the Lord cannot be described by attributes of imperfection, must possess attributes of perfection, and cannot lack any attribute of perfection possessed by a created being, it is impossible for His speech to be imperfect or for a created being to surpass Him by possessing perfect speech. This is why Moses son of Imrān was favored above others by Allah’s speaking to him: He addressed him with speech that Moses heard from Allah. Thus, His addressing Moses with His voice was a greater distinction than having abstract meanings revealed to one’s heart without hearing them with one’s ears.

Fifth, if speech were nothing but abstract meaning, half the Quran would be Allah’s speech and half would not: its meaning would be Allah’s speech, but its words would not. This contradicts what is known in the religion of the Muslims. Hence, they distinguish between the Quran, which is Allah’s speech, and the abstract meanings He revealed to His Prophet. They know that Gabriel brought down the entire Quran to him, and that Gabriel and Muhammad had no part in it beyond conveying and delivering it. The former is His messenger from among the angels, and the latter is His messenger from among humankind.

For this reason, Allah sometimes attributes it to one and sometimes to the other, using the designation “messenger,” as He says:

“Indeed, it is the word of a noble messenger. And it is not the word of a poet; little do you believe.”

In this verse, the messenger is Muhammad. And He says:

“Indeed, it is the word of a noble messenger, possessed of strength, held in honor by the Lord of the Throne, obeyed there and trustworthy.”

Here, the messenger is Gabriel. Some have mistakenly supposed that attributing it to the messenger entails that he originated its letters. This is wrong, for if Gabriel or Muhammad had originated its wording and composition, it would be impossible for