Intended Meaning
For Shahrur, the Muslim is not a name that applies exclusively to the followers of Muhammad ﷺ alone; rather, it includes everyone who believes in God and the Last Day and does righteous deeds Thus, Islam here is based on faith and righteous action, not on formal religious affiliation
The Atom’s Structure in the Atlas
- Type of argument: definitional
- Argument movement: expands the meaning of Muslim to every righteous believer.
- Key terms: Muslim, belief in God, the Last Day.
- Degree of centrality: central.
The atom defines the Muslim in an open, value-based way, linking the name to faith and righteous action rather than to exclusive belonging to a particular group.
Reading Aids
- Muhammad Shahrur Islam and Faith
- Islam, Faith, and Righteous Action
- Shahrur’s Islamic covenant is based on value-based pillars, not ritual affiliation
Basis
- Supporting text: “The Muslim is everyone who has believed in God and the Last Day and done righteous deeds, not only the followers of Muhammad ﷺ.”
Degree of Documentation
- Level: directly documented
- Meaning of level: the atom rests on an explicit witness close to the wording of the claim.
- Limits of reading: the wording above is an analytical summary and is not treated as a verbatim quotation unless the witness is cited textually.
Its Function in the Book
Its function here is definitional; it fixes a meaning or conceptual distinction on which Shahrur relies in building the idea.
Related to
Editorial Note
The atom redefines religious identity on the basis of values.