Formulation of the Claim
Metaphor is a central element in Qur’anic discourse.
Explanation
Arkoun maintains that the Qur’an cannot be properly understood if it is confined to a literal or rationalist reading. He therefore treats metaphor as a fundamental dimension of Qur’anic religious language and of its cognitive function.
This means that, for him, Qur’anic discourse is not limited to conveying a direct meaning; rather, it operates through layers of signification that open a space for interpretation. Metaphor here is not a linguistic ornament, but part of the structure through which religious meaning itself is formed.
Its Place in the Book’s Argument
This atom falls within Arkoun’s effort to critique readings that close the Qur’anic text within a single fixed understanding, whether literalist or reductionist. It converges with his broader thesis in the book concerning the need to reconsider the tools for reading the Qur’an, and the history of the formation of its meanings within language, culture, and interpretation.
Limits of the Claim
This claim does not mean that every verse is to be read as pure metaphor, nor that it cancels the other dimensions of meaning in the text. Nor does it reduce the Qur’an to rhetoric alone; rather, it identifies metaphor as an active element within the discourse.
Brief Evidence Passage
The Qur’an cannot be properly understood if it is confined to a literal or rationalist reading alone. Metaphor constitutes a fundamental dimension of its language and represents part of its semantic structure. Without this dimension, Qur’anic meaning is narrowed and reduced.
Nearby Links
- Arkoun
- the Qur’an
- Metaphor