What is meant
This text atom establishes a general limit on the state’s task in the quoted wording: for Shahrur in this passage, it “is confined to worldly affairs.” The statement should not be extended to details not mentioned in the cited passage.
What is attributed to Shahrur
Shahrur says: “while the state’s task is confined to worldly affairs.”
Atlas explanation
The atlas understands the verb “is confined” to mean that the statement sets a limit on the state’s task and makes “worldly affairs” its expressly stated scope. This explains the wording of the statement; it is not a detailed definition of what worldly affairs encompass.
Conclusion
This atom can be linked to Religion rejects coercion and is regulated by the state’s worldly function as an entry point to a broader account of the state’s function; but the atom itself does not, on its own, establish that account in all its details.
Open question
What precisely is meant by “worldly affairs”? Does this limitation entail denying state intervention in matters of creed or the unseen? The available passage does not settle either question; this requires broader passages from the book.