In this source, Islam is not merely a formal religious affiliation, but a universal value-based religion founded on monotheism, righteous action, and human nature. Shahrur presents it as broader than faith, prior to the Muhammadan mission, and directed primarily toward freedom, dignity, and human values.
- Freedom is the foundation of human dignity
- Beginning from the founding text
- Islam is a broader human value framework than a specific confessional affiliation
- Human Islam is reconstituted Qur’anically as a system of values, freedom, and citizenship that transcends identity
- Value-based Islam is translated politically and ethically into freedom, citizenship, and resistance to tyranny
- Islam is a universal value-based religion
- Islam precedes the specificity of the Muhammadan message historically and conceptually
- Islam predates the Muhammadan mission
- Islam as a general human horizon broader than particular Muhammadan faith
- Islam is allegiance to human values
- Islam transcends narrow affiliation
- Freedom and human values constitute the measure of Islam and the basis for resisting tyranny
- Religion directs toward human values
- The Qur’anic method and the redefinition of concepts move Islam from identity to values
- Loyalty to Islam is loyalty to human values
- Understanding Islam requires beginning from the Qur’an with a serial recitation method that establishes the distinctiveness of terms
- The concepts of loyalty, unbelief, and polytheism are reread on a value-based, not identity-based, foundation
A cross-book concept: See Islam for the overarching theme across books.