Thus, this division must refer either to the wording of the Qur’an or to its meaning. The first possibility is untenable, for the letters of {Qul huwa Allahu Ahad (Say: He is Allah—One)} are nowhere near equal to the letters that make up one-third of the Qur’an; indeed, they are far less than a tenth of a tenth. It is therefore clear that the division concerns meaning, and this (1) implies that the meanings conveyed by the letters of the Qur’an are divisible. Yet they claim that the speech of Allah is one—indivisible, not subject to segmentation, change, or variation.

Even were it said that the division pertains to letters but that exact equality in the quantity of letters is not required, the consideration being the meaning, this too would serve as proof; for if the partition is based on meaning, it follows that the meaning indicated by these letters is not identical to the meanings of the rest of the Qur’an.

Al-Tirmidhi and others narrated—from ʿAbd al-Rahman ibn Abi Layla, from the wife of Abu Ayyub, from Abu Ayyub—that he said: The Messenger of Allah—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—said, “Is any one of you unable to recite one third of the Qur’an in a single night? Whoever recites {Qul huwa Allahu Ahad, Allahu al-Samad (Say: He is Allah—One; Allah, the Eternal Refuge)} has indeed recited one third of the Qur’an.” (2) Al-Tirmidhi said: This [is a ḥasan hadith; thus he informed us that it constitutes one third of the Qur’an. If it is said: the] (3) previously cited narration has likewise been reported by Muslim in another wording