created in the air or elsewhere has made it the speech of that air.

He declared whoever said, “It is the word of the angel, or the word of the air or trees,” to be a disbeliever; indeed, whoever said, “It is the word of a human being,” disbelieved. This shows that no part of the Quran—“neither its wording nor its meaning”—is the word or speech of any created being. Rather, it is the speech of Allah Most High. Moreover, the demonstrative “this” in His words, “This is nothing but the word of a human being,” refers not to the meaning alone, excluding the wording, but to both.

The Tenth Argument

Allah has stated that the Quran was sent down from Him, as He says:

“Those to whom We have given the Scripture know that it has been sent down from your Lord in truth.”

And He says:

“Say, ‘The Holy Spirit has brought it down from your Lord in truth.’”

And He says:

“The revelation of the Book is from Allah, the Exalted in Might, the Wise.”

The pronoun encompasses both the wording and the meaning. This is especially clear in His words, “The revelation of the Book.” For those who say, “Allah’s speech is the meaning alone, not the letters,” use “the Book” to designate the Arabic composition, and “speech” to designate the meaning, while “Quran” is used for both. Thus, everyone agrees that the term “the Book” encompasses the Arabic wording. When He states that “The revelation of the Book is from Allah,” it is therefore known that the Arabic composition was sent down from Allah. This supports the statement of the early generations: “It originated with Him”—meaning that He is the One who spoke it.

This is a “brief answer” to the question posed, within the space this sheet allows, for the matter is discussed at length elsewhere. Allah knows best. All praise is due to Allah, Lord of the worlds. May Allah bestow His blessings and abundant peace upon our master Muhammad, his family, and his Companions. Allah is sufficient for us, and He is the best Disposer of affairs.