Meaning
What is meant is that motherhood is not limited to biological birth; it also includes whoever raises and cares for the child and contributes to the formation of their consciousness. Therefore, the mother may be the one who performs the role of upbringing and care, not only the one who gave birth.
Structure of the Atom in the Atlas
- Type of argument: Definitional
- Movement of the argument: It expands the meaning of motherhood to include care and formation, not birth alone.
- Central terms: Motherhood, birth, care, formation of consciousness.
- Degree of centrality: Central.
It reconstructs motherhood as an educational and social role, rather than merely a biological event, thus also including whoever provides care and formation.
Links That Aid Reading
- Muhammad Shahrur: Islam and Faith
- Women, Family, and Dress
- Familial Distinctions in the Qur’an Redefine Fatherhood, Motherhood, and Adoption
Evidence
- Supporting text: “It expands the concept of motherhood and fatherhood to include whoever raises, cares for, and forms consciousness, not only whoever gives birth.”
Degree of Documentation
- Level: Directly documented
- Meaning of the level: The atom rests on explicit evidence closely aligned with the wording of the claim.
- Limits of interpretation: The wording above is an analytical summary and should not be treated as a verbatim quotation unless the evidence is reproduced word for word.
Its Function in the Book
Its function here is definitional: it establishes a meaning or conceptual distinction on which Shahrur relies in developing the idea.
Related to
Note to the Reader
Motherhood is an educational function before it is a bodily description.