Intended Meaning
The historical Sunna is a historical pattern that is not strictly determined; it is linked to changes in society and to free will. This means that the course of events does not proceed mechanically, but is connected to human action and choice.
The Atom’s Structure in the Atlas
- Type of argument: historical
- Movement of the argument: it links the historical Sunna to free will and societal change.
- Key terms: historical Sunna, free will, society.
- Degree of centrality: central.
This atom affirms that history, for the author, is not a closed mechanical process, but a movement affected by human action; freedom thus enters into the interpretation of the Sunan themselves.
Links That Help Reading
- Muhammad Shahrur al-Qasas al-Qur’ani vol. 2
- History, Evolution, and the Sunan
- The Qur’anic narrative reveals the historical Sunan and the role of human beings in them
Basis
- Supporting text: “The historical Sunna: a historical pattern that is not strictly determined, connected to social changes and free will.”
Place of the Basis in the Book
- Book: al-Qasas al-Qur’ani vol. 2.
- Location: in the first section of the book
- Type of basis: close evidence.
- Verification marker: text as made by human beings
- Reading note: this passage is suitable as evidence because it links discussion of the historical text to freedom in reading and understanding, and it is close to the atom in its general idea.
Degree of Documentation
- Level: directly documented
- Meaning of the level: the atom relies on an explicit witness close to the wording of the claim.
- Limits of reading: the wording above is an analytical summary, and should not be treated as a verbatim quotation unless the witness is quoted word for word.
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.
Related to
Editorial Note
It is used with the atom: “The narrative reveals the historical Sunan.”