Location of the passage: The Qur’an in Contemporary Thought, p. 26.
Intended Meaning
In this passage, the statement means that Shahrur does not confine the reading of the final message to the first three Hijri centuries; rather, he calls for ijtihad in order to understand its characteristics: mercy, finality, and universality.
What Is Attributed to Shahrur
Shahrur says that “this final message cannot be confined to the reading of the first three Hijri centuries,” then states: “Rather, we must exercise ijtihad in order to grasp the realities and essence of its three characteristics: mercy, finality, and universality.” Earlier, in the context of penalties, he describes the theory of limits as leaving “the task of ijtihad in it to human beings through legislative parliaments.”
Atlas Explanation
The Atlas reads this connection as a rejection of restricting the reception of the final message to the interpretation of a particular era. The ijtihad mentioned is not merely an abstract heading in the passage; it also appears in a specific legislative application: penalties within the range between the lower and upper limits.
Synthetic Conclusion
In this argument, finality is connected to the possibility of continuing human deliberation regarding application. Shahrur therefore does not present ijtihad as a departure from the finality of the message, but as a way of understanding its characteristics beyond confinement to the early reading.
Open Question and Limits of the Evidence
This passage alone does not explain the full methodology of ijtihad, nor its conditions or scope in every area. Moreover, assigning the task of ijtihad to legislative parliaments occurs in the example of penalties, so it should not be generalized without further evidence.