This locus brings together 2 instances 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
O my father, knowledge has come to me that has not come to you; so follow me, and I will guide you to an even path.
Reader’s Response
Question
How does Muhammad Shahrur employ the Qur’anic statement, “Knowledge has come to me that has not come to you,” to distinguish between jaʾa (“came”) and ata (“came”)?
Shahrur employs the verse as an example that jaʾa and ata are not synonymous: in his view, “knowledge has come to me” indicates knowledge brought to Abraham from outside his cognitive sphere, whereas “has not come to you” indicates that this knowledge was not available to his father within his cognitive sphere. From this example, he maintains that the difference in the import of the two terms must be observed, rather than merely treating them as synonyms.
Shahrur explains “knowledge has come to me” as the bringing of knowledge to Abraham from outside his cognitive sphere, contrasting this with the absence of that knowledge from his father’s cognitive sphere in the phrase “what has not come to you.” Shahrur uses the contrast between jaʾa and ata in the verse to establish their differing import and their non-synonymity in this usage.
Citation and Location
Guide to the Contemporary Reading of the Wise Revelation — p. 43.
Limits of the Reading
- This is an account of Shahrur’s use of the verse, not an independent linguistic judgment on every usage of jaʾa and ata.
- The evidence of the verse alone does not establish Shahrur’s later distinction between revelation and the Messenger’s interpretive judgments; this is an applied extension that the author introduces after his interpretation of the verse.
- Links to other loci should not be created merely because similar terms occur in them; the link here rests on Shahrur’s explicit explanation of the verse itself.
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Brief Reading
The verse is used to establish that a difference in wording requires a difference in meaning, and that jaʾa and ata should not be understood as synonyms.
Axes
- Linguistic and semantic
- Methodological
Related Concepts
- Distinguishing between terms: 2
- Coming/bringing: 1
- Jaʾa/ata: 1
- Difference in semantic import: 1
Its Place in the Network of Concepts
It is connected to Shahrur’s method of constructing meaning on the basis of fine distinctions between terms.
The Verse’s Role in the Argument
- Establishment: 1
- Distinction: 1
Contexts of Use
- Religion and Authority, p. 13: He cites the verse to affirm that jaʾa and ata are not synonymous, and that a difference in wording requires a difference in semantic import.
- Concept: Distinguishing between terms
- Function of the verse here: Establishment
- Textual evidence: ““The necessity of observing the difference between jaʾa and ata in His saying, exalted be He: {O my father, knowledge has come to me that has not come to you…} (Maryam: 43).””
- Guide to the Contemporary Reading of the Wise Revelation, p. 43: He relies on the verse to distinguish between what comes from outside the cognitive sphere and what is received from within it.
- Concept: Coming/bringing
- Function of the verse here: Distinction
- Textual evidence: “The coming of a thing is its being brought … as in His saying, exalted be He: {O my father, knowledge has come to me …} (Maryam 43).”
Related Books
This page is presented within the general methodology for constructing the atlas.