The fourth danger: their manipulation of the revealed texts and their violation of their sanctity.
Chapter Eleven: On the fact that for a speaker to intend the addressee to construe his words contrary to their outward, real sense runs counter to the very purpose of clarification, counsel, and guidance; that these two intentions are mutually exclusive; and that for him to leave the matter unspoken would have been better for the audience and nearer to right guidance.
Had Allah and His Messenger intended by their words something other than the real and apparent sense understood by the audience, He would have obliged them to discern His intent through wording that gives no indication of it—indeed, through wording that points to its exact opposite. He would have required them to grasp negation from terms signifying the utmost affirmation and to understand a matter through expressions denoting its contrary.
Chapter Twelve: Demonstrating that, given the speaker’s perfect knowledge, eloquence, clarity, and sincere counsel, it is inconceivable that he should mean by his words anything other than their apparent and real sense, or that he should fail to clarify the gravest matters whose explanation is most urgently needed.
In this chapter we shall content ourselves with mentioning a debate that took place between a Jahmite negator and a Sunni affirmer.
Chapter Thirteen: Showing that the Qur’an’s being made easy for remembrance is incompatible with interpreting it in a manner that contradicts its reality.
You will not find any speech more perfectly explained or more fully elucidated than the speech of Allah, exalted is He. For this reason He has called it “clarification” and has informed us that He has made it easy for remembrance. Its being made easy for remembrance includes: making its wording easy to memorize, its meanings easy to comprehend, and its commands and prohibitions easy to carry out.
It is obvious that if it were couched in words the audience could not understand, it would not be easy for them but rather exceedingly difficult. Likewise, if the addressee is expected to derive from its wording a meaning that the wording does not indicate