This is a lexical entry that gathers the technical meaning of this term in Shahrur across his various books and connects its multiple usages.
This entry belongs to Shahrur’s lexicon. For reading by thematic axis, see Shahrur’s major themes and shared concepts.
The meaning in Shahrur
Hanifiyya in Shahrur is the capacity of legislation, thought, and customs to change according to time and reality, while moral values remain constant. It thus denotes the flexibility of rulings in the human sphere, not the permanence of particular formulations, and combines the historicity of legislation with the continuity of the value reference.
Distinctions
- It does not mean prohibition itself, because prohibition, in his view, is a separate domain from hanifiyya
- It is not a description of the fixed moral value itself, but of the changing dimension in legislation and social conduct.
Places in his books
- A Guide to Contemporary Reading of the Wise Revelation: Shahrur defines it as the capacity for change in legislation, thought, and customs while remaining committed to values. It is a central concept for him because it reconciles the historicity of rulings with the continuity of the moral reference
What is adjacent to it and what differs from it
- Prohibition and human legislation are separate domains
- Hanifiyya is a quality of legislative change