Section Fourteen ⦗1⦘
On how allegorical interpretation (taʾwīl) nullifies the very purpose ⦗2⦘ for which languages were instituted.

Because Allah, exalted be He, created the human species such that each individual depends upon the other, no human being ⦗3⦘ can live in isolation. He must have companions and helpers from his own kind, for, as it is said, “Man is social by nature.” None of them, however, could know what another desires of deeds or abstentions except by means of a sign indicating it. That sign may consist either of moving an external object or of moving one of a person’s own limbs, assigning to every meaning a particular motion. It is evident that the first option entails difficulty, hardship, and an inability to convey the full range of meanings, which prevents its adoption. Thus, the movement of the limbs is easier, clearer, and more comprehensive. These limb-movements are of two types: those perceived by the eye and those perceived by the ear, and the latter are more general, and human beings are in greater need of them. The limb most suited to have its motions ⦗4⦘ serve as meaningful signs is the tongue ⦗5⦘, for its movement is lighter and easier, its variety far surpasses that of any other limb, and its ability to translate what is in the heart ⦗6⦘ is more evident than that of anything else. By means of its motions ⦗7⦘—whether single sounds or composite ones—the communicator can achieve distinctions and differentiations by which