The Intended Meaning
For Shahrur, the dhikr is not a simple synonym for the Qur’an; rather, it is the Arabic linguistic form through which the Book was made manifest among people. In this way, the dhikr becomes a linguistic and devotional aspect, while the Qur’an remains broader in terms of its relation to truths, laws, and knowledge.
The Atom’s Structure in the Atlas
- Type of argument: definitional.
- Argument movement: it defines the dhikr as the form of the Arabic tongue through which the text is received.
- Central terms: dhikr, the Book, the Qur’an, the Arabic tongue, making.
- Degree of centrality: pivotal.
This atom supports the terminological structure in the book, where the terms of revelation are not equated in a single meaning but are read according to function.
Reading Aids
- Muhammad Shahrur: The Book and the Qur’an
- the Qur’an
- the Qur’an was made Arabic and then sent down
- synonymy
Grounding
- Supporting text: the passage relies on Shahrur’s definition of the dhikr as the modern Arabic form through which the Book is recited and by which people receive the text.
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 reading: the formulation above is an analytical summary and should not be treated as a verbatim quotation.
Its Function in the Book
Its function here is terminological; it is added to the network of distinctions between the Book, the Qur’an, and the dhikr, and supports the rejection of synonymy in the terms of revelation.