This axis brings together 1 occurrence 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
And His Throne was upon the water.
Reader’s Answer
Question
Where does Shahrur cite Hud 7, what does he mean by “the Throne” and “water” in it, and what function does it serve in his cosmological argument?
The citation appears in The Book and the Qur’an, p. 202. Shahrur interprets the Throne as “the command” and takes water to be the name of the first element constituting existence—namely, hydrogen. The verse thus serves to support his linking of the divine command to the beginning of cosmic formation.
Shahrur cites the verse in The Book and the Qur’an, p. 202, in the course of discussing the creation of the heavens and the earth and the beginning of cosmic formation. He interprets “the Throne” in the verse as the command, and explains “water” as the first element to have formed in existence, namely hydrogen. In his argument, the verse functions to connect “God’s command” with the element he regards as constituting existence, within his conception of the beginning of the universe after the cosmic explosion.
Citation and Location
The Book and the Qur’an — p. 202.
Limits of the Reading
- This passage establishes Shahrur’s interpretation of the Throne and water, and the function of the verse in his cosmological construction; it does not establish the scientific or exegetical correctness of that interpretation.
- The cited passage does not compare this use with uses of “the Throne” or “water” in other verses.
- The cited passage does not state a relation of synonymy or non-synonymy between other terms.
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Brief Reading
He uses it to link the Throne to the first material element in existence, making it part of his cosmological interpretation of hydrogen.
Axes
- Faith-based
- Linguistic and semantic
Related Concepts
- the Throne: 2
- existence: 1
- hydrogen: 1
Its Place in the Conceptual Network
It incorporates the concept of the Throne into a distinctive cosmological semantic construction.
Role of the Verse in the Argument
- Support: 1
Occurrences of Use
- The Book and the Qur’an, p. 202: He uses it to link the Throne to the first material element in existence, making it part of his cosmological interpretation of hydrogen.
- Concept: the Throne
- Function of the verse here: support
- Textual citation: “Thus He said: {And He is the One who created the heavens and the earth in six days, and His Throne was upon the water} (Hud 7), that is, His command was upon the element constituting existence, namely hydrogen.”
Related Books
This page is presented within the general atlas construction methodology.