Polytheism = Sticking to the Pattern of the Ancestors
Editorial verification status: this atom has been extracted from an explanatory audiovisual source, and has now been linked to the nearest books within Shahrur’s project at the book level. For precise academic quotation, consult the original book and the original episode together.
Formulation of the claim
Shahrur defines polytheism here as steadfastness in what the fathers and grandfathers were upon, not merely as declaring worship of an idol or another god.
Explanation
He says that the Arabs did not describe themselves as “polytheists,” even though they were, in Qur’anic logic, included within polytheism. He therefore links polytheism to a behavioral state: persistence in inherited tradition and refusal of change. In this sense, polytheism becomes a stance toward time and development more than a mere conventional doctrinal description. He distinguishes between the term commonly used by people and the Qur’anic meaning that he himself constructs.
Its place in the episode’s argument
This idea is the key that opens the whole episode, because it shifts polytheism from the matter of idols to the matter of historical rigidity. From it he proceeds to explain intergenerational conflict and social change.
Limits of the claim
He does not say that every form of steadfastness is blameworthy; rather, he links polytheism to steadfastness that prevents development and closes the door to plurality.
Brief witness
“Is polytheism steadfastness? It is steadfastness because we want you to be the shade just as our fathers were”
Related links
- Shahrur - Polytheism
- Shahrur - Sunna
- Book: Islam and Faith