Summary of the Thesis
Shahrur holds that poetry and literature come first among the arts because they convey meaning through language, followed by music, then movement, then color. Thus, for him, the artistic domain is organized in ranks according to the capacity for expression.
Foundational Atoms
Place of Support within the Book
This meaning rests on the passage in which Shahrur describes the ordering of the arts in The Book and the Qur’an, within his discussion of beauty and expression.
Limits of the Reading
This reading presents a hierarchical ordering as stated by the author, and does not judge the value of the arts outside this context. It is a brief summary of the criterion of language in this section.