Thesis Summary
Shahrur maintains that the state in the Muhammadan message is civil in nature, based on law and citizenship and protective of rights, and that it derives its legitimacy from human pledge of allegiance rather than from any direct religious mandate. This reading also rejects clerical authority and hereditary rule in governance.
Associated Verses
Foundational Atoms
- The state is governed by law, not by religious coercion
- The civil state protects rights
- Political legitimacy comes from human pledge of allegiance
- The Muhammadan message abolishes clerical authority and inheritance
- Legislation and prohibition belong to God alone
Place of Support within the Book
These ideas appear in the first section of the book, within the distinction between individual religiosity and citizenship, and then in the discussion of the functions of the civil state.
Limits of the Reading
This page gathers one direction from the book and does not mix the political sphere with the personal meanings of religion except to the extent allowed by the atoms.