with vowel marks and dots or without them. The ink with which the Quran is written is not beginningless; rather, it is created. But the Quran written in the copy with that ink is Allah’s speech, revealed and uncreated. Copies of the Quran must be treated with respect by the consensus of Muslims, because Allah’s speech is written in them. When a copy includes dots and vowel marks, these must be respected just as its letters are, by the consensus of Muslim scholars. Likewise, the Quran’s grammatical inflections have the same sanctity as its dotted letters, by the consensus of Muslims. Hence Abū Bakr and ʿUmar—may Allah be pleased with them both—said: “Preserving the Quran’s grammatical inflections is dearer to us than preserving some of its letters.”

Allah spoke the Quran, its letters and its meanings; all of it is therefore Allah’s speech. It must not be said that some of it is Allah’s speech and some of it is not. He, glorified be He, called to Moses in a voice that Moses heard. He has stated in several places in the Quran that He called to Moses, as in His words, Most High:

“Has the story of Moses reached you?”

“When his Lord called to him in the sacred valley of Tuwā.”

By the agreement of scholars of the Arabic language, a call can only be made with a voice. The Most High also says:

“Indeed, We have revealed to you as We revealed to Noah and the prophets after him. And We revealed to Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob, the Tribes, Jesus, Job, Jonah, Aaron and Solomon; and to David We gave the Psalms.”

“And messengers whose stories We have told you before, and messengers whose stories We have not told you. And Allah spoke directly to Moses.”

Thus Allah distinguished between His revelation to the prophets and His speaking to Moses.