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
A Book whose verses have been elaborated—an Arabic Qur’an for a people who know
Reader’s answer
Question
Where does the verse occur, what distinction does Shahrur establish through it, and what function does it serve in his argument?
The verse occurs in Surat Fussilat, verse 3. Shahrur treats it as support for the claim that elaboration pertains to some ambiguous verses, not to all of them; he distinguishes these from verses that he does not consider open to interpretation and therefore does not regard as having elaboration. Its function in the attached passage is to establish this restriction regarding the scope of the “elaboration of the ambiguous.”
Shahrur relies on Fussilat 3 in defining the “verses of elaboration of the ambiguous” as verses in which some of the ambiguous verses in the Qur’an have been elaborated. He distinguishes this elaboration from a portion of the Qur’anic verses that, in his view, have no elaboration, linking this to their not being open to interpretation; among his examples are the story of Adam’s creation and the beginning and end of the universe. Shahrur states that the seven oft-repeated verses have no elaboration, and regards the Qur’anic narratives as verses elaborating historical events in the Qur’an.
Citation and location
Guide to the Contemporary Reading of the Wise Revelation — p. 42.
Limits of the reading
- The citation establishes Shahrur’s use of the verse in this classification, but does not here demonstrate the validity of the classification or the details of his method of interpretation.
- The citation does not independently explain the meaning of “the ambiguous,” nor does it establish that everything without elaboration belongs to a single category beyond the examples mentioned.
- No relationship to other occurrences may be inferred merely from the occurrence of the word “have been elaborated” without additional explicit evidence.
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Brief reading
It is used to establish that only some of the ambiguous material is open to elaboration and interpretation.
Axes
- Methodological
- Linguistic and semantic
Related concepts
- Elaboration of the ambiguous: 2
- The ambiguous: 1
- Interpretation: 1
Its place in the network of concepts
It serves to define the limits of engagement with the ambiguous.
Role of the verse in the argument
- Support: 1
Instances of use
- Guide to the Contemporary Reading of the Wise Revelation, p. 42: He cites it as evidence that only some of the ambiguous Qur’anic material is open to elaboration and interpretation.
- Concept: Elaboration of the ambiguous
- Function of the verse here: Support
- Textual citation: “They are the verses in which only some of the ambiguous verses found in the Qur’an have been elaborated, according to His saying, Exalted is He: { A Book whose verses have been elaborated … } (Fussilat 3).”
Related books
This page is presented within the general atlas-building methodology.