and have nothing to do with knowledge. If nothing is known of its meaning except that it lies hidden within the knowledge He has reserved to Himself, then it is not knowledge for anyone else: no knowledge would have come to anyone else, nor would anyone have gained knowledge through it.

The twenty-fifth is His saying, Most High:

“But Allah bears witness to what He has sent down to you; He has sent it down with His knowledge.” [al-Nisā’ 166]

He explains that He sent down the Quran with His knowledge, meaning that it contains knowledge—knowledge is what is intended here. This does not mean merely that He sent it down while knowing, for He knows everything that exists. Rather, the purpose is to praise the Quran and explain that it contains knowledge from Allah Most High. This being so, it indicates that Allah Most High has not reserved the knowledge it contains exclusively to Himself. Rather, He sent it down to His servants and taught it to them. It is part of His knowledge concerning which He said:

“They encompass nothing of His knowledge except what He wills. His Footstool extends over the heavens and the earth.” [al-Baqarah 255]

This is possible only if its meaning can be understood. Otherwise, words whose meaning cannot be understood contain no knowledge accessible to anyone. Similar to this is His saying, Most High:

“If they do not respond to you, then know that it was sent down with Allah’s knowledge and that there is no god but Him.” [Hūd 14]

The twenty-sixth is His saying, Most High:

“They say, ‘Why does he not bring us a sign from his Lord?’ Has there not come to them clear evidence of what is in the earlier scriptures?” (133) [Tā Hā 133]

That is, an explanation of what is in the earlier scriptures. It can only be an explanation of what is in those scriptures if it clarifies that content, points to it, and makes it known. This is possible only through speech that