The Qur’an Is Not Understood Through Pure Materialism
Source note: This page summarizes an explanatory audiovisual presentation. Book references provide nearby context and are not verbatim evidence; for precise citation, consult the original episode and book.
Formulation of the claim
Shahrur rejects the direct material understanding of expressions such as “We sent down this Qur’an upon a mountain.”
Explanation
He says that what is meant is not placing copies of the Qur’an on a mountain, but the discourse entering the mountain’s faculties of perception, were the mountain morally responsible. In this way, he opposes the reading that makes “sending down” merely a physical movement. He emphasizes that the mountain is not morally responsible, and that the humility in the verse is connected to perception and knowledge, not to matter. The idea here is that Qur’anic meaning is read at the level of consciousness, not at the level of physical transfer.
Its place in the episode’s argument
This atom serves to free the reading from literalism that prevents understanding the cognitive dimensions of Qur’anic discourse.
Limits of the claim
It does not completely deny a sensory implication, but rejects reducing the verse to it.
Brief witness
“If this Qur’an entered the mountain’s faculties of perception… if We sent it down materially, that is a material understanding”
Nearby links
- Shahrur - The Qur’an
- Shahrur - The Decisive
- Shahrur - The Book and the Qur’an