He said: “The Almighty also said:

‘It is not for any human being that Allah should speak to him except by revelation, or from behind a veil, or by sending a messenger who reveals, by His permission, whatever He wills.’ [al-Shūrā 51]

“The verse specifically mentions human beings, to the exclusion of those who are not human. Had the verse applied generally to humans and others, it would have been less liable to cause ambiguity or sow doubt in its hearers if it had said that Allah speaks to anyone only by revelation, from behind a veil, or by sending a messenger. This would dispel doubt and confusion, rather than saying, ‘It is not for a member of one kind of beings that Allah should speak to him except by revelation, or from behind a veil, or by sending a messenger,’ while leaving other kinds outside the verse’s scope.”

He said: “What we have mentioned thus indicates that He singled out human beings, as distinct from