Faith Is a Surrender, Not Built on Seeing
Editorial verification status: This atom has been extracted from an explanatory audiovisual source, and it has now been linked to the closest books within Shahrur’s project at the book level. When quoting academically with precision, consult the original book and the original episode together.
Formulation of the claim
Shahrur considers faith in God to be a kind of surrender to what is not directly seen, not a purely sensory inference.
Explanation
He says that human beings have not seen God, so faith in God rests on surrender, not on seeing. From here, he links faith to an inward assent that does not depend on complete sensory proof. This idea explains why faith is regarded as deeper than merely outward intellectual knowledge.
Its place in the episode’s argument
This atom helps him set faith in opposition to Islam as a more specific inward level. It also explains why a merely verbal statement is not enough.
Limits of the claim
It does not deny the importance of reason or proof, but says that faith cannot be reduced to the senses.
Brief evidence
“You did not see God … this faith is called the faith of surrender”
Nearby links
- Shahrur - Faith
- Shahrur - Testimony
- Book: Islam and Faith