The idea
The text presents Qur’anic discourse as an effective discourse with a symbolic structure open to more than one meaning. This means that meaning is not reduced to a single closed reading, nor confined to a direct literal interpretation. Rather, the text remains capable of generating multiple significations depending on context, because its language relies more on symbols and evocations than on direct statement.
Concise formulation
Qur’anic discourse: possesses: a symbolic structure open to multiple meanings
Its place in the book’s argument
This claim occupies a central place in the argument that sees the Qur’an as a living text, not as a finished relic. Opening meaning here is not a secondary detail, but a condition for understanding how discourse itself functions. The discussion thus shifts from the question: what does the text say literally? to the question: how does the text produce its meanings within reading and history?
Why it matters
Its importance lies in the fact that it explains why the Qur’an remains present in different fields of religious and cultural thought. Multiplicity of meaning prevents the text from being reduced to a single final interpretation. This helps explain Arkoun’s position on foundational texts as texts open to renewed reading, not as inert materials frozen in time.
Brief evidence
Qur’anic discourse is presented as an effective discourse with a symbolic/mythical structure open to multiple meanings. Its meaning is not reduced to a single closed reading, nor confined to a direct literal interpretation. Rather, it remains capable of generating multiple significations depending on context, because its language relies more on symbols and evocations than on direct statement.
Reading questions
- Why does the text insist that Qur’anic discourse is open to multiple meanings?
- How does this understanding change the way religious text is read?
Degree of documentation
High: the claim appears in a clear location in the book’s material.