Thesis Summary
Shahrur distinguishes between the messenger and the prophet: the messenger is a conveyor of revelation, while the prophet has a human, interpretive function in managing society. This implies that the prophet does not know the unseen by himself, and that the Qur’an is the enduring miracle.
Foundational Atoms
- The messenger and the prophet are different
- The prophet does not know the unseen
- The Qur’an is an enduring miracle
Position of Support Within the Book
This distinction appears in the early sections of Islam and Faith, then expands in the middle section when discussing prophethood and revelation.
Limits of the Reading
This is an interpretive construction that combines functional distinction with the denial of intrinsic knowledge of the unseen. Nothing more should be inferred from it than what the available atoms allow.