Intended Meaning
He defines interpretation as that to which the verse leads: an objective truth or a rational law. It is thus a transfer of meaning from the semantic or theoretical form to what a human being perceives in reality and understanding
The Atom’s Structure in the Atlas
- Type of argument: definitional
- Movement of the argument: it defines interpretation as the verse’s end-point to a truth or a rational law.
- Key terms: interpretation, objective truth, rational law, the verse.
- Degree of centrality: central.
It transforms interpretation from linguistic explanation into reaching the objective or rational final meaning. Thus interpretation becomes a tool for discovering the outcome, not merely a substitution of one word for another.
Links that help with reading
- Muhammad Shahrur The Book and the Qur’an
- The Book and the Qur’an and the Mother of the Book
- Interpretation
- The Qur’an and the Mother of the Book
Basis
- Supporting text: «Interpretation: that to which the verse leads, as a rational law or an objective truth. Similarity: the stability of the text with the movement of content, and a relative understanding that changes as knowledge changes».
Location of the basis in the book
- Book: The Book and the Qur’an.
- Location: in the first section of the book, within his definition of the concept of interpretation.
- Type of basis: close evidence.
- Verification marker: that to which the verse leads
- Reading note: This location is suitable as evidence because it defines interpretation as that to which the verse leads, whether a rational law or an objective truth.
Degree of Documentation
- Level: structurally documented
- Meaning of the level: the atom rests on more than one witness or on a clear structure of closely related expressions.
- Reason for classification: the witnesses explicitly state interpretation as truth or law in a direct manner.
- Limits of reading: the wording above is an analytical summary, and is not treated as a verbatim quotation unless the witness is quoted textually.
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.
Related to
Editorial Note
The wording relies on a direct definition of interpretation.