What is meant
The city here is not described in the witness merely as a place; rather, it is presented as “the pluralistic society.” This is the extent that can be attributed directly to Shahrur on this page.
What is attributed to Shahrur
The book gives the following definition: “The city: the pluralistic society.”
Atlas explanation
The atlas understands this formulation to mean that the definition emphasizes the city’s social structure—that is, plurality—rather than spatial description alone. This is an explanation close to the wording, not a quotation from it.
Conclusion
This definition can be connected to the page Muhammad Shahrur Qur’an in Contemporary Thought to examine the place of plurality in the broader argument, without assuming that everything on that page is established by this witness alone. For the broader context: The civil state, religion, and power, and Plurality is a Qur’anic condition for development, whereas monism produces destruction and tyranny.
Open question
The available witness does not establish that Shahrur contrasts the city with the village, that he describes the village as monistic or closed, or that he explicitly links the city to freedom, openness, or acceptance of opposition. These additions require an independent verbatim witness.
The Qur’an in Contemporary Thought · Plurality is a Qur’anic condition for development, whereas monism produces destruction and tyranny