The intended meaning
Shahrur divides obscenities into forbidden sexual relations that take multiple forms, between private and public For him, they are of two kinds: instinctive obscenity, and acquired deviant obscenity such as sodomy He treats zina as a public obscenity that is established only by witnesses
The structure of the atom in the atlas
- Type of argument: legislative
- Movement of the argument: it divides obscenities into types and treats zina as a public obscenity.
- Key terms: obscenities, zina, witnesses, publicity.
- Degree of centrality: central.
It fixes the meaning of obscenity through its internal division and links type, ruling, and proof, which helps in reading moral and practical boundaries in a non-uniform way.
Links that help with reading
- Muhammad Shahrur, The Book and the Qur’an
- Women, Family, and Clothing
- The commandments regulate moral, social, and family life
Grounding
- Supporting text: «الفواحش نوعان: غريزية (كناح الذكر للأنثى ضمن العقد المشروع أو المخالفة له) وانحرافية مكتسبة (كاللواط)، والزنا هو الفاحشة العلنية المثبتة بالشهود».
Degree of documentation
- Level: structurally documented
- Meaning of the level: the atom is based on more than one witness or on a clear structure of closely related expressions.
- Reason for classification: the witnesses state the multiplicity of obscenities and their clear division.
- Limits of the reading: the formulation above is an analytical summary and should not be treated as a verbatim quotation unless the witness is quoted verbatim.
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
What is meant here is the distribution of rulings across different forms of behavior.