Thesis Summary

In Shahrur’s reading, the verses of Surat al-Nur are understood as setting a minimum for dress, tied to covering the hidden openings, and then leaving anything beyond that to custom and individual choice. In this way, they do not produce a single rigid image of hijab.

Foundational Atoms

Place of Reliance in the Book

The reliance appears in the middle section and then in the final section of the book, within the discussion of women’s dress, its limits, and its relation to custom.

Limits of the Reading

This is a concise formulation that summarizes minimum limits and a customary space between them. It does not attribute to the text more detail than the atoms available here have shown.