The Book Is Not the Qur'an in Its Signification

Evidence locus: Drying Up the Sources of Terrorism, p. 93.

Meaning Intended

For the author, the Book is not the Qur’an in signification; rather, it is broader and more comprehensive. It is the totality of all the verses of the muṣḥaf—that is, the totality of the elements constituting the overarching subject—whereas he links the Qur’an to the mutashābih portion of the Book and to the verses concerning the cosmos and narratives.

Structure of the Atom in the Atlas

• Type of argument: Distinctive.
• Movement of the argument: It distinguishes between the signification of the Book and that of the Qur’an in order to delimit understanding to the text as a whole rather than to one part of it.
• Central terms: the Book, the Qur’an, signification.
• Degree of centrality: Pivotal.

This atom establishes a semantic distinction that expands the referent of understanding to the entire Book, then connects the Qur’an to a specific part of it. This serves the construction of a purposive reading and prevents hasty generalization in reasoning.

Links That Aid Reading

• Muhammad Shahrur, Drying Up the Sources of Terrorism
• The Book, the Qur’an, and the Mother of the Book
• the Qur’an
• The verses on fighting and the Muhammadan narratives do not legislate absolute violence

Evidence

• Supporting text: “The Book: the totality of all the verses of the muṣḥaf, or the totality of the elements constituting the overarching subject.”

Degree of Documentation

• Level: Directly documented.
• Meaning of the level: The atom rests on an explicit witness close to the wording of the claim.
• Limits of the reading: The formulation above is an analytical summary and is not to be treated as a verbatim quotation unless the witness is cited word for word.

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

• The verses on fighting and the Muhammadan narratives do not legislate absolute violence

Note for the Reader

The atom should not be understood as equating the muṣḥaf with the overarching subject, but rather as delimiting the field of signification.