Intended Meaning
Islam here is defined as belief in God and the Last Day, together with righteous action, not as a narrow religious affiliation. It is a broader concept that goes beyond the boundaries of a group or sect.
The Atom’s Structure in the Atlas
- Type of argument: value-based
- Movement of the argument: makes Islam broader than sectarian identity.
- Central terms: Islam, righteous action, affiliation.
- Degree of centrality: central.
The atom defines Islam as an ethical commitment grounded in belief and righteous action, not merely as a card of religious or sectarian belonging.
Links that help with reading
Basis
- Supporting text: «Islam: belief in God and the Last Day together with righteous action, in a way that transcends narrow religious affiliation».
Location of the basis in the book
- Book: Islam and the Human.
- Location: in the middle section of the book, in the discussion of the lofty human faith.
- Type of basis: close evidence.
- Marker that helps verification: lofty human faith
- Reading note: the text links Islam to human values, בראש the foremost among them freedom, which makes it a fitting basis for the atom.
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 wording above is an analytical summary and is not treated as a verbatim quotation unless the witness is cited verbatim.
Its function in the book
Its function here is definitional; it sets out a meaning or conceptual distinction on which Shahrur relies in building the idea.
Editorial note
The atom prepares the way for a comprehensive view of religious identity.