Luqman 15

4 min read

This locus gathers 4 instances 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 if they strive to make you associate with Me that of which you have no knowledge, then do not obey them

Reader’s Answer

Question

How does Shahrur read the relationship in Luqman 15 between not obeying one’s parents and keeping them company in kindness?

Shahrur reads the verse as decisive against obeying parents when obedience to them becomes “association” with God by placing their commands alongside God’s limits, while retaining the duty to keep them company in this world in kindness. In his view, jahadaka does not indicate a passing command, but sustained pressure; he therefore combines the child’s independence in this matter with kindness toward his or her parents.

Shahrur interprets jahadaka as continuous, daily exertion, rather than merely a passing command or request. He confines the context of Luqman 15 to what he calls “manifest association”: parents making their absolute obedience a condition of their pleasure or displeasure, such that the child associates their commands with God’s limits. Accordingly, he reads “then do not obey them” as decisively in favor of the child. Shahrur does not separate disobedience from good treatment; he connects “and keep them company in this world in kindness” with following customary norms in obeying them and seeking to do them good, and with not saying “uff” to them or rebuking them.

Citation and Location

The Book and the Qur’an — p. 453.

Limits of the Reading

  • This presents Shahrur’s reading as stated in the citation; it is not a statement of the verse’s meaning as generally agreed upon in exegesis.
  • The citation alone does not establish a general legal or contemporary characterization of “coercion”; its more precise language is that of sustained exertion or pressure and parents’ absolute obedience.
  • The citation attributes this specification to “manifest association” in Luqman 15, a hermeneutical term specific to Shahrur.

Continue from Here

Brief Reading

In this verse, Shahrur distinguishes between rejecting coercion into associating partners with God and maintaining companionship in kindness with one’s parents.

Axes

  • Human and ethical
  • Political and social
  • Faith-based
  • Companionship in kindness: 3
  • Associationism: 2
  • Obedience to parents: 2

Its Place in the Conceptual Network

It is connected to the concept of ethical dutifulness, which does not negate the human relationship.

Role of the Verse in the Argument

  • Distinction: 1
  • Critique of tradition: 1
  • Foundation: 1
  • Support: 1

Contexts of Use

  • Islam and Humanity: He uses it to distinguish between rejecting coercion into associating partners with God and continuing companionship in kindness with one’s parents.
    • Concept: companionship in kindness
    • Function of the verse here: distinction
    • Textual citation: “{ And if they strive to make you associate with Me that of which you have no knowledge, then do not obey them, but keep them company in this world in kindness } (Luqman 15)”
  • The Qur’an in Contemporary Thought, p. 14: He interprets it as a discourse on remaining steadfast in the principle of ancestral tradition and rejecting the call to associationism, rather than on verbally declaring associationism.
    • Concept: Associationism
    • Function of the verse here: critique of tradition
    • Textual citation: “When God—exalted is He—says: {And if they strive to make you associate with Me…} (Luqman 15)”
  • The Book and the Qur’an, p. 453: He interprets it as a case in which children are subjected to parental pressure toward absolute obedience, holding that ethical dutifulness remains while obedience in associationism or despotism is rejected.
    • Concept: obedience to parents
    • Function of the verse here: foundation
    • Textual citation: “In both verses, the verb ‘jahadaka’ occurs … it was decided in favor of the children by His saying, ‘then do not obey them,’ after which He added, ‘and keep them company in this world in kindness.’”
  • Drying Up the Sources of Terrorism, p. 173: He uses it to establish that dissociation from associationism does not mean severing the human relationship or abandoning good treatment.
    • Concept: companionship in kindness
    • Function of the verse here: support
    • Textual citation: “{… then do not obey them, but keep them company in this world in kindness} (Luqman 15).”

This page is presented within the general methodology for building the atlas.

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