Intended meaning
The passage distinguishes between the Prophet’s Sunna in conveying revelation, which is a divine messengerial Sunna, and his ijtihadic judgments in organizing society, which are a human prophetic Sunna. This second type is not fixed in all circumstances; rather, it can be revisited and replaced by later ijtihad.
The atom’s structure in the atlas
- Type of argument: Distinguishing
- Argument movement: The prophetic Sunna is divided into a divine messengerial Sunna and a human organizational one.
- Central terms: prophetic Sunna, messengerial, social organization.
- Degree of centrality: Primary.
The atom divides the prophetic Sunna into two types that differ in source and function. The first is linked to conveyance, while the second is linked to historical organization; therefore, the second remains open to revision and later ijtihad.
Links that help with reading
- Muhammad Shahrur: Drying Up the Sources of Terrorism
- The Sunna Between Messengership and Prophethood
- The Prophetic Sunna
Reliance
- Supporting text: «The Messenger conveyed the revelation, but he also exercised human judgments in organizing his society. The Prophet’s Sunna is of two kinds: a divine messengerial Sunna in conveyance, and a prophetic/ijtihadic Sunna in civil organization, and the latter can be abrogated by later ijtihad».
Place of reliance in the book
- Book: Drying Up the Sources of Terrorism.
- Location: in the final section of the book
- Type of reliance: near witness.
- Verification cue: situational human judgments, not revelation
- Reading note: the passage explicitly states that the Prophet’s prohibitions are situational ijtihadic judgments, not revelation, which supports the atom’s distinction between the two types of Sunna.
Degree of documentation
- Level: directly documented
- Meaning of the level: the atom relies on an explicit witness close to the formulation of the claim.
- Reading limits: the wording above is an analytical summary and should not be treated as a verbatim quotation unless the witness is quoted textually.
Editorial note
It is suitable as an entry point to the distinction between messengership and prophethood.