This is a lexical entry that gathers the technical meaning of this term in Shahrur across his various books, and connects its multiple uses.
This entry belongs to the Shahrur glossary. For thematic reading, one may refer to Shahrur’s major themes and shared concepts.
Meaning according to Shahrur
Al-fard is the determination and clarification that regulates quantities and limits and reveals meaning in a way that removes hardship, so it is not understood as merely a harsh obligation or religious coercion. For the author, it is a tool for organizing understanding and action by linking duty with clarity and moderation.
Distinctions
- Al-fard here is not synonymous with coercion or religious pressure, but rather a clarification that removes ambiguity and defines boundaries
- Nor is it confused with the decisive text or the Book; these belong to the structure of revelation, whereas the specific function of al-fard is determination and the removal of hardship.
Passages from his books
- Drying Up the Springs of Terrorism: the author understands al-fard as determination, clarification, and the removal of hardship, not as mere abstract obligation. Thus, al-fard becomes for him a way of regulating quantities and limits more than a title for pressure or religious coercion
What is adjacent to it and what differs from it
- Terrorism is the product of a rigid historical reading
- Al-fard denotes determination and clarification
- The Book, the decisive text, and al-fard define the structure of revelation
- The structure of revelation and disciplined historical interpretation prevent religion from being turned into violence