A Critique of Mohammed Arkoun’s Linguistic Analysis of Sūrat al-Fātiḥah

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 . Instructor, Islamic Azad University, Iranshahr Unit, and Ph.D. Candidate in Quran and Hadith Sciences, Shiraz University, Iran;

2 Assistant Professor, Department of Quran and Hadith, Faculty of Theology, Shiraz University,

10.22034/jqopv.2025.18630.1377

Abstract

Mohammed Arkoun, a modernist Islamic Qur’anic scholar, calls for a revision of traditional Qur’anic interpretations and the introduction of new insights based on modernist and linguistic foundations and methods. In his book The Qur’an: From Inherited Interpretation to the Analysis of Religious Discourse, by prioritizing language, critiquing Islamic reason, denying the fixed and eternal truth of the Qur’an, and humanizing the sacred text, he attempts to offer a different interpretation of Qur’anic surahs, including the blessed Sūrat al-Fātiḥah. This study, using a descriptive-analytical approach, examines Arkoun’s linguistic interpretation of this surah. The findings reveal that his analysis lacks the necessary effectiveness due to fundamental flaws in methodology, historiography, literature, and exegesis. In his interpretation, Arkoun superficially examines Qur’anic concepts and employs linguistic methods in an oversimplified manner. As a result, his new approach has failed to open a new window to Qur’anic knowledge or provide meanings beyond previous interpretations.

Keywords

Main Subjects

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History

  • Receive Date: 13 May 2024
  • Revise Date: 23 July 2024
  • Accept Date: 06 November 2024

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