Intended meaning

Procession here is the movement of time connected to matter, that is, the ongoing transformation in existence. It is not stillness, but a continuous movement that explains the change occurring in things.

The atom’s structure in the atlas

  • Type of argument: definitional
  • Movement of the argument: it defines procession as the movement of time connected to matter.
  • Key terms: procession, movement of time, matter.
  • Degree of centrality: pivotal.

It presents a concept that explains change as continuous movement, and makes time an element in understanding transformation, not merely a fixed external framework.

Basis

  • Supporting text: «Procession: the movement of time connected to matter, that is, the ongoing transformation in existence».

Location of the basis in the book

  • Book: Toward New Principles for Islamic Jurisprudence.
  • Location: in the early part of the book, within the first chapter and the definition of the basic verbs.
  • Type of basis: close supporting testimony.
  • Marker that helps verification: the movement of the passage of time
  • Reading note: this passage is suitable as evidence because it defines procession as the movement of the passage of time.

Degree of documentation

  • Level: directly documented
  • Meaning of the level: the atom relies on an explicit witness close to the wording of the claim.
  • Limits of reading: the formulation above is an analytical summary, and should not be treated as a verbatim quotation unless the witness is quoted verbatim.

Function in the book

Its function here is definitional; it fixes a meaning or conceptual distinction that Shahrur relies on in building the idea.

Editorial note

The atom explains movement as the origin of change.