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
None disputes concerning the signs of God except those who disbelieve
Reader’s Answer
Question
How does Muhammad Shahrur employ the Qur’anic statement, “None disputes concerning the signs of God except those who disbelieve,” to distinguish between disputation and dialogue?
Shahrur employs the verse to distinguish between “disputation” concerning God’s signs and “dialogue” about their meaning: dialogue, in his presentation, can take place among Muslims concerning the understanding of a verse, whereas disputation is connected to adopting a stance against God’s signs. He links it to the context of the verse and to the example of the disbelievers disputing with the Prophet and describing the Qur’an as “tales of the ancients.”
Shahrur presents disputation and dialogue as non-synonymous: in his view, the verse does not prohibit dialogue among Muslims about the meaning of a verse; rather, it addresses a type of disputation that he associates with a stance against God’s signs. Shahrur places Ghafir 4 alongside al-An’am 25, where the disputation of the disbelievers occurs in conjunction with their assertion that the Qur’an is “tales of the ancients”; this is the textual context he uses to explain the meaning of disputation here.
Citation and Location
The Book and the Qur’an — p. 277.
Limits of the Reading
- On the basis of this citation alone, the verse should not be turned into a judgment that every disagreement in interpretation or every religious discussion is unbelieving disputation; Shahrur himself explicitly affirms the possibility of dialogue among Muslims concerning the meaning of a verse.
- The quoted passage from Shahrur’s words ends before the final sentence is completed; the presentation therefore confines itself to what appears explicitly in the citation: the distinction between dialogue and disputation, and the connection of the latter to a stance against God’s signs.
- Describing disputation as an “obstinate unbelieving stance” requires qualification: the phrase “those who disbelieve” occurs in the text of the verse, but the attached citation does not fully provide the details of the meaning of obstinacy and its limits.
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Brief Reading
It is read here as stating that disputation concerning God’s signs is not mere disagreement, but an obstinate stance that rejects the truth.
Axes
- Linguistic and semantic
- Faith-related
Related Concepts
- Disputation: 2
- God’s signs: 1
- Unbelieving stance: 1
Its Place in the Conceptual Network
It enters the network of disputation as conduct indicative of rejection.
Role of the Verse in the Argument
- Critique of tradition: 1
Instances of Use
- The Book and the Qur’an, p. 277: He relies on it to argue that disputation concerning God’s signs is not merely an internal disagreement but an obstinate unbelieving stance.
- Concept: disputation
- Function of the verse here: critique of tradition
- Textual citation: “- {None disputes concerning the signs of God except those who disbelieve…} (Ghafir 4).”
Related Books
This page is presented within the general methodology for building the atlas.