The Unifying Idea
This axis brings together the fixity of the text and the renewal of understanding, and affirms that the eternity of the Qur’an does not mean freezing its meaning. The wording is fixed, but the signification is renewed with knowledge and context.
The Propositions Included in the Axis
- Fixity of the text and movement of the content
- The Qur’an distinguishes between the fixed and the variable
- The ambiguous verses are the field of interpretation
- Interpretation is the end of meaning and develops historically
The Axis Supported by the Atoms
- Heritage is human understanding
- The Qur’an is the laws of objective existence
- The Mother of the Book is the commands governing human conduct
- The historical method in understanding the text
- The Mother of the Book is legislation
- Interpretation is a transition to truth or law
- Interpretation is relative and historical
Reading Method
Read the axis as a call to distinguish between the text and the inherited understanding of it. Here, fixity belongs to the text, while movement lies in interpretation and the history of knowledge.