the Arabs themselves. This, then, is the sound explanation of what is meant by these separate alphabetic letters.

As for His saying—exalted is He—“We have not sent down the Qur’an to you that you should be distressed” (20:2), it means that Allah did not reveal the Qur’an to the Prophet ﷺ so that he would suffer through it, but rather so that he might attain happiness, goodness, and success in this world and the next. In this very same surah Allah, Most High, says:

“Go down from it, all of you, for some of you will be enemies to others. When guidance comes to you from Me, whoever follows My guidance shall neither go astray nor be miserable; but whoever turns away from My remembrance will have a constricted life, and on the Day of Resurrection We shall raise him blind. He will say, ‘My Lord, why have You raised me blind when formerly I could see?’ Allah will say, ‘Thus it is: Our signs came to you and you forgot them, and in that very manner you are forgotten today.’ Thus do We requite all who transgress and refuse to believe in the signs of their Lord—and the punishment of the Hereafter is severer and more enduring.” (Ta Ha 20:123–127)

So, “We have not sent down the Qur’an to you that you should be distressed,” but rather so that you may prosper in this life and the next. Accordingly, when the Muslim community—the community of the Qur’an—held fast to it and was guided by its light, it was granted honor, dignity, and ascendancy over all other nations, conquering both the eastern and western horizons. And when it abandoned acting upon the Qur’an, it lost that honor, victory, and nobility in direct proportion to its neglect of the Book.

The author then cites another verse: “Allah intends ease for you and does not intend hardship for you” (al-Baqarah 2:185). In other words, in everything He has legislated Allah wishes facilitation for us. This verse was revealed in the context of the rulings on fasting, lest anyone suppose that He imposed it upon the people as a cause of hardship and fatigue. Allah therefore clarified that He wants ease for us and not difficulty. Hence, a traveler is not required to fast and may make up the missed days later; likewise, an ill person is not required to fast and may make up the days later. This is a manifestation of ease: “He intends