Al-Waqi'ah 75–77

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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

{ فَلَا أُقْسِمُ بِمَوَاقِعِ النُّجُومِ * وَإِنَّهُ لَقَسَمٌ لَوْ تَعْلَمُونَ عَظِيمٌ * إِنَّهُ لَقُرْآنٌ كَرِيمٌ }

Reader’s Answer

Question

Where are verses 75–77 of al-Waqi’ah located, how does Shahrur distinguish the meaning of “the positions of the stars,” and what function do they serve in his argument?

The verses occur in Surat al-Waqi’ah (75–77). Shahrur interprets “the positions of the stars” as the pauses between the verses of the Book, rather than the positions of stars in the sky, and regards them as keys to understanding the Book, especially to interpreting the Qur’an, because each verse, in his view, conveys a complete idea.

Shahrur interprets “the positions of the stars” in verses 75–77 of al-Waqi’ah as the pauses found between the verses of the Book, whether pausing at them is permissible or not, rather than the positions of stars in the sky. He makes these “positions” among the keys to understanding the Book, especially in interpreting the Qur’an, linking this to the fact that each verse of the Book conveys a complete idea.

The Evidence and Its Location

A Guide to the Contemporary Reading of the Wise Revelation — p. 35.

Limits of the Reading

  • The evidence establishes this interpretation and its hermeneutical function within Shahrur’s framework; it does not establish a presentation or discussion of other exegetical sources.
  • The evidence does not explain a practical criterion for determining the pauses or how to apply them to all verses.
  • The evidence does not establish a terminological relationship or synonymy between “the positions of the stars” and any other term beyond the description provided in it.

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Brief Reading

Shahrur interprets the verse as referring to the pauses between verses and to keys of semantic ordering in the Book, rather than to the stars of the sky.

Axes

  • Linguistic and semantic
  • Methodological
  • Positions of the stars: 2
  • Pauses between verses: 1
  • Semantic ordering: 1
  • the Book: 1

Its Place in the Conceptual Network

It serves his structural reading of the text.

Role of the Verse in the Argument

  • Support: 1

Instances of Use

  • A Guide to the Contemporary Reading of the Wise Revelation, p. 35: He interprets it as the pauses between verses and as keys of semantic ordering in the Book, rather than the stars of the sky.
    • Concept: positions of the stars
    • Function of the verse here: support
    • Textual evidence: “{ فَلَا أُقْسِمُ بِمَوَاقِعِ النُّجُومِ … } (al-Waqi’ah 75–77).”

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Muhammad Shahrur Atlas