Meaning
The author maintains that the concept of milk al-yamin does not mean slavery; rather, it refers to a contractual relationship that arose in a historical context in which slavery has ended. He connects this understanding to the regulation of certain social and sexual relationships according to custom and civil law.
Structure of the Atom in the Atlas
- Type of argument: interpretive.
- Argument movement: redefining milk al-yamin as a contractual relationship linked to a historical transformation.
- Central terms: milk al-yamin, contract, slavery.
- Degree of centrality: central.
It shifts the concept from a closed historical form to a broader legal-social understanding, while linking it to the end of slavery. Thus, the reading is based on historical transformation rather than literal inheritance.
Links That Aid Reading
- Muhammad Shahrur: Toward New Foundations of Islamic Jurisprudence
- Women, Family, and Dress
- Concepts of honor and sexual honor are not part of the reference framework of the Revelation
Evidence
- Supporting text: “He links the historical end of slavery to a reinterpretation of the concept of milk al-yamin as a contractual relationship rather than slavery, and relates it to the regulation of certain social and sexual relationships in light of custom and civil law.”
Degree of Documentation
- Level: directly documented.
- Meaning of the level: the atom rests on explicit evidence closely aligned with the wording of the claim.
- Limits of the reading: the wording above is an analytical summary and should not be treated as a verbatim quotation unless the evidence is quoted directly.
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
Note for the Reader
The meaning here is interpretive and requires careful qualification when presented to the reader.