What is meant
After the sealing of prophethood, revelation is no longer the governing function in society, but the function of witnessing to the truth of the message continues. This means that knowledge and inquiry become the means of this continuing witnessing.
The atom’s structure in the atlas
- Type of argument: definitional
- Movement of the argument: it makes witnessing an extended function after the sealing of prophethood, rather than revelation.
- Key terms: witnessing, sealing of prophethood, revelation, knowledge, inquiry.
- Degree of centrality: central.
It determines what remains of the religious role after the interruption of prophethood, and links it to knowledge and inquiry. In this way, witnessing becomes a cognitive function in society.
Links to help with reading
- Muhammad Shahrur Islam and Faith
- The Book, the Qur’an, and the Mother of the Book
- Witnessing
- Witnessing
Basis
- Supporting text: «The function after the sealing of prophethood is not revelation, but the continuation of witnessing».
Place of the basis in the book
- Book: Islam and Faith.
- Location: in the middle section of the book, within the expansion of the meaning of witnessing.
- Type of basis: near witness.
- Marker that helps verification: expansion of the scope of witnessing
- Reading note: this passage is suitable as support because the witness addresses the expansion of the concept of witnessing beyond the heritage texts, and it is appropriate to the idea of the continuation of witnessing after the sealing of prophethood.
Degree of documentation
- Level: directly documented
- Meaning of the level: the atom relies on an explicit witness close to the wording of the claim.
- Limits of reading: the formulation above is an analytical summary, and should not be treated as a verbatim quotation unless the witness is quoted textually.
Its function in the book
Its function here is argumentative; it supports a larger conclusion in the chapter or prepares for it.
Links
Editorial note
The atom redefines what comes after prophethood, not the basis of prophethood.