al-Naḥl 118

3 min read

This axis brings together 1 locus of use of this verse in the books of Muhammad Shahrur, linking it to the concepts and arguments that appear around it.

Text of the verse as cited

And upon those who became Jews, We forbade what We recounted to you before

Reader’s answer

Question

How does Shahrur employ al-Naḥl 118 in explaining the meaning of “before,” and what span of time does the expression indicate in it?

Shahrur employs the verse as an example showing that “before” refers to a relatively recent past; in this instance, he defines its connection as a past no more than a few years earlier. It is part of his argument that the temporal range of “before” changes according to context and does not carry one fixed time span.

Shahrur considers God’s statement in al-Naḥl 118 an example of “before” indicating a relatively recent past, linking it here to a past no more than a few years earlier. In Shahrur’s argument, the verse functions as an example within a presentation of multiple temporal extensions of the expression “before,” from the nearer to the more distant, thereby negating any single fixed temporal range for it.

Citation and location

The Qur’anic Stories, vol. 1 — p. 129.

Limits of the reading

  • The citation establishes the verse’s function only within Shahrur’s temporal analysis of the expression “before.”
  • The citation does not establish an independent meaning for the phrase “what We recounted to you” outside this usage.
  • The citation does not establish a relation of synonymy or distinction between “before” and other expressions merely because they occur in the context.

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Brief reading

He mentions it to show that the expression “before” may refer to a recent past rather than to a fixed, determinate time.

Axes

  • Linguistic and semantic
  • Narrative and historical
  • The past: 2
  • Before: 1
  • Recent time: 1

Its place in the network of concepts

It serves a more precise understanding of temporal expression in the text.

The verse’s role in the argument

  • Example: 1

Loci of use

  • The Qur’anic Stories, vol. 1, p. 129: He mentions it to show that “before” may refer to a relatively recent past; that is, it has no single fixed, determinate time.
    • Concept: the past
    • Function of the verse here: example
    • Textual citation: “as in God’s statement, {And upon those who became Jews, We forbade what We recounted to you before} (al-Naḥl: 118)”

This page is presented within the general atlas construction methodology.

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Muhammad Shahrur Atlas