2018-08-30T10:52:00-07:00
The concept of myth in the consciousness of the Arab person in general carries two meanings, the first is a negative meaning and the second is a wrong meaning.
If we conduct a survey, we will find ourselves facing two situations:
★ The religious Arab person, whether Christian, Muslim, or any other religion, finds it difficult to accept the word myth when used as a description of the stories mentioned in the holy books because of the negative connotation that the word carries, but at the same time he easily accepts the use of the word myth to the texts of ancient civilizations and But in the wrong sense.
★ As for the Arab person who is free from religion, he does not find it difficult to apply the word myth to the stories mentioned in the holy books, but he means the myth that carries a negative connotation and a wrong concept. As for the texts of ancient civilizations, he describes them as myths that carry a positive and spiritual connotation. Poetic, but with the wrong meaning.
We will take the Muslim as a general model, since they are the majority of the region’s population, to find out the reason behind the negative and wrong concept of the word myth.
◆ We will find that the reason for the negative meaning of the word myth in the Muslim’s consciousness is due to an incorrect misunderstanding of the true meaning of the word myths mentioned in the Holy Qur’an, and this error gave the word a negative meaning and connotation in the Muslim’s consciousness. The negative meaning came to the Muslim from the context of the noble verse { These are nothing but legends of the ancients, which came from the lips of those who disbelieve in what the Noble Qur’an brought, and it is a negative context. It is not possible for us to describe the stories of the Qur’an as legendary, because of what is stated in the Qur’an, because if we do this we will describe the Qur’an as a lie and we ourselves will become liars. The Qur’an, and this is what the Muslim rejects.
◆ As for the reasons for the incorrect meaning of the word myth in the consciousness of the Arab person, it is due to the confusion between the concept of myth and legend.
Muhammad Arkoun spoke about this point in an interview with Malik al-Triki, which came after a phrase of his was translated into French describing the speech in the Qur’an as having a legendary structure. He was subjected to criticism, and Arkoun came out to respond to those criticisms and clarify that he did not say legendary, but that the error was due to… Translation, because translators into Arabic translate the concept (le mythe) in French into a myth in Arabic. Muhammad Arkoun called for the necessity of translating the phrase “the myth” in the English language and “le mythe” in French into the word “stories” in the Arabic language, because the Qur’an says, “We relate to you the best of stories.” For this reason, Arkoun describes the speech of the Qur’an as a narrative discourse based on stories.
I completely agree with Arkoun’s observation on this point, but from a different angle than the one he intended, because from personal experiences and during conversations with others, which required the use of the word myth, the word was faced with refusal to be accepted by the other party, and I find it difficult to convey the information. When explaining certain points of religious interpretation, especially the history related to religion, I thought about the matter and found that the main reason is the context of the previous verse, and at the same time there is difficulty in searching for a word from within our linguistic system that is an alternative to that word and has the connotations and knowledge that we mean. .
Muhammad Arkoun was injured at one point, but he made many other mistakes.
Why ?
I do not deny that I was impressed with Arkoun’s intellectual theses, but with the passage of time and reviewing the ideas and observing their reflection on reality, I began to notice many mistakes until I realized the extent of the disaster of Western approaches and their application in studying our societies and culture.
I may appear to many to be in a position that is not qualified to criticize Arkoun, but here I will speak in only one part, as criticizing Arkoun’s thought requires great detail in a book.
■ Muhammad Arkoun, in my view, is nothing more than an orientalist who wants to wear the garb of a reformer. He believes that he can reform what he believes are negatives in a culture according to modern Western approaches to thinking to make it keep pace with modern European values.
And here is the disaster
Because the human sciences produced by the West, their primary function was to serve colonial projects, sciences that made Europe a fixed center, while the other non-European world was an unnatural variable from the fixed center, Europe. In other words, the West’s curricula and human sciences made the non-European other as samples to be developed. Inside the laboratory to study it. It is logical that applying the tools of Western approaches to different samples will result in outputs that do not touch objectivity and do not belong to the truth, but rather outputs that adapt to the conditions of the tools and methods. It is as if it is a process of transporting all the samples to a land completely different from their original environment.
