The Intended Meaning
Political legitimacy in this conception is not granted by direct divine authorization; rather, it derives from the people’s approval and allegiance. This comes as part of the abolition of traditional religious and political forms of authority that used to confer an absolute character on rule.
The Atom’s Structure in the Atlas
- Type of argument: Political
- Argument movement: Political legitimacy is derived from human allegiance, not from direct authorization.
- Key terms: political legitimacy, allegiance, divine authorization, authority.
- Degree of centrality: Central.
This atom transfers the source of legitimacy from above the people to their approval and allegiance, thereby grounding rule in human will. This shift aligns with a civic conception that limits political sanctity.
Links That Help with Reading
- Muhammad Shahrur Quran in Contemporary Thought
- The Civil State, Religion, and Authority
- The plural civil system is the alternative to religious and political monopoly
Grounding
- Supporting text: “The passage states that the Muhammadan message abolished forms of traditional religious and political authority, and established that political legitimacy is derived from human beings through allegiance, not from direct divine authorization.”
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 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 declarative; it establishes a result on which what follows in the argument depends.
Related to
Editorial Note
The intended meaning is to remove the absolute character from political authority.