Ya-Sin 20

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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

And from the farthest part of the city came a man running. He said, “O my people, follow the messengers.”

Reader’s Answer

Question

Where does Shahrur employ Ya-Sin 20, what does “the city” mean in this context, and what function does the verse serve in his argument?

Shahrur employs the verse in the context of linking the designation “the city” to voluntary commitment to the prevailing law, and he makes “the city” carry the meaning of pluralism. The verse is a Qur’anic example he cites within this connection, rather than explicit evidence for “declared opposition.”

Shahrur cites Ya-Sin 20 among Qur’anic examples on which he relies when he says that the term “the city” carries the meaning of pluralism. Here, Shahrur distinguishes between religion as voluntary commitment to God’s commands and the city as a place in which voluntary commitment to the prevailing law is required; from this, he links the designation of the city to pluralism.

Citation and Location

The Qur’an in Contemporary Thought — p. 21.

Limits of the Reading

  • The cited passage does not state that the verse concerns “declared opposition” or a plurality of views in these terms.
  • The cited passage does not explain the details of the Qur’anic scene or derive from the man’s character an independent judgment concerning opposition.
  • The cited passage does not establish from this verse alone a comprehensive linguistic definition of the city; rather, it presents it as an example in the context of Shahrur’s argument.

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Brief Reading

Shahrur cites it to understand the city as a space in which opposition and a plurality of views emerge.

Axes

  • Political and social
  • Linguistic and semantic
  • The city: 2

Its Place in the Network of Concepts

It falls within the unpacking of the meaning of the city as an open social sphere.

Role of the Verse in the Argument

  • Example: 1

Instances of Use

  • The Qur’an in Contemporary Thought, p. 21: He cites it to interpret the city as a space for the existence of declared opposition and a plurality of views.
    • Concept: the city
    • Function of the verse here: example
    • Textual citation: “{And from the farthest part of the city came a man running …} (Ya-Sin 20)”

This page is presented within the general atlas construction methodology.

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Muhammad Shahrur Atlas