Idea
The prophetic function here is not merely a religious event of the past, but a way of understanding how meaning is generated within the community. It gives people a language of legitimacy and binds them to an image of an exemplar and model, rather than relying on coercion alone. In this sense, prophecy appears as a source for ordering symbols and values, not merely as issuing commands or establishing direct authority.
Concise Formulation
The prophetic function: it generates meaning and legitimacy and differs from the coercive authority of the state
Its Place in the Book’s Argument
This claim lies at the heart of the argument that distinguishes between what produces religious belonging and what the state produces. The book does not describe prophecy only as a sacred time, but as a historical mechanism that gives the community a shared meaning. Through this distinction, it shows that understanding religion requires looking at its social and symbolic functions, not at its outward rulings alone.
Why It Matters
The importance of this claim lies in the way it opens the door to understanding Arkoun as concerned with the question of meaning and legitimacy in Islamic history. It also helps the reader see the difference between authority grounded in enforcement and authority grounded in symbolic persuasion. This difference is essential for understanding how Arkoun reads the relationship between religion and history.
Brief Evidence
The prophetic function here is not merely a religious event of the past, but a way of understanding how meaning is generated within the community. It gives people a language of legitimacy and binds them to an image of an exemplar and model, rather than relying on coercion alone. In this sense, prophecy appears as a source for ordering symbols and values, not merely as issuing commands or establishing direct authority.
Reading Questions
- How does this distinction between meaning and coercion change the way we understand prophecy?
- What does the book gain when it describes the prophetic function as the production of legitimacy?
Degree of Documentation
High: the claim appears in a clear place in the book’s material.