā): the companion, escort, and constant attendant.”
- Guide to the Contemporary Reading of the Wise Revelation, p. 65: He adduces it to show that fatā is a person connected to serving or attending another person, rather than merely someone young in age.
- Concept: Fatā
- Function of the verse here: Support
- Textual evidence: “From here we understand the meaning of Moses’s fatā: {And when Moses said to his fatā…} (The Cave 60).”
Related Books
This page is presented within the general Atlas Construction Methodology.