The Calala as a Field for Interpretive Fixation

Formulation of the Claim

The calala is presented here as an example of fixing interpretive meaning through the gathering of reports and traditions.

Explanation

The text applies this view to the question of the calala in Surat al-Nisa’, where al-Tabari appears as a compiler of traditions in order to fix a single meaning and impose it.

Its Place in the Book’s Argument

This reference belongs within a questioning of how meaning is constructed in exegesis, not as an independent treatment of the concept of calala, but as an example of how interpretation works to privilege a particular meaning and fix it.

What the Atom Does Not Say

The atom does not provide a comprehensive definition of calala, nor does it survey the jurists’ disagreements about it, nor does it expand on the history of the term beyond the passage cited.

Brief Evidence

Al-Tabari mentions the word “calala” in his commentary on verse 12 of Surat al-Nisa’, then returns to it again when commenting on verse 176 of the same sura. He does so within his effort to fix a single meaning and present it as the authoritative one. In this way, exegesis becomes, for him, a gathering of traditions in order to impose a specific signification.

Nearby Links

Readings in the Qur’an, al-Tabari, Text and History