Synthetic Judgment
Critical history approaches the first oral origin of the Qur’an without claiming to possess it, because the method itself rests on a conditional recovery informed by an awareness of the impossibility of completion.
What Appears from the Conjunction of the Atoms
The atoms here produce a tense relation between aim and limit. The aim of the critical history of the Qur’an is to approach the first oral version, that is, the point of utterance closest to the initial formation. But this approach is not granted the status of possession, because the impossibility of fully attaining the oral origin remains part of the method, not an external obstacle to it. Thus the return to the beginning does not become a complete certainty, but rather a movement of inquiry that knows it reaches only its own limits. What appears from the conjunction is that the origin is not a given to be recovered as it is, but a horizon that guides reading and prevents it from making a final claim.
Logic of Composition
| Atom | Its Role in the Composition | What It Adds |
|---|---|---|
| The Aim of the Critical History of the Qur’an | Determines the direction of movement | Makes approaching the origin the aim of the method |
| The Impossibility of Fully Attaining the Oral Origin | Establishes the structural limit | Prevents the inquiry from being turned into final possession |
| The Aim of the Critical History of the Qur’an | Reaffirms the aim | Insists that orientation toward the origin is part of the work |
| The Impossibility of Fully Attaining the Oral Origin | Reaffirms the limit | Acknowledges that completion is not available |
Argumentative Function
Foundation