■ Arkoun did not establish an intellectual curriculum from within the structure of our culture. Rather, he relied on Western curricula. Perhaps if he took advantage of his being a lecturer at the Sorbonne University and familiar with Western curricula, in the project of establishing a curriculum from within the culture of his society, it would be a giant achievement. Therefore, I believe that the project Al-Jabri was the safest step, because Al-Jabri established a local intellectual ground from which we could proceed properly in understanding ourselves and our issues, regardless of whether we agree or disagree with his project, because this step will be the closest to touching the objective truth.
■ Arkoun, despite his mastery of modern Western approaches, was unable to deconstruct time in the Muslim mind, which he calls the mythical time, because he does not know that he was also inside this mythical time that he criticizes. He studies time from within the imaginary Roman time, and this problem made him fail to understand the discourse of the Qur’an and to understand its meanings, according to the methods of Western thinking, because the time that exists in his imagination is wrong, and for this reason he did not understand the point that the stories in the Qur’an are not at all the stories that are mentioned. In the Old Testament, he believes that the Qur’an, for example, talks about the parting of a sea in the story of Musa, as in the Old Testament narrative, while the Qur’an clearly and explicitly talks about something completely different from that, and this story was leaked to the Muslims because of the imaginary time.
{Indeed, this Qur’an relates to the Children of Israel most of that over which they differ} [An-Naml: 76]
■ Arkoun believes that the Greek word myth is equivalent to the word stories in the Qur’an, but there is a question:
● Can we find a translation of difficult vocabulary in our dialects from within the English language? For example, there are vocabulary from the structure of a culture that has no equivalent in another culture?!
● If we translated the word “stories” in the Qur’an into another language with the Greek word “meth,” would we achieve the true meaning that the Qur’an wants, or would we distort the meaning?!
Of course, there will be distortion and it will be far from the truth. In any linguistic system, there are words that carry certain meanings and you cannot find the same meaning in another linguistic system, because the culture is different, and therefore you cannot translate them, but rather transmit them in their original language only.
The truth is that the Greek word “myth” is not equivalent to the word “stories” in the Qur’an at all, because this is not a scientific method. This is an attempt to project meaning from within a culture’s intellectual system and force it onto a different cultural intellectual system.
Because simply… our culture does not know Greek myth at all, in fact no people knew it. We did not know Greek mythology, so how can we convey a completely different and non-existent meaning and attribute it to a word in the Qur’an?
I may be exaggerating in the eyes of some if I say that Arkoun did not realize that among the fundamental issues that the Qur’an discusses and emphasizes is the issue between stories and Greek mythology, an intellectual battle between reality and illusion. Because the stories in the Qur’an are very realistic, Arkoun did not comprehend them because of the problem of the imaginary time in his mind that he could not get out of, this time that began in his imagination with the Greek myth, because the Greek myth is an imaginary world that did not exist, as it is the creation of the Greek imagination only.
But if we want to find the correct word in the Qur’an that matches the meaning of the word (myth) that Arkoun mentioned, then the Qur’an itself clearly and explicitly calls the Greek myth (magic).
{And they followed what the devils recited to the king of Sulaiman, and Sulaiman did not disbelieve, but the devils disbelieved, teaching people magic and what was revealed to the two angels in Babylon, Harout Marout, and they did not teach anyone until they said, “We are only a test, so do not disbelieve.”}
So do not disbelieve… Beware of disbelieving
It is clear and explicit, and it is not found anywhere in the Qur’an except in this verse.
In another article, I will explain why the Greek myth is the magic referred to in the Qur’an.
■ Arkoun cited only one verse mentioned in the Qur’an that falls within a negative context to make him refuse to use the phrase “legend,” because Arkoun realizes that a Muslim in general only receives the context of that verse when he hears the word “legend,” and in fact it is an observation that anyone realizes, but Arkoun did not He is thinking about searching for the true meaning of the word legends. What if the meaning of legends in the Qur’an was different and carried connotations other than the modern connotations currently present in Arkoun’s mind and in the mind of the Muslim?!
Because when reading the Holy Qur’an, we will find that the word “myths” and its derivatives are mentioned in multiple contexts and not in one context, carrying different meanings, and this may help us understand the true meaning of the word.
Therefore, I believe that reforming the Muslim’s awareness from within the Qur’anic text itself would be better, and on the other hand, it would increase our understanding of the discourse of the Holy Qur’an…. This is a point that Arkoun, who is well-versed in Western thinking methods, did not understand.
