Formulation of the Claim
The traditional exegetical reading represents an interpretive tradition accumulated by Muslims over the centuries.
Explanation
In Arkoun’s thought, this reading is not understood as a mere explanation of the text, but as a historical layer of understanding formed within Islamic culture itself. It is the result of a long accumulation of literature that worked on meaning and reorganized it according to the questions and reference points of each era.
This atom indicates that exegesis is not a single fixed thing, but a cognitive practice with its own history and limits. Hence its importance for Arkoun: it reveals how Qur’anic meaning came to be surrounded by a vast interpretive production that cannot be reduced to a direct or final reading.
Its Place in the Book’s Argument
This atom falls within Arkoun’s thesis of clarifying the plurality of levels at which the religious text is approached, and of highlighting that what reached the Muslim reader was not the text alone, but also the long history of readings that shaped its presence. It is therefore directly linked to Arkoun’s critique of readings that treat the exegetical heritage as if it were the meaning itself, rather than one of its forms of understanding.
Limits of the Claim
This atom should not be loaded with a negative judgment on exegesis itself, nor should it be taken as a denial of its historical or cognitive value. Nor does it mean that all exegetical readings are alike or that religion is reduced to explanation alone.