Intended Meaning
Shahrur does not make the term right equivalent to everything he calls the Book. For him, the right is a part or function within a broader structure that includes the firm texts of the message, the ambiguous elements of prophethood, and the detailing of the Book; thus the Book as a whole does not become a single semantic block.
The Atom’s Structure in the Atlas
- Type of argument: analytical.
- Movement of the argument: distinguishes between the function of the right within the Book and the totality of the Book’s sections.
- Key terms: right, the Book, the Mother of the Book, the ambiguous, detailing of the Book.
- Degree of centrality: central.
This atom prevents reducing the Book to a single meaning and supports Shahrur’s structure, which divides the sections of revelation according to function rather than according to the general name alone.
Reading Aids
- Muhammad Shahrur The Book and the Qur’an
- The Book Includes Internal Sections
- The Mother of the Book
- The Ambiguous
Grounding
- Supporting text: the passage relies on Shahrur’s distinction between the occurrence of right in the Book and the fact that the Book is broader than the function of right alone.
Degree of Documentation
- Level: directly documented.
- Meaning of the level: the atom rests on an explicit witness close to the formulation of the claim.
- Limits of the reading: the formulation above is an analytical summary and is not to be treated as a verbatim quotation.
Its Function in the Book
Its function here is structural; it regulates the relationship among the internal terms in the Book and prevents the general name from being turned into a single closed meaning.