Citation location: Episode 07: Epistemology: Being, Truth, and the Words of God, at 21:59–22:02. Audible testimony: «يصفون يعني نحن نقول سبحانه وتسبيح العقل ننزه الله من ان يكون مثله شيء يا الله».
Glorification as Declaring God Transcendent of the Properties of Things
Source note: This page summarizes explanatory audiovisual material. Book references provide nearby context and are not verbatim evidence; for precise citation, consult the original episode and book.
Formulation of the claim
Shahrur sees glorification in the Qur’an as declaring God transcendent of being like moving, changing, multiple things. Glorification is not merely a verbal formula, but a statement of the ontological difference between the Creator and the created.
Explanation
He understands glorification as a semantic movement within the Qur’anic text: whenever God is mentioned alongside something created, glorification appears to remove any suspicion of likeness. Things “glorify” because, in their existence, they are changing and moving; that is, they practically testify to their difference from God. In this way, Shahrur moves away from a purely ritual interpretation of glorification and makes it a philosophical concept of the negation of resemblance.
Its place in the argument of the episode
This atom links ontological theory with practical monotheism in reading the Qur’an.
Limits of the claim
It does not deny the devotional meaning of glorification, but focuses on its ontological meaning.
Brief testimony
“Glorification is the form of material existence.”
Nearby links
- Shahrur - The Qur’an
- Shahrur - The Shahada
- Shahrur - The Decisive