distinctions and nuances are produced that cannot be obtained by any other means.(1) Thus, the nearest road to this end(2) is speech, which God—glorified be He—has placed upon the tongue, making it an indicator of what lies within the breast,(3) and He has made this one of the signs of His Lordship, His oneness, and the perfection of His knowledge and wisdom.

God, Most High, says: “The All-Merciful—He taught the Quran, created man, and taught him articulate speech” (Surat al-Rahman 1–2). And He, Most High, also says: “Have We not granted him two eyes, and a tongue and two lips, and shown him the two highways?” (Surat al-Balad 8–10).

The poet(5) said:
“Indeed, expression springs from the heart, and only
Was the tongue appointed as the heart’s interpreter.”

Such is the wording the poet used for this verse, and such is the form(6) found in his Dīwān. Abū ’l-Bayān(7) said: “I myself have seen it in his Dīwān(8) in this exact wording, yet some deniers tampered with it and claimed…"