Thesis Summary
Shahrur distinguishes between two modes of engaging with the Qur’an: reading, as explanation, understanding, and interpretation, and recitation, as the vocal performance of the text. Thus, the terms reading and recitation are not synonymous for him; rather, they are determined by context.
Foundational Atoms
- Reading is explanation, not recitation
- Dhikr is a modern Arabic form of the Book
- Tartil is the main method of reading
Place of Support within the Book
This distinction appears at the beginning of the book in the explanation of the terminological tools of reading, where Shahrur moves from denying synonymy to distinguishing between reading and understanding on the one hand, and recitation and vocal dhikr on the other.
Limits of the Reading
This structure does not deny that recitation is a central practice in religiosity; rather, it prevents every mention of reading from being reduced to the meaning of vocal recitation alone.