Thesis Summary
Shahrur links prohibition to a messengerial authority, not to the authority of the state or religious scholars. The modern state’s role is regulation and the power to permit or forbid, not the issuance of religious prohibition. What was issued during the time of the Message is understood within this distinction between domains.
Related Verses
Foundational Atoms
- Prohibition requires a messengerial authority
- The modern state forbids and does not prohibit
- The Messenger exercised civil legislation
Place of Reliance Within the Book
This meaning appears in the first section of the book, in the discussion of the difference between ancient and modern legislation, and the functions of authority.
Limits of the Reading
This is an intended summary of a specific distinction between prohibition, regulation, and civil legislation. It does not attribute to the state or the shaykh what the atoms themselves deny.