“Indeed, it is the word of a noble messenger,
endowed with strength, held in honour with the Lord of the Throne,
obeyed there and trustworthy.
Your companion is not mad.
He certainly saw him on the clear horizon.
He does not withhold knowledge of the unseen.
Nor is it the word of an accursed devil.
So where are you going?
It is nothing but a reminder to all worlds.”

The messenger here is Gabriel. He, glorified be He, attributed it to each of them using the designation “messenger,” because this indicates that he conveys it on behalf of another and acts as a messenger in conveying it, without originating any part of it himself. Had he originated any part of it, he would not have been a messenger with respect to that part, but would instead have composed it himself. He, glorified be He, attributes it sometimes to an angelic messenger and sometimes to a human messenger. If this attribution meant that the messenger had composed its letters, the two statements would contradict one another, since its composition by one would contradict its composition by the other.

Allah Most High has declared whoever says, “It is human speech,” a disbeliever. Thus, whoever says that the Quran, or any part of it, is the speech of a human being or an angel has spoken falsely. Whoever says that it is the word of a human or angelic messenger who conveyed it from the One who sent him, rather than speech he composed himself, has spoken the truth.

None of the early generations said that Gabriel originated its wording, or that Muhammad, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, did so; nor did they say that Allah Most High created it in the air or in any other created thing, or that Gabriel took it from the Preserved Tablet. Rather, these are views held by some later scholars. Elsewhere, the disputes of the innovators who differed concerning the Book have been discussed at length, the falsity of their views has been demonstrated, and it has been explained that the sound position is that of