Formulation of the Claim
Sharia alone does not solve the problems of the age.
Explanation
Arkoun holds that referring the issues of the present back to sharia alone narrows the horizon of thought, because modern reality is too complex to be reduced to a single framework. The issue does not lie in the value of sharia itself, but in its sufficiency on its own as a comprehensive answer to all the transformations and questions posed by the age.
This means that dealing with current problems requires a horizon broader than exclusive reliance on inherited rulings. For Arkoun, historical and critical reason rejects turning sharia into a substitute for the other tools of understanding made necessary by changes in society and knowledge.
Its Place in the Book’s Argument
This atom falls within Arkoun’s objection to the tendency that searches for ready-made and absolute solutions within tradition alone. It is connected to his broader thesis in critiquing closure around juridical interpretation when it is presented as the sole reference point, and in calling for a rethinking of the relationship between Islam, modernity, and the conditions of the age.
Limits of the Claim
This atom does not mean negating sharia or removing it from the public sphere, nor does it mean calling for its abandonment through a rupture with it. The intended point is narrower than that: rejecting the burdening of sharia alone with what can only be addressed through an interaction between religious knowledge and the other tools for understanding reality.