speech by tongues. It is written in copies of the Quran and on sheets, just as speech is written in copies of the Quran and on sheets. Speech, understood as verbal expression, corresponds to meaning and signifies it, while meaning corresponds to existing realities.

Whoever says, “The Quran is preserved just as Allah is known; it is recited just as Allah is mentioned; and it is written just as the Messenger is written,” has erred by two levels in his analogy and comparison. For he has equated the existence of entities that subsist in themselves with the existence of an expression signifying a meaning that corresponds to those entities. Muslims know the difference between His saying, exalted is He:

“Indeed, it is a noble Quran, in a protected Book,”

and His saying, exalted is He:

“And indeed, it is in the scriptures of the former peoples.”

The Quran was not sent down to anyone before Muhammad—neither its wording nor the entirety of its meanings. Rather, Allah sent down mention of it and information about it, just as He sent down mention of Muhammad and information about him. Thus, the Quran is mentioned in the scriptures of the former peoples just as Muhammad is mentioned in those scriptures, and he is written about in the Torah and the Gospel they possess.

Allah and His Messenger are known in hearts, mentioned by tongues, and written about in the written copy of the Quran, just as the Quran was known to those before us, mentioned to them, and written about in their scriptures. That was only mention of it and information about it. As for us, the Quran itself has been sent down to us, and the Quran itself is written in our copies, just as the Quran itself is in the protected Book and in the purified scriptures.

For this reason, a distinction must be made between His saying, exalted is He:

“And everything they have done is in the records”