Intended Meaning
Shahrur distinguishes between the cause of fighting and its purpose, and holds that conflating the two leads to an understanding that makes fighting a permanent means of domination and exclusion. The reasons that make fighting permissible are not the ends for which it is legislated
The Atom’s Structure in the Atlas
- Type of argument: Distinguishing
- Movement of the argument: The cause of fighting is not its purpose, and confusing the two leads to permanent violence.
- Key terms: cause of fighting, its purpose, confusion, control, exclusion.
- Degree of centrality: Primary.
This atom draws a clear boundary between the motives for fighting and its ends, and prevents turning it into a project of ongoing domination. It is essential for understanding fighting as restricted rather than open-ended.
Reading links
- Muhammad Shahrur: Draining the Sources of Terrorism
- Jihad, Fighting, and the Critique of Violence
- Legitimate fighting is defensive and constrained by the aim of freedom
Foundation
- Supporting text: «Shahrur distinguishes between the cause of fighting and its purpose, and يرى أن الخلط بينهما في خطاب بعض المفسرين والكتّاب يحوّل القتال إلى مشروع دائم للسيطرة والإقصاء».
Degree of Documentation
- Level: Directly documented
- Meaning of the level: The atom relies on an explicit witness close to the wording of the claim.
- Limits of reading: The wording above is an analytical summary, and should not be treated as a verbatim quotation unless the witness is quoted textually.
Its Function in the Book
Its function here is argumentative; it supports a larger conclusion in the chapter or prepares the ground for it.
Related to
Editorial Note
This atom is highly central to the critique of political and religious violence.