is like a bitter gourd: its taste is bitter, and it has no fragrance.” On this account, the Quran would not be the word of one human being, but the word of a million human beings and more. The falsity of this is clear both to reason and to religion.

If, however, he says, “It is the speech of the one whose words are conveyed,” then it is established that the Quran is not the speech of the messenger who conveys it, but the speech of Allah. Yet because the angelic messenger might be alleged to be a devil, Allah made clear that it is conveyed by a noble angel, not by an accursed devil. Hence He said:

“Indeed, it is the word of a noble messenger, endowed with power, held in honour by the Lord of the Throne,”

up to His words:

“And it is not the word of an accursed devil.”

In this passage, He also made clear that the human Messenger whose company we have shared, and from whom we have heard it, is not mad, nor is he to be suspected concerning the unseen. He called him “the companion” because this expresses the blessing bestowed upon us through him: we could not bear to receive revelation except from someone whose company we shared and who was of our own kind. As Allah Most High said:

“There has certainly come to you a messenger from among yourselves.”

And He said:

“Had We made him an angel, We would have made him a man, and would have left them as confused as they are now.”

Likewise, He said in the other passage:

“By the star when it descends! Your companion has neither strayed nor erred.”

He made clear that both the messenger from among ourselves and the angelic messenger are conveyors. This establishes that it is the speech of Allah.

Since the human Messenger was alleged to be mad or a fabricator, Allah declared him free of both accusations. Likewise, in the other surah, He said:

“Indeed, it is the word of a noble messenger. It is not the word of a poet—how little you believe! Nor is it the word of a soothsayer—little