This is a lexical entry that gathers the technical meaning of this term in Shahrur’s work across his different books, and connects its various uses.
This entry belongs to the Shahrur glossary. For reading by theme, one may refer to Shahrur’s major themes and shared concepts.
Meaning in Shahrur
In the Qur’anic sense, terrorism is the instilling of awe and deterrence without taking life; in contemporary usage, however, it has come to denote the deliberate assault on civilians through killing and bombings. This distinction is mentioned to show that contemporary violence is not grounded in the text, but in a rigid historical interpretation that turned deterrence into annihilation.
Distinctions
- It is not confused with Qur’anic fighting, which is restricted by defense and context, because contemporary terrorism is directed at civilians rather than at repelling aggression
- It is not equivalent to the meaning of awe and deterrence in the Qur’an, since that is legitimate deterrence in which there is no killing.
- It is not interpreted as a direct extension of the Muhammadan message, because the message is founded on mercy and universality, not on violence.
- It is not attributed to the Qur’anic text itself, but to a rigid historical reading that made violence a religion.
Places in his books
- Drying Up the Sources of Terrorism: The source distinguishes terrorism as deterrence and instilling awe in the Qur’anic sense from contemporary terrorism as the killing and bombing of civilians. This distinction is used to prove that contemporary violence is not an extension of the text but the result of a rigid historical reading
What is adjacent to it and what differs from it
- Qur’anically, terrorism is deterrence, not killing
- Terrorism is the product of a rigid historical reading
- The Muhammadan message is a message of mercy and universality
- Qur’anic fighting is defensive and context-bound, and historical context prevents the legitimation of terrorism
- The structure of revelation and disciplined historical interpretation prevent religion from being turned into violence
- Drying up the sources of terrorism requires returning religion to the Qur’an, freedom, and mercy, and stripping traditional violence of legitimacy