Idea
This claim links the meaning of “the Muslim” to the image of Abraham as presented by the Qur’an: pure obedience, readiness for sacrifice, and a surrender that precedes any later juristic ordering. The point here is not merely to glorify a historical figure, but to highlight a primordial model of faith as a conscious and loving submission to God, before the forms of religiosity and commitment diversified in Islamic history.
Condensed Formulation
Muslim: embodied in the exemplary stance of Abraham
Its Place in the Book’s Argument
This meaning appears within the book’s argument when it examines the Qur’anic roots of religious identity, rather than only its later formulations. Invoking Abraham allows Arkoun to distinguish between the founding model and the representations that accumulated after it. In this way, Abraham becomes a point of reference for understanding how the image of the Muslim was formulated within the horizon of the text, not only within the horizon of the institution.
Why It Matters
The importance of this claim lies in the reminder that Islam, in this perspective, begins with an ethical and spiritual model before becoming a system of rulings and boundaries. It also helps explain Arkoun’s interest in rereading foundational symbols beyond closed uses. Through it, it becomes clear that his question about religion begins with the meaning of obedience, not with mere affiliation.
Brief Evidence
This evidence passage links the meaning of “the Muslim” to Abraham’s stance as presented by the Qur’an: pure obedience, readiness for sacrifice, and a surrender that precedes any later juristic ordering. What is intended is not simply the glorification of a historical figure, but the highlighting of a primordial model of faith as a conscious and loving submission to God. In this sense, Abraham’s stance becomes a symbolic reference for understanding Islam in its first Qur’anic moment.
Reading Questions
- How does linking “the Muslim” to Abraham change the understanding of faith as obedience and as an ethical path?
- What does this link reveal about the difference between the Qur’anic model and historical forms of religiosity?
Documentation Level
High: the claim appears in a clear location in the book material.