Women 63

3 min read

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 as Cited

{ … and speak to them, concerning themselves, a penetrating word }

Reader’s Answer

Question

Where does Shahrur employ Qur’an 4:63, what does balāgh mean for him, and what function does the verse serve in his argument?

Shahrur employs the verse in the context of his definition of balāgh and balāgha: for him, balāgh is the conveyance of the speaker’s intended meaning to the listener, and the verse is a Qur’anic citation linking eloquence to speech. He makes this a point of departure for rejecting the restriction of eloquence to verbal beauty.

Shahrur defines balāgh as the arrival of what the speaker intends at the listener, and cites Qur’an 4:63 to link balāgha to speech. He rejects the notion that eloquence is connected to verbal beauty, presenting it instead as degrees related to conveying meaning.

Citation and Location

Toward New Foundations for Islamic Jurisprudence — p. 121.

Limits of the Reading

  • The accompanying citation is from the book Toward New Foundations for Islamic Jurisprudence, p. 121, not from the source listed in the current usage entry; therefore, this account cannot be attributed to Guide to the Contemporary Reading of the Wise Revelation on the basis of this citation alone.
  • The citation does not provide a detailed interpretation of the phrase “concerning themselves” or of the verse’s context in Surat al-Nisa’.
  • In discussing the Revelation, the citation mentions avoiding synonymy and redundancy, but it does not explicitly state an interpretive connection between this and Qur’an 4:63 itself.

Continue From Here

Brief Reading

The verse is taken as a basis for defining balāgh as the conveyance of meaning rather than verbal embellishment.

Axes

  • Linguistic and semantic
  • Methodological
  • Eloquence: 2
  • Balāgh: 2

Its Place in the Conceptual Network

It establishes a methodological understanding of eloquence apart from ornamentation.

The Verse’s Role in the Argument

  • Support: 1
  • Foundation: 1

Usage Locations

  • Guide to the Contemporary Reading of the Wise Revelation, p. 35: He cites it to define balāgh as the conveyance of meaning, not verbal ornamentation.
    • Concept: Eloquence
    • Function of the verse here: Support
    • Textual citation: “{ … and speak to them, concerning themselves, a penetrating word } (Women 63).”
  • Toward New Foundations for Islamic Jurisprudence, p. 121: He takes it as a basis for defining balāgh as conveying meaning with the fewest words, rather than ornate rhetorical beauty.
    • Concept: Balāgh
    • Function of the verse here: Foundation
    • Textual citation: “- Balāgh: that what the speaker intends reaches the listener; from it comes balāgha, which occurs in speech, according to His—Exalted is He—saying: { and speak to them, concerning themselves, a penetrating word}”

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

Graph View

Muhammad Shahrur Atlas