Intended Meaning
Benevolence here is not confined to acts of worship; rather, it is a general principle in practical life. Therefore, it encompasses the spheres of work, economics, society, and nature, and means that good conduct extends to the organization of life as a whole.
The Atom’s Structure in the Atlas
- Type of argument: value-based
- Argument movement: makes benevolence a general principle that goes beyond rituals to practical life.
- Key terms: benevolence, work, economics, society.
- Degree of centrality: central.
The expansion of benevolence from the narrow sphere of worship to the organization of daily conduct, including work, relationships, and the social environment.
Links That Help Reading
Basis
- Supporting text: “He sees benevolence as a general principle in practical life, extending to work, economics, society, and nature, not to rituals alone.”
Degree of Documentation
- Level: directly documented
- Meaning of the level: the atom rests on an explicit witness close to the wording of the claim.
- Limits of the reading: the formulation above is an analytical summary and should not be treated as a verbatim quotation unless the witness is transmitted verbatim.
Its Function in the Book
Its function here is definitional; it establishes a meaning or conceptual distinction on which Shahrur relies in building the idea.
Editorial Note
Benevolence here is a comprehensive organizing value.