What is the meaning of legends mentioned in the Qur’an?
I have a method that I follow when reading the Qur’an, and this method is based on strict rules, because when reading the Qur’an I am not looking for a job of reform that anyone can do, this is the job of reformers. I want to understand the speech of the Qur’an as the Qur’an itself wants it to be, and this approach requires A lengthy detail that may not be included in one or two articles, so I will postpone it to a separate topic.
But…we must find the origin of the word “myths” and the connotations that this word carried in the past, by searching for the subject of a line in Arabic dictionaries.
In the ocean dictionary
Line: A row of something such as a book, a tree, etc. Its plural is: lines, lines, and lines, and its plural is: legends, calligraphy, and writing.
And he wrote it down. Myths: Hadiths have no system.
As for Al Ain dictionary
Line: A line is a line of books, a line of planted trees, and the like. It is said: So-and-so wrote a line over us if he came with hadiths that resemble falsehood. One of the legends is a myth and a legend, (which are) hadiths that have no system at all. And it means to compose and it has no origin, [and a line is written if it is written]. [And Allah Almighty said – “By the pen and what they write” 98, that is, by what the angels write.]
Through the previous definitions, we will find that a row of something in a straight line is called a line, so a line is a row. This word is still in use in local Yemeni dialects when seeing things arranged straight and precisely, so it is said: in a line, and not in a row or straight.
This means that we can call a row of words a line, and according to what is stated in the dictionary, for example, we will call fifty lines of words lines, and in the case of the plural of lines of words in the exaggerated form, we call legends.
From the previous dictionary definitions, it seems to us that the original meaning of the word is linked to writing, as it is the word most frequently mentioned in the definition. It may be natural for the origin of the word to be linked to writing, and then it was borrowed to indicate any row of things. The conclusion may be logical because we find that inscriptions The ancient civilizations in our region had rows (lines) written precisely and with great care, and it is the most clear and prominent phenomenon in the environment surrounding people in ancient times.
So, it is natural then to say to the act of writing (write, write, write) that it is (a line writes a line), and this agrees with the meaning of the Holy Qur’an, {by the pen and what they write}, meaning and what they write. The active participle of “wrote” is written, so we say, for example: This matter is written on the paper, and the active participle of the verb “to write” is written, so we say: This matter is written on the paper, meaning it is written on the paper.
So we have come to the conclusion that the word “legends of the ancients” on the tongue of the deniers means the writings of the ancients, and does not mean the myths and lies of the ancients.
Meaning that when the liars read the Qur’an, they said that it was merely the writings of the ancients.
But so that our research is not a selective process, and that our conclusion is utilitarian, we must discuss another matter that is mentioned in the definition of myth in the Al-Ain and Al-Muhit dictionary, and that it is hadiths that have no system. Yazid Al-Ayn dictionary gives another definition, which is hadiths that resemble falsehood.
I believe that this definition is relatively modern, and the word did not have this meaning before the Holy Qur’an, and this new definition came from a misunderstanding of the context of the Quranic text, and this error gave the word a negative connotation and a wrong meaning because it was mentioned by deniers, meaning there was a change in The meaning of the word, so the word carried a new meaning, which is lying, and the meaning came from the description of those on whose tongue the expression appeared (liars). Naturally, this new meaning will be recorded in the dictionary, and my belief about this thing is confirmed by the Qur’anic text, which mentions verses in which there are derivations of that word, as we find this word mentioned in the Holy Qur’an.
{Waltour (1) and Kitab Mastoor (2)}
We notice in the verse that the word written is linked to the word book, and it also appears in another verse in the Qur’an and is linked to the word book as well.
{And there is not a city but We will destroy it before the Day of Resurrection or chastise it with a severe punishment. That is written in the Book.}
This makes us completely certain that the word “mistoor” means written, recorded, or recorded, and that the original meaning of the word “myths” has to do with the process of writing, and the true meaning intended by the Qur’an, which was stated in the context of the verses of the Qur’an, is different from the meaning of the stories of the ancients.
The true meaning of the word myths is the writings, not the fairy tales that appear in the books of interpretation. The myths of the ancients mean the writings of the ancients.
