What Is Attributed to Shahrur
The evidence attributed to The State and Society states that the term encompasses contractual relationships between free persons. The evidence attributed to Toward New Foundations for Islamic Jurisprudence links the historical end of slavery to a reinterpretation of “those whom the right hand possesses” as a contractual rather than servile relationship, connecting this to the regulation of certain social and sexual relationships in light of custom and civil law.
Atlas Explanation
For the purposes of the Shahrur Glossary, this entry denotes a redefinition of the term: the central axis of the established reading is the contract between free persons, not ownership of a person. Thus, the reference to custom and civil law is read as part of the framework for regulating relationships presented by the evidence, rather than as a complete account of contractual particulars.
Synthetic Conclusion
The available evidence brings together three elements: the historical end of slavery, the denial of servitude in this understanding, and the affirmation of its contractual character between free persons. Accordingly, the page connects this entry to the trajectory Those Whom the Right Hand Possesses as a Transitional Stage toward Freedom and to Family, Contract, and Kinship. The synthetic context may be reviewed in Marriage and Ownership in the Sharia Are Reunderstood Contractually and Slavery and Those Whom the Right Hand Possesses Are Historical Phenomena Open to Deconstruction.
Open Question and Limits of the Evidence
This evidence set does not establish that “those whom the right hand possesses” is marriage or that it differs from it in a specific respect; nor does it identify all the domains encompassed by contractual relationships. The first piece of evidence is excerpted and provides neither a detailed location nor raw context; therefore, the term’s detailed scope remains open to review against the original texts.