This axis brings together 1 locus 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

WHAT IS [THE MATTER] WITH YOU THAT YOU DO NOT ASCRIBE TO GOD DUE MAJESTY

Brief reading

Shahrur places it in the context of correcting belief, where polytheism is understood here as a historical stage connected to the worship of the sun and moon.

Axes

  • Faith-related
  • Narrative and historical
  • Critique of polytheism: 2

Its place in the network of concepts

It is connected to the critique of polytheism within a narrative of the development of religious belief.

The verse’s role in the argument

  • Critique of tradition: 1

Usage loci

  • The State and Society, p. 183: He places it within the context of Noah’s call to correct the belief that the sun and moon are created beings rather than gods, supporting a historical reading of the development of polytheism.
    • Concept: Critique of polytheism
    • Function of the verse here: Critique of tradition
    • Textual witness: “For he asked them to believe that the moon and the sun are among God’s creatures and not gods, as they had believed. This indicates that Noah’s society… as evidenced by His—exalted be He—words preceding them: {WHAT IS [THE MATTER] WITH YOU THAT YOU DO NOT ASCRIBE TO GOD DUE MAJESTY} (Noah 13).”

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