This axis brings together 2 instances of the use of this verse in Muhammad Shahrur’s books, linking it to the concepts and arguments that appear around it.
The Verse Text as Cited
And I do not say to you that I possess the treasuries of God, nor do I know the unseen …
Reader’s Answer
Question
How does Shahrur employ Hud 31 in his discussion of knowledge of the unseen and Noah’s human status?
Shahrur employs the verse, alongside a group of verses, to deny that the prophet possesses comprehensive knowledge of the unseen on his own and to restrict what he follows to revelation. The verse itself is from Noah’s address, and it also denies any claim to possess God’s treasuries or the attribute of being an angel. However, the cited passage does not provide an independent explanation of the phrase “I am an angel,” nor does it construct a detailed theory of the humanity of messengers on its basis.
Shahrur brings together Hud 31 and other verses to maintain that the prophet does not claim knowledge of the unseen from himself, and that what he follows is revelation.
Citation and Location
Islam and the Human Being — p. 40.
Limits of the Reading
- Shahrur’s wording in the first citation speaks of “the prophet” in the context of assembling multiple verses; it should therefore not be turned into a Noah-specific elaboration except insofar as the verse from Hud appears within this assemblage.
- The second citation presents the verse in the context of his discussion of Noah, but it does not explain its implication for Noah’s humanity or the meaning of denying that he is an angel.
- These two citations alone do not establish that the unseen being denied encompasses every possible form of disclosure about the unseen; Shahrur’s own formulation links what the messengers brought to revelation and to what appears in God’s Book.
Continue From Here
Brief Reading
The verse is used to affirm that the prophet does not possess knowledge of the unseen, and to establish Noah’s humanity and reject anything resembling angelic attributes.
Axes
- Faith-related
- Methodological
Related Concepts
- Denial of knowledge of the unseen: 2
- Denial of possession: 2
- The prophet’s humanity: 1
Its Place in the Conceptual Network
It is connected to the limits of human knowledge and the denial of claiming what does not belong to human beings.
The Verse’s Role in the Argument
- Support: 2
Instances of Use
- Islam and the Human Being, p. 40: He reiterates through it his argument that the prophet neither possesses nor claims knowledge of the unseen.
- Concept: Denial of knowledge of the unseen
- Function of the verse here: Support
- Textual citation: “{ And I do not say to you that I possess the treasuries of God, nor do I know the unseen … } (Hud 31)”
- the Book and the Qur’an, p. 267: He uses it to affirm Noah’s humanity and his rejection of any claim to angelic attributes or knowledge of the unseen.
- Concept: Denial of possession
- Function of the verse here: Support
- Textual citation: “Noah affirmed to them, on his own behalf, the following: {And I do not say to you that I possess the treasuries of God … nor do I say that I am an angel …}”
Related Books
This page is presented within the general atlas-building methodology.