Formulation of the Claim
The prophetic function is used ideologically to grant legitimacy to authorities.
Explanation
Arkoun distinguishes between the prophetic function in its original sense as a domain of meaning and guidance, and its transformation into a tool by which political or religious authority itself is upheld. In this shift, prophecy no longer remains an open experience oriented toward liberation; rather, it is invoked to cement hierarchy and confer legitimacy on already established power.
This claim is understood within Arkoun’s critique of the way religious reference points are exploited within Islamic history. The prophetic function, when reduced to serving legitimacy, loses its critical dimension and is absorbed into a discourse that justifies the ruler and the institution instead of placing them under scrutiny.
Its Place in the Book’s Argument
This atom falls within the broader argument through which Arkoun attacks the mechanisms by which the religious is turned into an instrument of social and political control. It is close to his objection to readings that make religion into a storehouse of ready-made legitimacy, rather than seeing it as a complex historical experience that is always subject to reinterpretation and reuse.
Limits of the Claim
This atom does not mean that the prophetic function has no religious or epistemic dimension, nor that it is confined solely to authoritarian use. The aim is to uncover the moment of the ideological use of prophecy, not to reduce it to that use.
Brief Evidence Passage
The author distinguishes between the original prophetic function and its transformation into a support for authority, where prophecy is used to justify legitimacy rather than keep its critical meaning open.