This axis gathers 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
These are the limits of God. Whoever obeys God and His Messenger, He will admit him into gardens… And whoever disobeys God and His Messenger and transgresses His limits, He will admit him into a fire…
Reader’s answer
Question
Where do these two verses stand within Shahrur’s presentation, what does his distinction among limits mean, and what function do they serve in his argument?
Shahrur places Women 13–14 after examples of inheritance cases in verses 11 and 12, presenting them as a conclusion that places inheritance rulings within the framework of the “limits of God.” In his general explanation of limits, he distinguishes between limits that one is forbidden to approach and limits at which one may stand without transgressing them; but the cited passage does not conclusively assign inheritance to either of these two types in this location.
Shahrur presents verses 13 and 14 as the conclusion that follows the explanation of examples of inheritance cases in verses 11 and 12. He employs the conclusion of the two verses to place inheritance rulings within the divine limits that delineate the sphere of human movement in legislation. The interpretive distinction in the cited passage is between limits that may not be approached and limits at which one may stand without transgression; this is a general explanation of the formulation of limits in Shahrur’s presentation.
Citation and location
Toward New Foundations for Islamic Jurisprudence — p. 223.
Limits of the reading
- The cited passage does not establish that Shahrur explicitly assigned inheritance rulings to one of the two mentioned types of limits: prohibition of approach or permission to stand without transgression.
- The cited passage does not establish additional details about how inheritance verses are converted into specific jurisprudential rules.
- The final phrase in the cited passage is inconsistent with respect to the verse number, and thus cannot serve as a basis for an additional claim.
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Brief reading
He makes the two verses the conclusion of the legislation of limits in inheritance and evidence that inheritance falls within a defined divine system.
Axes
- Legislative
- Methodological
Related concepts
- limits: 2
Its place in the network of concepts
They support the construction of the framework of limits in Qur’anic legislation.
Role of the verse in the argument
- Foundational: 1
Contexts of use
- Toward New Foundations for Islamic Jurisprudence, p. 223: He makes the two verses the conclusion of the legislation of limits in inheritance, employing them to indicate that inheritance rulings fall within a system of divine limits.
- Concept: limits
- Function of the verse here: Foundational
- Textual witness: “Then He—exalted be He—proceeds to explain examples of inheritance cases in verses 11 and 12, and concludes in verses 13 and 14 with: { These are the limits of God … }”
Related books
This page is presented within the general methodology for constructing the atlas.