Formulation of the Claim
Arkoun holds that the Qur’an belongs to the domain of symbolic knowledge, not to direct logical-rational knowledge.
Explanation
The author understands the Qur’an as a symbolic discourse that expresses reality through metaphor and symbol, not through direct proof. The Qur’anic text therefore derives its efficacy from its capacity to carry meaning within images and significations that exceed declarative language.
This distinction sets the Qur’an against a mode of knowledge based on strict logical inference. For Arkoun, this does not diminish the value of the Qur’an; rather, it defines the nature of its operation within the religious and cultural field.
Its Place in the Book’s Argument
This atom falls within the book’s general effort to reread the Qur’an as an object of critical inquiry, not merely as a text retrieved within traditional uses. It is directly connected to Arkoun’s distinction between modes of knowledge, especially when he explains the difference between the symbolic and the logical-rational.
This idea is also linked to a broader context in the book that aims to uncover the conditions for the production of meaning in religious discourse, and to understand the place of the Qur’an within the history of Islamic culture, not outside it.
Limits of the Claim
This claim does not mean reducing the Qur’an to purely symbolic literature, nor denying its religious or referential dimension. Nor does it equate symbol with sheer imagination; rather, it describes the mode by which meaning operates in the text.