This page explains a conceptual relationship between two poles within Shahrur’s thought, and how this relationship functions in the construction of meaning.
Within a broader family
This formulation is part of the field of Qur’anic reference and the differentiation of meanings. Its witness pertains to a specific issue, and the family gathers together the Qur’an’s relation to knowledge, objective laws, plurality, and the distinction between terms and concepts.
Meaning of the relationship
This relationship means that the Qur’an is ascribed the domain of objective laws and existential truths; that is, it is the reference that expresses the laws of existence and what is fixed in the world, rather than direct behavioral guidance. The witness shows that this specialization is matched by the Mother of the Book’s specialization in commands and prohibitions related to human conduct, so the meaning here is a distribution of knowledge and function between two different domains within the proposed conception.
The two poles of the relationship
- The first pole: the Qur’an
- The relationship: is concerned with
- The second pole: objective laws and existential truths
Evidence
- The Book and the Qur’an via The Qur’an concerns the laws of objective existence
- Witness: - It confirms that the Qur’an is concerned with objective laws and existential truths, whereas the Mother of the Book is concerned with commands and prohibitions related to human conduct.
Its effect on the cognitive map
This relationship gains its importance because it draws a conceptual boundary within the cognitive map between what pertains to the structure of existence and what pertains to evaluating human action. In doing so, it helps organize the Qur’an’s place within the network of concepts, as bearing universal truths and objective laws, and prevents confusion between the level of existential laws and the level of practical ethical guidance, which helps in understanding the structure of the relationship between the Qur’an and the Mother of the Book within the overall conception.