Attributed to Shahrur
The guide states: «He rejects giving grammatical and morphological rules precedence over the text, and affirms that authority belongs to the text, not to the rule».
Atlas explanation
This atom records a methodological principle concerning the ordering of authorities: if applying a grammatical or morphological rule appears to take precedence over the meaning of the text or impose a meaning upon it, then the rule is not the highest authority in this view. Within the limits of the available statement, this does not mean rejecting the use of grammar or morphology, but rather rejecting their precedence over the text.
Synthetic inference
The statement can be understood as guidance toward a reading in which the rule is a tool for understanding, rather than an independent authority that settles meaning before the text is considered.
Open question
The available guide does not explain how this principle is applied in every instance, nor what criteria are used to favor the meaning of the text when grammatical analyses differ.
Links that help with reading
- Muhammad Shahrur: Toward New Principles for Islamic Jurisprudence
- the contemporary reading methodology
- The hijab is understood as clothing that does not conform to common traditions
The hijab is understood as clothing that does not conform to common traditions