Intended meaning
Shahrur argues that the concepts of honor, reputation, chivalry, and magnanimity are not Qur’anic terms found in the Wise Revelation, but rather belong to tribal customs that emerged in a specific social environment. Therefore, for him, they are historical concepts that should not be understood as part of the textual authority of the Revelation.
The atom’s structure in the atlas
- Type of argument: critical
- Movement of the argument: the concepts of honor and reputation are referred back to historical customs, not to the authority of the Revelation.
- Central terms: honor, reputation, chivalry, magnanimity, tribal customs.
- Degree of centrality: primary.
It separates between Qur’anic language and historical social language, and indicates that some commonly circulating values are not textual but arose in a specific tribal context.
Reading aids
- Muhammad Shahrur, Toward New Foundations for Islamic Jurisprudence
- Critique of Heritage, Jurisprudence, and Exegesis
- The concepts of honor and reputation are not part of the authority of the Revelation
Basis
- Supporting text: ““honor,” “reputation,” “chivalry,” and “magnanimity” are not among the vocabulary of the Wise Revelation, but rather among tribal customs.”
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 textually.
Its function in the book
Its function here is declarative; it establishes a result on which what follows depends in the course of the argument.
Related to
Editorial note
The atom strips sacredness from common social terms.