This is similar to what we say when we ignore a conversation between two children because it is ridiculous, so we say: This is children’s talk. The word talk does not mean a word of absurdity. The word talk literally means a word of speech, but the other, indirect meaning of the sentence within the situation and context in which it appears means ignoring its absurdity. In our previous statement, we are honest in describing it as children’s talk, but we do not mean the literal meaning, but rather the other indirect meaning, which is absurdity.
So, the literal translation of the verse {This is nothing but the legends of the ancients} is {This is nothing but the writings of the ancients}, but the other indirect meaning of the verse which was stated by the deniers, within the situation and context is: This is a lie. The deniers are honest in their literal description of the Qur’an, but they mean the other, indirect meaning within the context in which the phrase appears. The Qur’an does not deny the description of liars. Rather, the Qur’an itself acknowledges that they are legends of the ancients, but the Qur’an only denounces their denial. The inscriptions of ancient Misr are the myths of the Olenos. The inscriptions of ancient Yemen are the myths of the Olenos. The inscriptions of ancient Iraq and Syria are the myths of the Olenos. The writings of the ancients.
But why did the word line appear in the Holy Qur’an in a way other than the plural form lines, but rather in the form of legends on the tongue of deniers?!
Myths is the plural form of the word line, and it is a form of exaggeration, and an exaggerated form that indicates the antiquity of writing and the abundance. It makes us understand more why the word “myths of the ancients” always appears in verses of the Qur’an. It is on the lips of lying people who describe the Qur’an as the writings of the ancients, which they do not believe in. .
So, the Qur’an describes itself as actually a book written on a published parchment, and as we said previously, the plural of the word lines is legends, meaning that the legends of the ancients are the lines of the ancients. It is the legends of the first people, that is, the writings of the first people.
The word “masateer,” which is still in use in Yemeni dialects, may help us in understanding the word “myths” more fully, as the Yemenis use the word “misateer” to refer to rectangular stone slabs, the surfaces of which are flat and the word “mistār” is inscribed.
● Does the word written in the verse (and written book) mean a book written on stone?! .
● Does the meaning that was stated in the context of the verse, which describes the Qur’an as the writings of the ancients, mean the writings of the ancients that were engraved on the stone rulers (tablets) that we find in the antiquities of the region?!
● Is the Qur’an an ancient book that was written on stones, and after that its texts were transferred from stones to leather?!
This perception is consistent with the context of the holy verse and the order of the stages
{By the Mount (1) and a written book (2) on a spread parchment (3)}.
This verse is similar to our saying, “A stone book on paper,” meaning stone inscriptions that became on paper. Therefore, the previous verse means a book that was inscribed, that is, written on a stone tablet and then became published on parchment (skin).
There is another piece of evidence that increases our certainty. There is a verse in the Qur’an that speaks of such a concept, which also talks about the tablet.
{Rather, it is a glorious Qur’an (21) in a preserved Tablet (22)} [Al-Buruj]
The verse is very clear, that the Qur’an is in a preserved stone tablet.
I will try to apply the methods and theories of the West that Arkoun adopted regarding language and from the ground of the imaginary Roman time, in order to prove to you the disastrousness of the Western approach, and that its primary function is to negate the other and elevate the plundering West, which cannot survive without the cognitive obliteration of the other, and I will ask an important question. :
Does he mean by the preserved tablet, the preserved stone tablet on which the doctrine was written in ancient times, and from it its lines are transferred to the skins from one period of time to another and in a modern language that is compatible with the language to which the people have arrived and to which new rulings, laws and values that are compatible with reality are added? the talk ?!
Before answering this question, an important question must be asked before it:
Who are these liars?
If our region is the first geographical spot on Earth in which human writing appeared, then I believe that this environment and culture cannot produce these words from the mouth of liars, as this statement can only come from the tongue of a different and alien culture that does not belong to the culture of the region.
So who are these liars?
The liars are not the imaginary mythological image that exists in the imagination of Muslims today, according to the interpretations of heritage books. The Qur’an does not mean a mythological entity that is the product of translations of the Greek myth, because the central intellectual battle present in the Qur’an is a battle between the real reality and Greek mythology. The Qur’an refers to A concrete, realistic and real entity that is false in the Qur’an.
The liars are ……. a ruling authority in the West in the past and present.
Yes…..they are the sons of Greek myth.
Why ?
He follows
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