This page explains a conceptual relation between two terms within Shahrur’s thought, and how this relation functions in the construction of meaning.
Within a Broader Family
This formulation belongs to the field of the Mother of the Book as the domain of decisive verses, commands, and prohibitions. Its specific witness highlights a particular angle, while the encompassing family presents its connection to the foundation of the message and the domain of ijtihad.
The Meaning of the Relation
The Mother of the Book is the name used here for the set of decisive verses, that is, the verses that represent the fixed and clear original core in the Qur’an. The meaning inferred from the witness is that this term does not refer to an incidental part, but to a specific set of verses that perform the function of the primary reference in the Qur’anic structure.
The Two Sides of the Relation
- First side: the Mother of the Book
- Relation: means
- Second side: the set of decisive verses
Evidence
- The Mother of the Book and Its Elaboration through The Mother of the Book Is the Decisive Verses
- Witness: - states that in the Qur’an there are three patterns: decisive verses that represent the “Mother of the Book,” ambiguous verses that represent the “Book of Prophethood,” and elaborative verses that form a systematic ordering of knowledge.
Its Impact on the Knowledge Map
This relation gains importance because it defines the position of the Mother of the Book within the overall division of the Qur’an into different patterns of verses. It makes the Mother of the Book a central point in the conceptual map, because the decisive verses are presented as the original basis in light of which the remaining patterns are understood. In this way, it helps organize the relation between the decisive, the ambiguous, and the elaborative within a single epistemic system.