Thus He has made clear in several places that it was sent down from Allah. Whoever says that it was sent down from some created thing, such as the Tablet or the air, fabricates lies against Allah, denies the Book of Allah, and follows a path other than that of the believers.

Do you not see that Allah distinguishes between what came down from Him and what He sent down from created things, such as rain, by saying:

“He sent down water from the sky”?

He mentions rain in several places and states that He sent it down from the sky, whereas He states that the Quran was sent down from Him. He also speaks of sending down without specifying its source, as in His words:

“And We sent down iron.”

This is because iron is brought down from the mountaintops; it does not descend from the sky. The same applies to animals, for the male discharges seminal fluid into the females. Thus, He did not say “from the sky” in this case.

If Gabriel had taken the Quran from the Preserved Tablet, the Jews would have been more honoured by Allah than the nation of Muhammad. For it is established through authentic transmission that Allah wrote the Torah for Moses with His own Hand and sent it down in written form. The Children of Israel would therefore have read the tablets that Allah had written, whereas the Muslims received the Quran from Muhammad, may Allah bless him and grant him peace; Muhammad received it from Gabriel; and Gabriel received it from the Tablet. The Children of Israel would thus have occupied Gabriel’s position, and their rank would have been higher than that of Muhammad, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, according to the position of these Jahmiyyah.

Yet Allah, glorified be He, made it one of the distinctions of the nation of Muhammad, may Allah bless him and his family and grant them peace, that He sent down to them a Book that water cannot wash away, and that He sent it down to them as recitation, not as writing. For this reason, He sent it down to them in portions. He said:

“And We have divided the Quran into parts so that you may recite it to the people at intervals, and We have sent it down progressively.”

And Allah Most High says:

“Those who disbelieve say, ‘Why was the Quran not sent down to him all at once?’ Thus We have sent it down to strengthen your heart with it, and We have recited it in a measured recitation.”