This axis brings together 1 instance of the 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
You will never be able to deal justly between women, even if you are keen to do so; so do not incline completely, leaving her as though suspended
Reader’s Answer
Question
How does Muhammad Shahrur use Qur’an 4:129 in interpreting estrangement between spouses in cases of polygyny?
Shahrur employs the verse as a transition to a specific state of estrangement that may arise from polygyny. While acknowledging that complete justice between women is unattainable, he focuses on the prohibition against total inclination that leaves one wife “as though suspended.” He does not confine this inclination to the sexual relationship, but extends it to family matters such as financial support, the care of children, and decision-making.
Shahrur links Qur’an 4:129 to the context of marital estrangement and presents it as an answer to the possibility that estrangement may arise from polygyny. He understands the prohibited inclination as broader than sexual relations; in his view, it includes financial support, the care of children, and family decisions.
Citation and location
Towards New Foundations for Islamic Jurisprudence — p. 249.
Limits of the reading
- The citation establishes Shahrur’s reading of the verse in relation to estrangement and polygyny, but the excerpt does not present all the conditions that he says he explained for polygyny elsewhere.
- The citation does not establish an independent, detailed account of the meaning of “justice” in the verse outside the family framework that Shahrur defines here.
- The connection to the preceding verse is based on Shahrur’s statement that it is “the verse immediately following,” rather than on mere verbal similarity.
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Brief reading
He reads it as complementing the verse on marital discord, in order to clarify the effect of polygyny on estrangement and the necessity of justice.
Axes
- Legislative
- Political and social
Related concepts
- Polygyny: 2
Its place in the conceptual network
It is connected to regulating marital relations within the limits of justice and non-partiality.
Role of the verse in the argument
- Support: 1
Instances of use
- Towards New Foundations for Islamic Jurisprudence, pp. 249–250: He makes it complementary to the verse on marital discord to show that estrangement may arise from polygyny, and that what is required is not to incline completely and to preserve justice.
- Concept: Polygyny
- Function of the verse here: Support
- Textual citation: “But what if estrangement is due to polygyny? Here comes His—exalted be He—saying in the verse immediately following”
Related books
This page is presented within the general atlas construction methodology.