Formulation of the Claim
Qur’anic Islam is understood as a covenant relationship between human beings and God, founded on meaning and mutual commitment rather than domination. Its essence is not the expansion of influence or the production of political obedience, but the establishment of a bond that regulates ethical and spiritual responsibility.
Explanation
The covenant here is a framework for understanding religion as promise and meaning, not as an instrument of hegemony. This conception appears in the book’s juxtaposition of the Qur’anic origin with later transformations, where some historical forms are read as departures from this basis. The idea therefore functions as an interpretive reference that clarifies what is lost when the functions of government prevail over the language of revelation.
Its Place in the Book’s Argument
This meaning falls within the main pillar of the book’s argument: the juxtaposition between the Qur’anic origin and later transformations. When the book describes Islam as a covenant relationship, it sets up a standard that exposes how some historical forms drifted away from this origin. The idea then becomes a tool for understanding religion as a relationship of meaning and responsibility, not merely an institutional structure or external obedience.
Brief Evidence
“(a) The scholarly studies devoted in the West to the discourse of revelation exclude the Qur’an from their scope and focus their efforts on the Torah and the Gospels alone. This is an old position in the West that does not recognize the Qur’an as part of the discourse of revelation. One of Mohammed Arkoun’s struggles lies in putting a final end to this historical exclusion and applying scientific and historical study to the Qur’an as
Nearby Links
Critique and Ijtihad in Islamic Thought, Where Is Contemporary Islamic Thought?