This locus 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.
Text of the Verse as Cited
Indeed, His command, when He wills a thing, is only to say to it, “Be,” and it is
Reader’s Answer
Question
Where does the verse occur, how does Shahrur use it to distinguish the changing part, and what function does it serve in his argument?
The verse occurs in Ya-Sin 82. Shahrur cites it in his discussion of the changing part connected to events and phenomena of nature, and, together with Maryam 35, treats it as evidence for what he calls God’s circumstantial will. In his argument, it serves to place examples such as the granting of males and females, winds, rain, health, illness, and provision within this domain.
Shahrur places Ya-Sin 82 in the context of the changing part related to events and phenomena of nature, which he describes as a domain of dispensation that does not depart from the general law. Alongside Maryam 35, he uses Ya-Sin 82 to characterize this part as God’s originated speech—that is, His circumstantial will—and cites the granting of males and females, winds, rain, health, illness, and provision as examples of it.
Citation and Location
The Book and the Qur’an — p. 64.
Limits of the Reading
- The citation establishes this use in a specific passage of the book; it does not establish that the verse alone founds a complete theory of will or causality.
- The examples mentioned in the citation are Shahrur’s examples of the changing domain; they do not establish a generalization to every gift or every occurrence.
- The citation does not establish a legal ruling or a detailed linguistic interpretation of the verse’s wording.
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Brief Reading
For Shahrur, the verse supports the idea that certain gifts belong to the domain of the changing command, and it is also used as an example of the transformation of will into reality.
Axes
- Faith-related
- Methodological
Related Concepts
- Circumstantial command: 2
- Bringing into being: 2
Its Place in the Network of Concepts
It connects the circumstantial command and bringing into being within a conception that distinguishes between determination and occurrence.
Role of the Verse in the Argument
- Support: 1
- Foundation: 1
Instances of Use
- The Book and the Qur’an, p. 64: He uses it together with Maryam 35 to clarify that the granting of males and females, rain, and provision belongs to the domain of the changing command that may be dispensed.
- Concept: Circumstantial command
- Function of the verse here: Support
- Textual citation: “{Indeed, His command, when He wills a thing, is only to say to it, ‘Be,’ and it is} (Ya-Sin 82)”
- Drying Up the Sources of Terrorism, p. 286: He makes it an example of the transformation of God’s will into tangible reality through the word of creation.
- Concept: Bringing into being
- Function of the verse here: Foundation
- Textual citation: “As stated in His saying—Exalted is He—: {Indeed, His command … ‘Be,’ and it is} (Ya-Sin 82),”
Related Books
This page is presented within the general atlas-building methodology.