Formulation of the Claim
Recovering the model of Mecca and Medina as it was is impossible.
Explanation
This statement rests on the fact that history changes, and that societies do not return to their initial conditions in the same form. Therefore, invoking the first model as a ready-made solution is not so much a practical possibility as an idealized conception.
Its Place in the Book’s Argument
This page serves to dismantle the tendency that treats the earliest beginnings as a template that can be recovered. It complements Arkoun’s historical critique by showing that time itself prevents exact repetition.
What the Atom Does Not Say
It does not deny the value of the founding beginnings, nor does it call for a rupture with the first experience; rather, it rejects turning that experience into an image that can be copied.