What is meant
What is meant is that much of the jurisprudence attributed to Islam is not grounded in the Qur’an itself, but is a human product shaped over the course of history Accordingly, inherited jurisprudence is understood here as a historical construct, not as a direct divine ruling
The structure of the atom in the atlas
- Type of argument: historical
- Direction of the argument: it makes inherited jurisprudence a historical human product, not a direct divine ruling.
- Key terms: inherited jurisprudence, humanity, history, the Qur’an.
- Degree of centrality: central.
This atom strips inherited jurisprudence of sanctity and returns it to its human historical context, thereby opening the door to reconsidering its attribution to the text.
Links that help with reading
- Muhammad Shahrur’s The Qur’an in Contemporary Thought
- Critique of heritage, jurisprudence, and interpretation
- History
Basis
- Supporting text: «He holds that much of the jurisprudence attributed to Islam has no connection to the Qur’an».
Place of support in the book
- Book: The Qur’an in Contemporary Thought.
- Location: in the first section of the book
- Type of support: close evidence.
- Marker that helps verification: it is binding on no one
- Reading note: the phrase describes the Prophet’s statements as historical documents that are not binding, which makes it suitable for this atom.
Degree of documentation
- Level: directly documented
- Meaning of the level: the atom rests on an explicit witness close to the wording of the claim.
- Limits of the reading: the formulation above is an analytical summary and is not treated as a verbatim quotation unless the witness is quoted word for word.
Its function in the book
Its function here is declarative; it establishes a result on which what follows depends in the course of the argument.
Editorial note
This atom supports a critical reading of the juristic tradition.