The Intended Meaning
Shahrur holds that freedom is the supreme value and the primary objective of the Sharia, not the traditional preservation objectives as formulated by jurisprudence. For him, this includes freedom of religion, expression, and choice; and preserving religion does not mean suppressing those who leave it, but safeguarding freedom of belief and the performance of rituals.
The Atom’s Structure in the Atlas
- Type of argument: value-based
- Argument movement: makes freedom the highest objective of the Sharia.
- Central terms: freedom, objectives of the Sharia, choice.
- Degree of centrality: foundational.
The atom gives freedom priority over other objectives, and links legal preservation to safeguarding choice and expression rather than coercion or compulsion.
Reading Aids
- Muhammad Shahrur: Draining the Sources of Terrorism
- Freedom, the Human Being, and Responsibility
- Freedom
Basis
- Supporting text: «He expands his critique to include the concept of “the objectives of the Sharia” as formulated by jurisprudence, and يرى that many of its supposed objectives are not legal objectives but rather human rights and public freedoms that the state and society must protect. He makes freedom the supreme value, and proposes that it be the first objective instead of the traditional preservation objectives, especially in religion, expression, and choice».
Degree of Documentation
- Level: synthetically documented
- Meaning of the level: the atom rests on more than one witness or on a clear composition of closely related statements.
- Reason for classification: the passages state directly that freedom is the first objective.
- Limits of reading: the formulation above is an analytical summary and should not be treated as a verbatim quotation unless the witness is transmitted textually.
Editorial Note
The atom is foundational for reconstructing the objectives.