The Central Idea
Shahrur’s understanding of revelation rests on the precision of terminology, because words do not coincide in meaning; rather, they are distributed within a semantic structure that distinguishes between prophethood, messengerhood, the Book, and the Mother of the Book.
The Propositions Included in the Axis
- Rejection of synonymy among the terms of revelation.
- The Book comprises internal chapters.
- The transmission of divine knowledge by two methods.
- The Qur’an and the Mother of the Book.
Support for the Axis from the Atoms
- The historical method in understanding the text
- The distinction between prophethood and messengerhood
- The Mother of the Book is legislation
- Prophethood is the domain of objective facts
- Messengerhood is the domain of rulings and conduct
- The Qur’an is the laws of objective existence
- The Mother of the Book is the commands of human conduct
The Reading Method
The terms here are read as keys to the internal distinctions in revelation. Therefore, the different is not gathered into a single meaning; rather, each term is returned to its own domain and function.