Abstract:
Many contemporary intellectual trends and movements seek to confine the true understanding of religion within their own frameworks. Religious texts, even after 14 centuries since the emergence of Islam, continue to be the subject of debate and scrutiny by scholars. Some scholars consider these texts to possess divine truth, while others label them as mere texts in order to facilitate their historical analysis. The primary and ultimate goal of religious texts is to guide humanity. However, certain trends attempt to approach religious texts with leniency and a materialistic perspective that considers matter as the governing force of thought. Shahrur is among those who have been influenced by Marxism, which stands in contrast to idealistic perspectives that consider thought as the governing force of matter. In both views, there is a connection between thought and matter, which shows a kind of disregard and oversimplification, and has caused each of them to adopt a different and sometimes opposing method. Heritage, consisting of religious, moral, and social values, shapes the identity of every Muslim individual. One of the most important reasons for returning to heritage is that throughout Islamic history, there has not been a single influential and significant event other than the phenomenon of revelation. This revelation brought about the Quran, the Prophetic tradition, and the Ahl al-Bayt (the Prophet’s household), leading the nascent society of the pre-Islamic era towards civilization and introducing them to other nations through the teachings of the Prophet and the conquest of other lands. Shahrur, with his traditionalist Salafi thought, opposes this progress and considers it an obstacle to growth and modernization, resulting in stagnation in science and technology. He dissociates himself from traditional heritage and regards all Islamic heritage as traditional while simultaneously embracing Western and Orientalist heritage, which is summarized in materialism. His adherence to Western materialism has led him to deny the divine nature of the Quran and consider it as a historical text. This paper delves into the roots and foundations of Shahrur’s modernist ideas, demonstrating that they are all derived from Western Orientalist and Marxist thought. Furthermore, it critiques these foundations.
Machine summary:
However, considering the scientific historical method, it can be said that Shahrur's views are nothing more than false conjectures and claims influenced by Orientalist thought; because Orientalists examine the humanities and Islamic sciences—in which revelation plays a fundamental role—from a positivist perspective, which in most cases leads to the incorrectness of their research results.
The importance of this research lies in the fact that by examining the temporal and spatial conditions that led to the creation and development of this method, the stages it has traversed, and critiquing it based on the authentic sources and references of religious texts, we will be able to properly identify the historical method that Shahrur has been influenced by in his Quranic views and clarify its invalidity.
Problems with Muhammad Shahrour's Historical Method in the Contemporary Reading of the Quranic Text The disagreement between the proponents of contemporary readings who are under the influence of Western thought and culture is not merely an ideological disagreement; rather, it is a struggle for belief, whereas we differ with them in the origin and root of religious thoughts.
Among the most important criticisms directed at this view are: First: This method in Shahrour's writings is not considered a contemporary reading of the religious text; rather, it is an attempt to cast doubt on the text, principles, sources, and resources of the religion of Islam.
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