such and such an amount.” This is clarified by the fact that Allah speaks of sending down at three different levels. Concerning iron, He said:

“And We sent down iron.” [al-Hadīd 25]

He mentioned sending it down without specifying where it came down from. Concerning rain, He said:

“And sent down water from the sky.” [al-Baqarah 22]

“And We sent down from the sky.”

He thus stated that He sent rain down from the sky, for it descends from what is above people’s heads and rises high over them, unlike the mountains, which are not themselves directly above people’s heads. Concerning the Quran, He said:

“The revelation of the Book is from Allah, the Almighty, the All-Wise. (1)”

And He said:

“Hā Mīm. (1) The revelation of the Book is from Allah, the Almighty, the All-Knowing. (2)” [Ghāfir 1–2]

And He said:

“Hā Mīm. (1) A revelation from the Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful. (2)” [Fussilat 1–2]

And He said:

“Those to whom We have given the Scripture know that it has been sent down from your Lord in truth.” [al-An‘ām 114]

And He said:

“Indeed, you receive the Quran from One who is All-Wise, All-Knowing. (6)” [al-Naml 6]

And He said:

“Alif Lām Rā. A Book