Formulation of the Claim
Arkoun sees the Sunni orthodox position as rejecting the historical and rational questioning of revelation.
Explanation
Arkoun presents this position as a tendency that limits the possibility of examining revelation historically and rationally, and that places its questioning outside the acceptable horizon within the dominant reading. Alongside this, there is an indication that there are differences within the Shiite tradition, though these do not negate the presence of the same problem in the general formulation of the claim.
Its Place in the Book’s Argument
This idea appears within Arkoun’s critique of dominant modes of receiving the religious text, where criticism of the orthodox position is linked to the call to open the field to historical reading and the critical method.
What the Atom Does Not Say
This formulation does not distinguish the various forms of difference within the Shiite tradition, nor does it make them an independent focus; rather, it merely alludes to them within a broader context connected to criticism of the dominant position.