Intended Meaning
In the passage assigned to this atom, Shahrur defines “the Book” as “a set of objective conditions or subjects/acts of worship/rulings, not merely a written text.”
Accordingly, this atom does not stop at the form of the written text; rather, it draws attention to the subjects and conditions to which the Book relates in this definition.
The Definition’s Relation to Rulings
Elsewhere, Shahrur describes “the Book of the Message” as comprising “the rules of conscious human conduct,” and distinguishes between the lawful and the forbidden and between “do” and “do not.” This passage clarifies the connection between discussion of the Book and the domain of rulings and conduct.
This is an atlas explanation of the relationship between the two passages, not a judgment that every occurrence of the term “the Book” is confined to this domain.
Reading Links
- Structure of Revelation
- The Mother of the Book Is Legislation
- The Qur’an
- The Qur’anic Understanding Distinguishes Between Objective Law and Human Choice
Limits of the Reading
This file alone does not establish that “the Book” is identical with “the Mother of the Book,” nor does it determine the distinction between “the Book” and “the Qur’an.” The direct definitional passage is also available as a documented quotation, without accompanying raw context.