The Intended
Shahrur argues that reward and punishment relate to the conscious, intended act, not merely to the thoughts that pass through the mind Therefore, for him, accountability is for what a person chooses and deliberately intends as an act, not for what occurs to his heart or mind
The Atom’s Structure in the Atlas
- Type of argument: value-based
- Movement of the argument: linking reckoning to the intended act, not to a passing thought.
- Key terms: reckoning, act, intended, reward, punishment.
- Degree of centrality: primary.
It defines the scope of moral accountability by what a person deliberately chooses, not by what passes through the mind without volition, thus making responsibility tied to conscious action rather than internal impulse.
Links That Help with Reading
Basis
- Supporting text: “Reward and punishment fall upon the conscious, intended act, not upon mere thoughts.”
Basis Location in the Book
- Book: Islam and Faith.
- Location: in the final section of the book
- Type of basis: close evidence.
- Verification cue: there is no judgment of reward or punishment for thoughts
- Reading note: the text denies judgment over abstract thoughts and restricts reward and punishment to what is manifested in disclosure and concealment, which is close to the atom.
Degree of Documentation
- Level: directly documented
- Meaning of the level: the atom rests on an explicit witness close to the wording of the claim.
- Limits of the reading: the wording above is an analytic summary, and should not be treated as a verbatim quotation unless the witness is transmitted verbatim.
Its Function in the Book
Its function here is argumentative; it supports a larger conclusion in the chapter or prepares for it.
Editorial Note
This atom serves the construction of Shahrur’s conception of individual responsibility.