What is Meant
Shahrur holds that “beast of livestock” is not a name for all animals, but rather for domesticated, tamed animals suitable for sacrificial offerings. He therefore distinguishes it from “livestock,” treating the two as not one and the same. On this understanding, the term is not taken to mean animals in general.
The Atom’s Structure in the Atlas
- Type of argument: Interpretive
- Movement of the argument: It distinguishes between two adjacent terms in order to prevent either from being read as the same general category.
- Key terms: beast of livestock, livestock, domesticated animals, sacrificial offerings, term.
- Degree of centrality: Primary.
This atom explains a mode of interpretation based on distinguishing between closely related expressions, and it prevents hasty generalization, making meaning dependent on context rather than on the lexicon alone.
Links to Aid Reading
- Muhammad Shahrur, The Qur’anic Stories, vol. 2
- The methodology of contemporary reading
- livestock
- The Qur’anic stories are tidings for reflection
Basis
- Supporting text: “He distinguishes between ‘livestock’ and ‘beast of livestock,’ and argues that what is meant by it is domesticated, tamed animals suitable for sacrificial offerings, not all animals.”
Location of the Basis in the Book
- Book: The Qur’anic Stories, vol. 2.
- Location: At the beginning of the book, in the discussion of slaughter and livestock.
- Type of basis: Nearby witness.
- Mark for verification: beast of livestock
- Reading note: This passage works as evidence because it distinguishes between livestock and beast of livestock in the context of rulings, and it is close to the atom.
Degree of Documentation
- Level: Structurally documented
- Meaning of the level: The atom relies on more than one witness or on a clear structure made up of close expressions.
- Reason for classification: The two texts define beast of livestock as domesticated and tamed.
- Limits of reading: The wording above is an analytical summary, and should not be treated as a verbatim quotation unless the witness is reproduced word for word.
Its Function in the Book
Its function here is definitional; it fixes a meaning or conceptual distinction that Shahrur relies on in building the idea.
Related to
Editorial Note
This atom is a clear example of the author’s semantic reading.