Evidence location: Muhammad Shahrur, Islam and the Human Being; section معنى الإسلام؛ OCR line 945. Arabic source witness: «فهمنا أن الإسلام هو الإيمان بالله وباليوم الآخر والعمل الصالح»
What Is Attributed to Shahrur
The definitional excerpt states: “Islam: belief in God and the Last Day together with righteous action, in a manner that transcends narrow religious affiliation.”
Shahrur elaborates on this meaning by saying that belief in the existence of God, the Last Day, and righteous action “must be present in a person for them to fall within the circle of Islam.” In the same context, he also maintains that “righteous action is one of the pillars of Islam, not of faith,” and distinguishes righteous action from ritual observances.
Atlas Explanation
Here, “transcends narrow religious affiliation” means that collective designation alone does not define Islam in this formulation; rather, the definition given in the text combines belief in God, the Last Day, and righteous action. This does not entail erasing the distinction between Islam and faith, since the same passage explicitly distinguishes righteous action from faith and from ritual observances.
For reading on the construction of these elements together, see: Islam, Faith, and Righteous Action, and Righteous Action.
Synthetic Conclusion
This atom serves a definitional function: in this passage, it makes the criterion of Islam a composite of doctrinal and practical elements, rather than reducing it to an identity ascribed to a group.
Open Question and Limit of Interpretation
The evidence presented is insufficient to determine the detailed boundaries Shahrur intends by every instance of “narrow religious affiliation,” or to establish comprehensive judgments about all affiliations. What is established here is limited to his definitional formulation and his linking of Islam to the elements mentioned.
Context
This atom is from Muhammad Shahrur, Islam and Humanity.