This axis brings together 1 instance 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
He said, “O my people, have you considered: if I stand upon clear evidence from my Lord and He has granted me mercy from Himself, but it has been obscured from you, should we compel you to accept it while you are averse to it?”
Reader’s Answer
Question
How does Muhammad Shahrur employ the Qur’anic statement in Hud 28, “Should we compel you to accept it while you are averse to it,” in his discussion of coercion?
Shahrur employs the verse to highlight that kurh for him means aversion and hardship, and that Noah’s question to his people negates the possibility of compelling them to accept the mercy or clear evidence while they are averse to it. This use comes within a broader introduction to his distinction between kurh as aversion and ikrah as compulsion and coercion; however, the available excerpt breaks off before presenting the detailed conclusion he draws from the verse concerning the negation of coercion in religion.
Shahrur defines kurh as aversion and hardship, and takes the occurrence of “averse” in Hud 28 to carry the meaning of aversion. He employs Hud 28 in the context of distinguishing between kurh and ikrah, defining ikrah as physical or moral compulsion and coercion.
Citation and Location
Drying Up the Sources of Terrorism — p. 157.
Limits of the Reading
- The citation is excerpted and ends before the completion of Shahrur’s statement concerning what “results” from reflecting on Hud 28.
- His statement concerning aversion in “averse” should not be turned into a detailed ruling on freedom of belief or legislation without the subsequent text.
- The verse itself concerns clear evidence and mercy in Noah’s address to his people; connecting it to a general principle of coercion requires following Shahrur’s full argument, not verbal resemblance alone.
Continue from Here
Brief Reading
The verse is made an entry point for the meaning of imposing something reluctantly, as a prelude to negating coercion in religion.
Axes
- Legislative
- Political and social
Related Concepts
- Coercion: 2
- Imposition under duress: 1
- Negation of coercion in religion: 1
Its Place in the Conceptual Network
It forms a conceptual background for understanding the negation of coercion within the legislative and social sphere.
The Verse’s Role in the Argument
- Context: 1
Instances of Use
- Drying Up the Sources of Terrorism, p. 157: He makes it an entry point for deriving the meaning of imposition under duress, as a prelude to negating coercion in religion.
- Concept: coercion
- Function of the verse here: context
- Textual citation: “The meaning of aversion occurs in the saying of God, spoken by Noah to his people: {He said, ‘O my people, have you considered: if I stand upon clear evidence from my Lord and He has granted me mercy from Himself, but it has been obscured from you, should we compel you to accept it while you are averse to it?’} (Hud 28).”
Related Books
This page is presented within the general atlas-building methodology.