What the Witness Attributed to Shahrur States
The witness states that obscenities are divided into two types: instinctive and acquired deviant; it cites “sodomy” as an example of the acquired type. It also describes zina as “the public obscenity established by witnesses.”
Qualifying the Reading
This text alone does not describe everything falling under the instinctive type as forbidden, since it includes the example “the male’s sexual intercourse with the female within a lawful contract or in violation of it.” The wording of the division is therefore retained as given, without a broader redefinition of obscenity.
What the Witness Does Not Settle
The witness does not specify the number of witnesses, the method of proof, or the legal consequence of describing zina as public and established. These issues require other explicit texts.
Further Reading
Muhammad Shahrur, The Book and the Qur’an