just as they hold that the Quran will come on the Day of Resurrection as an intercessor whose intercession is accepted and an accuser whose accusations are believed. They said that this means its reward. If they may interpret the Quran in this way, then we may say that His descent is His command and His mercy.’”

He said: “This opponent should therefore be told: You have drawn an analogy without any basis or precedent. For the scholars know that the Quran is speech, that speech does not subsist on its own as an independent entity unless tongues give it expression and it becomes manifest through them, and that it cannot, by itself, come, move, or descend without