The Concept of Reading According to Jacques Berque: The Book “Re-reading the Qur’an” as a Model

Abstract

This paper aims to explore the "Concept of Reading According to Jacques Berque", who, in his study of the Qur'anic text, sought to methodologically and epistemologically distance himself from the legacy of French Orientalism. He introduced a methodological perspective he termed “Re-reading the Qur’an,” which raised several issues previously emphasized by various Orientalist circles. These included, for example, the question of reordering the chapters of the Qur’an. We will outline the foundations that Jacques Berque relied upon in his interpretations and his methodology in selecting texts that support his idea of what he called "the apparent disintegration of the Qur'anic text." Furthermore, we will examine the contents of his interpretive study, which he attached to his translation of the meanings of the Qur’an, revealing ideas and interpretations that undermine the sanctity of the Qur’an and highlighting the translator's inability to free himself from his intellectual references.