Thesis Summary
Shahrur distinguishes between divine monism and human plurality, and sees monism as a divine attribute that is not suitable as a social model. Plurality, by contrast, is the fitting expression of human reality and of divine unity at once.
Foundational Atoms
- Monism Is a Divine Attribute, Not a Social One
- Polytheism Rests on an Illusory Fixity
- Plurality Expresses Divine Unity
- The Qur’an Entrenches Plurality and Prevents Monism
Place of Support Within the Book
This meaning appears in the final section of State and Society, in the discussion of plurality and civil society.
Limits of the Reading
This page summarizes an intellectual contrast between monism and plurality. It is a synthetic reading that emphasizes the boundary between the divine and the social as presented in the atoms.