Distinguishing Between the Messengerly Sunna and the Prophetic Sunna

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Intended Meaning

Shahrur distinguishes between the messengerly Sunna and the prophetic Sunna, and holds that the criterion for accepting or rejecting a hadith is that it must not conflict with the Wise Revelation, nor with reality, nor with the logical understanding of it What is intended here is that the Sunna is not a single type, but rather, according to this distinction, it is divided into two different forms

The Atom’s Structure in the Atlas

  • Type of argument: distinguishing
  • Movement of the argument: it differentiates between two types of Sunna and makes acceptance conditional on the absence of contradiction.
  • Core terms: the messengerly Sunna, the prophetic Sunna, acceptance, contradiction.
  • Degree of centrality: pivotal.

It establishes a selective criterion in dealing with transmitted reports, so it does not equate all transmitted material, but rather ties its probative value to its conformity with the Book, reality, and reason.

Basis

  • Supporting text: «Shahrur distinguishes between what he calls the messengerly Sunna and the prophetic Sunna, and makes the criterion of acceptance and rejection the absence of contradiction between the hadith and the Wise Revelation, reality, and its logical understanding».

Degree of Documentation

  • Level: directly documented
  • Meaning of the level: the atom rests on an explicit witness close to the formulation 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 transmitted verbatim.

Its Function in the Book

Its function here is definitional; it establishes a meaning or conceptual distinction on which Shahrur relies in building the idea.

Editorial Note

This atom establishes an internal sorting criterion within the Sunna.

Graph View

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Muhammad Shahrur Atlas