The Qur’an Answers the Question of Existence and Knowledge
Editorial verification status: This atom is extracted from an explanatory audiovisual source and has now been linked to the closest books within the Shahrur project at the book level. For precise academic citation, consult the original book and the original episode together.
Formulation of the claim
Shahrur sees the Qur’an as providing an answer to two major philosophical questions: existence and the knowledge of existence.
Explanation
This is presented as a shorthand for all of worldly philosophy, and it says that the central philosophical problem goes back to the question: What is the nature of existence? And how do we know it? It then links the Qur’an to epistemology, considering that the Qur’anic text establishes a way of understanding reality and knowledge that remains influential. In this way, the Qur’an is raised from the level of exhortation to the level of theory-building.
Its place in the episode’s argument
This atom explains why Shahrur reads the Qur’an as an epistemological source, not merely as a book of moral exhortation. It is one of the foundations of his entire project.
Limits of the claim
He does not say that the Qur’an answers all detailed questions in the modern sciences, but rather the foundational philosophical questions.
Brief witness
“The Qur’an summarized the grand philosophy… two questions: existence and the knowledge of existence.”
Related links
- Shahrur - the Qur’an
- Shahrur - the Decisive
- Shahrur - Islam and faith