Formulation of the Claim
The long historical path is the course chosen by the author to do justice to the Islamic exegetical tradition instead of reducing it or going beyond it.
Explanation
The author contrasts a long historical path with a path that settles for quick fixes or for a break with tradition. What is meant here is that understanding is not complete if what has accumulated in Islamic exegesis in terms of layers and treatments is ignored.
Within Arkoun’s thought, this choice indicates that the relationship to tradition is not built on elimination, but on a historical reading that makes it possible to see the conditions of its formation and the limits of what it has offered. Justice thus becomes linked to restoring this tradition to its historical course, rather than judging it from outside its history.
Its Place in the Book’s Argument
This atom comes within Arkoun’s broader thesis, which calls for a critical historical approach to Islamic thought. It supports his idea of the need to move beyond the simplistic reading that seeks a quick break between the old and the new, and it is consistent with his defense of a more gradual understanding of the exegetical tradition.
Limits of the Claim
This atom should not be taken to mean complete glorification of tradition or mere reproduction of it. Nor does it mean rejecting modernity; it only means that justice passes through a slower and more precise historical path.