is more deserving of being counted among those who slander the Quran, accuse it of falsehood, and make the Arabic Quran the speech of a created being—whether a human, an angel, or something else.
As for whoever holds that the Quran in its entirety is Allah’s speech—that neither it nor any part of it is created or brought into being by any creature, whether Gabriel or Muhammad—Gabriel is, rather, an angelic messenger, and Muhammad a human messenger. Allah chooses messengers from among the angels and from among mankind. He thus chose the angelic messenger to convey His speech, and he brought it down to the human messenger whom He had chosen. He attributed it to each of the two messengers because each conveyed and delivered it, not because either composed or originated it. Allah Most High says:
“Indeed, this is the word of a noble messenger, endowed with power and held in honor by the Lord of the Throne, obeyed there and trustworthy.”
This describes Gabriel, of whom He says:
“Whoever is an enemy to Gabriel—it is he who brought it down upon your heart by Allah’s permission.”
He also says:
“The Trustworthy Spirit brought it down upon your heart, so that you might be one of those who warn, in a clear Arabic tongue.”
And He says:
“When We replace one verse with another—and Allah knows best what He sends down—they say, ‘You are only a fabricator.’ But most of them do not know. Say, ‘The Holy Spirit has brought it down from your Lord in truth.’”
In the other passage, He says:
“Indeed, this 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—how little you take heed! It is a revelation from the Lord of all worlds. Had he falsely attributed any statements to Us, We would have seized him by the right hand, then severed his aorta, and none of you could have protected him from Us.”
This describes Muhammad, may Allah bless him and grant him peace. He attributed the speech to each of them by referring to him as a messenger, saying:
“The word of a messenger”