This locus 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
He said, “O eminent ones, which of you will bring me her throne before they come to me in submission?”
Reader’s answer
Question
Where does the verse occur, how does Shahrur distinguish in it between Islam connected to God and Islam connected to people, and what function does it serve in his argument?
The verse occurs in Surat al-Naml, verse 38. Shahrur presents it as an example showing that the description of coming “in submission” in this context is connected to people; he therefore understands it as surrender to the party to which the context relates, rather than surrender to God.
Shahrur cites al-Naml 38 as an example showing that when “Islam” is connected to people in the context of a verse, it denotes surrender to the party with which the word is associated in that context. Shahrur places this example within his distinction between Islam connected to God, whose meaning he calls surrender to God alone, and Islam connected to people, whose meaning he calls surrender in context. The function of the verse in Shahrur’s argument is to support his objection to generalizing the meaning of surrender to all occurrences of Islam, especially in the relationship of the servant to his Lord.
Source and location
The Book and the Qur’an — p. 534.
Limits of the reading
- The citation does not establish a general meaning for the word “Muslims” apart from the relation of the expression to what it is associated with in the context of the verse.
- This citation alone does not establish a general theological ruling about Islam from this verse.
- No relation between this verse and other verses is constructed on verbal similarity alone; its connection here is mentioned only because Shahrur explicitly grouped it within his distinction.
- Shahrur is not attributed with affirming or denying synonymy in the abstract; the citation presents his critique of the generalization of surrender attributed to the jurists.
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Brief reading
It is cited to show that the word “Muslims” in its context means submission or surrender, rather than the general doctrinal meaning.
Themes
- Linguistic and semantic
- Faith-related
Related concepts
- Surrender: 2
Its place in the network of concepts
It reinforces reading the linguistic context of a word before generalizing.
The verse’s role in the argument
- Example: 1
Instances of use
- The Book and the Qur’an, p. 534: It is cited to show that the word “Muslims” in its context means submission/surrender, rather than the general doctrinal meaning.
- Concept: surrender
- Function of the verse here: example
- Textual citation: “And His saying: {He said, ‘O eminent ones, which of you will bring me her throne before they come to me in submission?’}”
Related books
This page is presented within the general methodology for building the atlas.