Intended Meaning
The criterion by which people are differentiated before God is not affiliation or outward belief, but taqwa linked to righteous action. Therefore, the relation to the other is based on human values, whereas faith is a personal relationship between the human being and his Lord.
The Atom’s Structure in the Atlas
- Type of argument: value-based
- Argument movement: makes taqwa the criterion of differentiation and links it to righteous action.
- Central terms: taqwa, righteous action, human values, faith.
- Degree of centrality: foundational.
This atom shifts the standard of value from outward affiliation to taqwa, and ties it to righteous action and to the broader human relationship, making ethics the basis of social and religious differentiation.
Reading Aids
- Muhammad Shahrur: Draining the Sources of Terrorism
- Islam, faith, and righteous action
- righteous action
- faith
Support
- Supporting text: «What connects me to the other is the human values that govern my relationship with any person, regardless of his belief, whether he is Muslim or non-Muslim; I am not concerned with whether he prays or not. Faith is a personal relationship between the human being and his Lord, and God — exalted be He — has set the criterion of excellence: {O humanity, indeed We have created you from male and female and made you nations and tribes so that you may know one another. Indeed, the most noble of you in the sight of God is the most taqwa among you. Indeed, God is Knowing, Aware} (al-Ḥujurāt 13), and taqwa is first manifested in righteous action: {O you who believe, be mindful of God as He should be mindful of, and do not die except as Muslims} (Āl ʿImrān 102).».
Related Verses
Place of Support in the Book
- Book: Draining the Sources of Terrorism.
- Location: near the beginning of the book
- Type of support: close witness.
- Verification marker: the most noble of you in the sight of God is the most taqwa among you
- Reading note: The location is appropriate because it makes taqwa the criterion of dignity, and links it to righteous action rather than outward appearance.
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 is not to be treated as a verbatim quotation unless the witness is cited word for word.
Its Function in the Book
Its function here is argumentative; it supports a larger conclusion in the chapter or prepares for it.
Editorial Note
The atom is foundational because it defines the criterion of dignity and differentiation.