Then He—exalted is He whose speech this is—said: “Alif-Lām-Mīm. Allah.” The mīm is pronounced with an a-vowel and joined in continuous recitation according to the majority. It is given this vowel because two vowelless letters meet, and it is moved with the lightest of the vowels. Abū Yūsuf and Yaʿqūb ibn Khalīfah al-Aʿshā, transmitting from Abū Bakr, recited “Alif-Lām-Mīm. Allah” separately: they left the mīm vowelless, as though pausing upon it, then distinctly articulated the initial hamza in order to begin anew. This accords with the dialect of those who pronounce the connective alif as an initial hamza.

His saying, exalted is He, “Allah”: this is the subject, and what follows it is the predicate; “the Ever-Living, the Sustainer of all” is an attributive description of Him.

“He has sent down to you the Book”: that is, the Quran, “with the truth”: truthfully, “confirming what came before it”: namely, the preceding Books in their affirmation of the oneness of God, the doctrines of prophethood, the accounts they relate, and certain legal rulings. “And He sent down the Torah and the Gospel before it.” He said, “And He sent down the Torah and the Gospel,” because the Torah and the Gospel were sent down all at once, whereas He said of the Quran, “He has sent down,” because it was revealed in separate portions; this form denotes repeated sending down.

The Basrans said that the original form of Torah was wawriyah, on the pattern of fawʿalah, like dawḥalah and ḥawqalah. The first wāw was changed into a tāʾ, and the yāʾ, bearing an a-vowel, was made into an alif, thus becoming tawrāh. It was then written with a yāʾ, in accordance with the original form of the word. The Kufans said that its original form was tafʿilah, like tawṣiyah and tawfiyah. The yāʾ was changed into an alif in the dialect of Ṭayyiʾ, for they say jārāh for jāriyah, and tawṣāh for tawṣiyah. Its origin is in their saying, “The fire-stick gave forth fire,” and “I kindled it.” Allah Most High says: “Have you considered the fire that you kindle?” (al-Wāqiʿah 71). Thus it was called the Torah because it is a light and radiance. Allah Most High says: “and a radiance and a reminder for the God-fearing” (al-Anbiyāʾ 48). It is also said to derive from tawriyah, meaning the concealing of a secret (1) and alluding to something else; most of the Torah consisted of allusions rather than explicit statements.

The Gospel is an ifʿīl form derived from najl, meaning emergence. Hence a child is called najal because he emerges. The Gospel was given this name because through it Allah brought forth the truth that had become effaced, restored and intact. It is also said to derive from najl, meaning the breadth of the eye; it was so named because it was sent down as an abundance and a light for them. It is further said that Torah is tor in Hebrew, meaning “the Law,” while Gospel is anqalyūn in Syriac, meaning “the crown.”

“Before, as guidance for mankind; and He sent down the Criterion. Indeed, those who disbelieve in Allah’s verses will have a severe punishment. And Allah is Almighty, Lord of retribution. (4) Indeed, nothing in the earth or in the heaven is hidden from Allah. (5) He is the One who fashions you in the wombs as He wills. There is no deity except Him, the Almighty, the All-Wise. (6)”

His saying, exalted is He, “as guidance for mankind”: that is, as a guide for whoever follows it. It is not made dual because it is a verbal noun. “And He sent down the Criterion”: that which distinguishes truth from falsehood. Al-Suddī said: The order of the words in this verse has been advanced and deferred; its intended sense is: “And He sent down the Torah, the Gospel, and the Criterion as guidance for mankind.”

His saying, exalted is He: “Indeed, those who disbelieve in Allah’s verses will have a severe punishment. And Allah is Almighty, Lord of retribution.”

“He is the One who fashions you in the wombs as He wills”: whether male or female,