This page explains a conceptual relation between two terms within Shahrur’s thought, and how this relation operates in the construction of meaning.
Within a Broader Family
This formulation belongs to the field of prohibition and the limits of authority over it. Its witness indicates a specific point in the issue, while the encompassing family presents the relation of prohibition to God, revelation, and the negation of its possession by human beings or the state.
The Meaning of the Relation
This relation means that God alone is the reference who has the authority to determine what is lawful and what is unlawful, and no one shares this right with Him. The meaning is therefore not merely a general religious description, but an attribution of legislative authority in permitting and prohibiting to God alone, with the denial of this right to anyone else. This is confirmed by the cited witness, which states that no one has the right to prohibit or permit because God is the sole possessor of this right in both matters.
The Two Terms of the Relation
- First term: God
- Relation: is exclusive to Him alone
- Second term: permitting and prohibiting
Evidence
- Islam and the Human Being via God Alone Possesses Permitting and Prohibiting
- Witness: - “No one has the right to prohibit or permit… because God is the sole possessor of the right to permit and prohibit.”
Its Effect in the Knowledge Map
This relation acquires great importance because it establishes a governing center in the doctrinal and ethical conception within the conceptual network, namely that the ultimate reference in judging actions and things belongs to God alone. It thereby links the concept of divinity with the concept of legislation, and prevents the attribution of the authority to permit and prohibit to any human or external authority. This makes it a central node for understanding the other relations connected to right, authority, and normativity in the conceptual map.