Faith here differs from Islam; it is more closely tied to following Muhammad ﷺ and his rites than to being a general title for religion. This distinction is used to establish a reading that differentiates between Islam as a broad ethical framework and faith as a specific devotional/collective commitment.
- Freedom is the basis of human dignity
- The Book defines the fixed foundations
- Islam is a broader human ethical framework than exclusive faith affiliation
- Human Islam is reconstituted Qur’anically as a system of values, freedom, and citizenship that transcends closed identity
- Islam precedes the specificity of the Muhammadan message historically and conceptually
- Islam as a general human horizon broader than specific Muhammadan faith
- Islam transcends narrow belonging
- The civil state regulates the public sphere by law, not by religious prohibition
- Righteous action embodies faith
- Understanding Islam requires beginning with the Qur’an through a recitational method that establishes the differentiation of terms
- The concepts of loyalty, disbelief, and polytheism are reread on an ethical basis, not an identitarian one
A cross-book concept: See Faith for the unifying theme across the books.