Islamic Jurisprudence Is a Human Production

Editorial verification status: This atom is extracted from an explanatory audiovisual source, and it has now been linked to the closest books within the Shahrur project at the book level. For precise academic citation, consult the original book and the original episode together.

Formulation of the claim

Shahrur distinguishes between divine legislation and Islamic jurisprudence, and he describes jurisprudence as a human production rather than a revealed text.

Explanation

He insists that the Qur’an is the divine reference, whereas jurisprudence is a historical human understanding of the text. Therefore, jurisprudence may be valid for its own time, but it is not binding in the same form in every age. This allows him to criticize jurisprudential rulings associated with slavery, takfir, or the division of lands. From here, he justifies a contemporary rereading of the Revelation.

Its place in the episode’s argument

This atom grants legitimacy to his entire method: freeing oneself from the sanctity of classical jurisprudence without compromising the authority of the Qur’an.

Limits of the claim

It does not abolish jurisprudence in principle; rather, it returns it to its relative human position.

Brief witness

“Islamic jurisprudence is a human production.”

  • Shahrur - jurisprudence
  • Shahrur - the Qur’an
  • Muhammad-Shahrur-Guide-to-the-Contemporary-Reading-of-the-Wise-Revelation

Book relations