This axis brings together 1 instance of the use of this verse in Muhammad Shahrur’s books, linking it to the concepts and arguments that appear around it.
Text of the verse as cited
… AND WE TRIED YOU WITH TRIALS…
Reader’s answer
Question
How does Muhammad Shahrur read God’s saying, ﴿AND WE TRIED YOU WITH TRIALS﴾ in Taha 40?
Shahrur reads “fitna” as an act that originates, in principle, from a stronger party toward a weaker one, with the aim of compelling it to abandon its position or opinion. Accordingly, he interprets God’s saying to Moses, ﴿AND WE TRIED YOU WITH TRIALS﴾, to mean that Moses underwent trials that made him a strong person who could not be confronted directly. This presents Shahrur’s stated meaning; it does not assert that this is the verse’s only meaning.
Shahrur basically defines fitna as a practice exercised by a strong party against a weaker one in order to make it abandon its position or views. He uses Taha 40 to apply his definition, taking “AND WE TRIED YOU WITH TRIALS” to indicate that Moses became, through these trials, a strong person whom no one could face in direct confrontation.
Citation and location
The Guide to the Contemporary Reading of the Wise Revelation — p. 52.
Limits of the reading
- The citation is from one book and a single page. It establishes Shahrur’s formulation and comment on the verse, without presenting independent linguistic or exegetical evidence supporting or contesting this definition.
- The claim that fitna occurs “basically” only from the strong toward the weak is part of Shahrur’s thesis in the cited passage; it is not a conclusion that can be attributed to the verse alone without further evidence.
- The verse’s significance should not be extended into general political or social rulings on the basis of this quotation alone.
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Brief reading
He defines fitna as a practice exercised by the stronger against the weaker in order to make the latter abandon their position or views.
Axes
- Political and social
- Methodological
Related concepts
- Fitna: 2
Its place in the network of concepts
It forms a conceptual basis for understanding the relationship between power and social coercion.
The verse’s role in the argument
- Foundational: 1
Instances of use
- The Guide to the Contemporary Reading of the Wise Revelation, p. 52: He defines fitna as a practice exercised by the stronger against the weaker in order to make the latter abandon their position or views.
- Concept: fitna
- Function of the verse here: foundational
- Textual citation: “Thus God’s saying to Moses: { … AND WE TRIED YOU WITH TRIALS… } (Taha 40), means that Moses became a strong person.”
Related books
This page is presented within the general atlas-building methodology.