Passage cited: «تجفيف منابع الارهاب»، p. 158.
What Shahrur Says
Shahrur says that «الإيمان بالله وملائكته وكتبه ورسله» is invalid unless it arises from «قناعة طوعية ورضى». He places this within a comparison with contracts of sale, allegiance, and marriage, which he considers invalid when there is coercion, compulsion, or duress. He then asks: «فكيف يصح أمر بالمعروف مع العصا ونهي عن المنكر مع السوط؟»
Atlas Explanation
The passage establishes a specific connection between faith and free choice: voluntary conviction and consent are conditions for the validity of faith in Shahrur’s formulation. His objection is directed at coercive methods in enjoining what is right and forbidding what is wrong, not at calling people to goodness as such.
Synthetic Conclusion
The comparison between faith, contracts, allegiance, and marriage can be read as an argument that coercion does not produce valid religious acceptance. Accordingly, the use of the stick and the whip, in this context, is incompatible with the aim under discussion.
Open Question and Limits of the Evidence
This passage alone does not set out the details of every form of coercion or the limits of legal and social regulation in the religious sphere. The atom’s previous title, “Freedom of choice is foundational in religion,” is also broader than the wording of the cited passage; a title that matches what is explicitly stated would be: “Faith is invalid without voluntary conviction and consent.”
Links That Aid Reading
- Muhammad Shahrur: Draining the Sources of Terrorism
- Islam, Faith, and Righteous Deeds
- Faith
- The Muhammadan Message Is a Message of Mercy and Universality
The Muhammadan Message Is a Message of Mercy and Universality