This is a lexicographic entry that gathers the technical meaning of this term in Shahrur across his various books, and connects its different usages.
This entry belongs to Shahrur’s glossary. For reading by theme, one may refer to Shahrur’s major themes and shared concepts.
The meaning in Shahrur
Islam is the general religion in harmony with human nature and all people, and it is based on monotheism, righteous deeds, and human values, not merely on formal affiliation or rituals alone. In this usage, it is understood as a value horizon broader than private faith, prior in principle to the Muhammadic mission, and directed toward freedom, dignity, justice, and equality.
Distinctions
- It is distinguished from faith because it is broader and more comprehensive than it, so it is neither reduced to it nor equated with it.
- It is distinguished from narrow religious affiliation; it is a universal value-based religion for all people, not a closed identity for a specific group.
- It is distinguished from rigidity, clericalism, and closure; it is based on freedom and human values, not coercion.
- It is distinguished from mere rituals; its criterion is righteous action, justice, and dignity, not ritual performance alone.
Occurrences in his books
- Islam and Man: In this source, Islam is not merely a formal religious affiliation, but a universal value-based religion founded on monotheism, righteous deeds, and human nature. Shahrur presents it as broader than faith, prior to the Muhammadic mission, and fundamentally directed toward freedom, dignity, and human values.
- Islam and Faith: In this source, Islam is defined as the general religion in harmony with human nature and all people, not a religion confined to a specific group. Shahrur also presents it as a framework broader than faith, based on belief in God, the Last Day, and righteous deeds.
- The Qur’an in Contemporary Thought: For Muhammad Shahrur, it is a value framework broader than rituals, associated with God, human values, and pluralism. It is also understood as a message that opened the door to ijtihad and stripped religion of the logic of closure and clericalism.
- A Guide to the Contemporary Reading of the Wise Revelation: Shahrur emphasizes that Islam is not synonymous with faith, and that conflating the two has corrupted the understanding of pillars and values. In his interpretive logic, this distinction becomes the basis for reordering the doctrinal system away from inherited tradition.
What it is adjacent to and different from
- Faith
- Freedom
- Islam as a human value framework broader than private confessional affiliation
- Human Islam is reconstituted Qur’anically as a system of values, freedom, and citizenship that transcends closed identity
- Value-based Islam is translated politically and ethically into freedom, citizenship, and resistance to tyranny
- Islam as a universal value-based religion
- Islam is historically and conceptually prior to the specificity of the Muhammadic message
- Islam is prior to the Muhammadic mission
- Islam as a general human horizon broader than private Muhammadic faith
- Islam is loyalty to human values
- Islam transcends narrow affiliation
- Freedom and human values constitute the criterion of Islam and the basis of resistance to tyranny