The intended meaning
Shahrur divides the concept of sovereignty into three successive stages, beginning with divine sovereignty and then moving to the sovereignty of viceregency The point is that the conception of authority in religious thought does not remain in a single form, but rather develops through these stages
The atom’s structure in the atlas
- Type of argument: historical
- Argument movement: the concept of sovereignty develops through successive stages.
- Central terms: sovereignty, divine sovereignty, sovereignty of viceregency.
- Degree of centrality: secondary.
This atom places the concept of sovereignty within a trajectory of development rather than within a single fixed form. It thus helps the reader see the historical transformation in conceptions of religious authority.
Reading aids
- Muhammad Shahrur, Religion and Authority
- History, Development, and Laws
- sovereignty
- Divine sovereignty as the stage of direct dominance
Basis
- Supporting text: “The concept of sovereignty developed into three stages: divine sovereignty, then sovereignty of viceregency.”
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 formulation above is an analytical summary and should not be treated as a verbatim quotation unless the witness is quoted word for word.
Its function in the book
Its function here is definitional; it establishes a meaning or conceptual distinction on which Shahrur relies in constructing the idea.
Relates to
Editorial note
The atom is a preface to understanding conceptual transformation over time.