Meaning
Bosoms in this context are the sites of concealed adornment on a woman’s body, most notably the chest, under the armpits, the genital area, and the buttocks. The term is understood here as identifying the bodily areas that are customarily concealed by clothing.
Structure of the Atom in the Atlas
- Type of argument: Definitional
- Movement of the argument: Bosoms are defined here as the sites of concealed adornment on the body.
- Central terms: bosoms, concealed adornment, chest, armpits, genital area.
- Degree of centrality: Foundational.
It provides a technical definition of the sites denoted by bosoms in the context of clothing, linking them to the parts customarily concealed, as a prelude to a different reading of hijab.
Links That Aid Reading
- Muhammad Shahrur: Toward New Foundations for Islamic Jurisprudence
- Women, Family, and Dress
- Hijab as a Concept of Dress That Does Not Conform to Common Traditions
Evidence
- Supporting text: “Bosoms: the sites of concealed adornment on a woman’s body, foremost among them the chest, under the armpits, the genital area, and the buttocks.”
Location of the Evidence in the Book
- Book: Toward New Foundations for Islamic Jurisprudence.
- Location: In the final section of the book, within the interpretation of the verse on the khimār and covering.
- Type of evidence: Close textual evidence.
- Verification marker: over their bosoms
- Reading note: This passage serves as evidence because it explains bosoms as sites of concealed adornment, and it accords with the import of the atom.
Degree of Documentation
- Level: Directly documented
- Meaning of the level: The atom relies on an explicit textual witness close to the wording of the claim.
- Limits of the reading: The wording above is an analytical summary and should not be treated as a verbatim quotation unless the witness is cited word for word.
Its Function in the Book
Its function here is definitional: it establishes a meaning or conceptual distinction upon which Shahrur relies in constructing the idea.
Related to
Note to the Reader
The atom opens the way to a particular interpretation of the term of dress.