—it is the speech of Allah, Most High, and nothing that any created being utters can ever equal it. Concerning the Prophet ﷺ Allah says: “He was taught by one mighty in power” (Al-Najm 53:5). The object pronoun in “He taught him” refers to the Prophet ﷺ, while “one mighty in power” is Gabriel. Thus Gabriel instructed the Prophet by Allah’s command.

It is the speech of Allah: He truly spoke it; Gabriel truly heard it from Him, and Gabriel conveyed it to the Prophet ﷺ without any addition or omission—“falsehood cannot approach it, neither from before it nor from behind it” (Fussilat 41:42). Allah also says: “They were on the verge of tempting you away from what We have revealed to you so that you might fabricate something else about Us, and then they would have taken you as a friend. Had We not made you stand firm, you were about to incline to them slightly. In that case We would have made you taste double punishment in life and double after death, and then you would have found no helper against Us” (Al-Isrāʾ 17:73–75).

Accordingly, the Messenger simply delivers the Quran; he subtracts nothing, adds nothing, and alters nothing: “Had he forged any statements against Us, We would certainly have seized him by the right hand, then severed his aorta” (Al-Ḥāqqah 69:44–46).

It is the speech of Allah exactly as it was sent down. Allah Himself has safeguarded it from increase or decrease: “Indeed We—We alone—have sent down the Reminder, and most surely We will preserve it” (Al-Ḥijr 15:9).