Meaning
Shahrur holds that the Prophet’s legislative acts in the Medinan community were not permanent legislative revelation; rather, they were contextual ijtihad linked to their historical circumstances. He therefore does not regard them as a prophetic Sunna binding upon later generations, but as a human product within the station of prophethood, not the station of messengerhood.
The Atom’s Structure in the Atlas
- Type of argument: Distinctive.
- Argument movement: It renders the Prophet’s legislative acts contextual ijtihad.
- Central terms: the prophetic Sunna, contextual ijtihad, legislation, messengerhood.
- Degree of centrality: Pivotal.
This atom distinguishes between binding revelation and the Prophet’s acts associated with the circumstances of the Medinan community. It thus defines the position of the Sunna in the atlas as a historical domain rather than a permanent source of legislation.
Links That Aid Reading
- Muhammad Shahrur, A Guide to the Contemporary Reading of the Wise Revelation
- The Sunna between Messengerhood and Prophethood
Evidence
- Supporting text: “He insists that legislation after the final messengerhood became human and hanif, and that the Prophet’s legislative acts in the Medinan community were contextual ijtihad, not revelation.”
Location of the Evidence in the Book
- Book: A Guide to the Contemporary Reading of the Wise Revelation.
- Location: In the first section of the book, within the discussion of the stations of prophethood and messengerhood.
- Type of evidence: Close textual witness.
- Verification marker: “He came as a prophet exercising ijtihad.”
- Reading note: The passage distinguishes between prophethood and messengerhood and describes the Prophet as exercising ijtihad in the station of prophethood; it is therefore very close to the atom.
Degree of Documentation
- Level: Structurally documented.
- Meaning of the level: The atom rests on more than one textual witness or on a clear synthesis of closely related statements.
- Reason for classification: The passages deny that the Sunna is revelation and describe the Prophet’s acts as contextual ijtihad.
- Limits of the reading: The formulation above is an analytical summary and should not be treated as a verbatim quotation unless the witness is reproduced verbatim.
Its Function in the Book
Its function here is argumentative: it supports a larger conclusion in the chapter or prepares the ground for it.
Note to the Reader
The function here is to remove confusion between revelation and ijtihad.