What is the idea?
Shahrur is discussing the distinction between Islam and faith. He treats righteous action as one of the pillars of Islam and cites the verse from Al-Ahqaf that brings together kindness to parents, the request to act righteously, and the speaker’s declaration: “I am of the Muslims.”
The passage does not offer a general definition of ihsan. It uses honoring one’s parents as a practical example that clarifies the place of righteous action within Islam.
Shahrur’s argument
The argument has two steps:
- The verse from Al-Ahqaf mentions honoring one’s parents, reforming one’s offspring, and righteous action, then closes with an affiliation to the Muslims.
- The verse from Al-Baqarah that Shahrur cites distinguishes righteous action from establishing prayer and giving alms.
From this distinction, he concludes that righteous action belongs to Islam, while ritual observances belong to faith in the Muhammadan message within his terminology.
Source and evidence
- Source: Muhammad Shahrur, Islam and Man
- Location: Chapter Two, “Who Are the Believers?”, in the section “The Meaning of Faith from the Book of God”
- Page: PDF page 56 in the atlas’s verified edition
- Evidence: “This verse linked the righteous action represented by honoring one’s parents to Islam.”
In the same passage, Shahrur continues that righteous action is a pillar of Islam rather than faith, and distinguishes it from prayer and almsgiving as ritual observances in his conceptual framework.
Limits of the evidence
The passage supports the claim that Shahrur treats honoring one’s parents as an example of righteous action and associates righteous action with Islam. It does not establish that “ihsan includes the self and others,” equate ihsan with righteous action, or assert that every form of ihsan produces reward in the same way.