This thematic entry brings together two instances of the use of this verse in the books of Muhammad Shahrur, linking it to the concepts and arguments that appear around it.
The Verse as Cited
And your Lord would not destroy the towns unjustly while their people were reformers.
Reader’s Answer
Question
How does Muhammad Shahrur employ the Qur’anic statement, “And your Lord would not destroy the towns unjustly while their people were reformers,” in his interpretation of the destruction of societies?
Shahrur employs the verse in a socio-political reading: for him, the persistence of “reform” is the opposite of the injustice that leads to destruction, and he treats the “town” as an example of society. In the direct evidence, he links injustice, at the level of thought and the social system, to monism, the claim to possess the truth, and the rejection of criticism, the other, and change. He consequently sees the monistic society as being on the path of destruction discussed by the verses. This is Shahrur’s interpretive addition, rather than an explicit statement of the verse alone.
Shahrur uses the verse within a group of verses concerning the destruction of towns to maintain that “monistic thinking” is unjust and does not accept criticism or change, setting reform against it. In this context, Shahrur defines the “town” as monistic society, citing as its forms the monism of profession, authority, religious community, culture, and opinion.
Evidence and Location
The Qur’an in Contemporary Thought — p. 20.
Limits of the Reading
- The direct evidence establishes that Shahrur makes this connection, but it does not demonstrate from the verse alone that “reformers” means pluralism or acceptance of criticism in the modern political sense.
- The mere occurrence of the verse in a list of verses about destruction should not be turned into independent evidence for the details of the theory of monism; the precise evidence is the text on p. 20, which explicitly states the connection and definition.
- Monism and the rejection of criticism should not be presented as the verse’s sole or exclusive meaning; they are part of Shahrur’s contemporary use of it.
Continue from Here
Brief Reading
It is cited to argue that destruction is linked to injustice, monism, and the rejection of reform and criticism.
Themes
- Human and ethical
- Political and social
Related Concepts
- Injustice: 2
- Reform: 1
Place in the Conceptual Network
It links injustice to the outcomes of society when the door to reform is closed.
Role of the Verse in the Argument
- Support: 2
Places of Use
- The Qur’an in Contemporary Thought, p. 20: He uses it to affirm that destruction is linked to injustice, monism, and the rejection of reform and criticism.
- Concept: Injustice
- Function of the verse here: Support
- Textual evidence: “- {And your Lord would not destroy the towns unjustly while their people were reformers} (Hud 117)”
- State and Society, p. 142: He uses it to establish that the presence of reform within society prevents destruction, and that destruction pertains to unjust, unreforming towns.
- Concept: Reform
- Function of the verse here: Support
- Textual evidence: “{And your Lord would not destroy the towns unjustly while their people were reformers} (Hud 117).”
Related Books
This page is presented within the general methodology for building the atlas.