would have been narrated frequently among the enemies of lslam. How, then, could this be true when not a single narrative has been transmitted concerning it?
Second, the Quran was revealed at a time when the rules of Arabic grammar had not taken a definitive form. These rules were derived only afterward, by investigat‌ ing the usage and structure employed by the masters of Arabic style. If the Quran were not a divine revelation [and] its opponents assert [that it is not], there is still no question that it would [represent] an eloquent Arabic speech, and therefore one of the sources of Arabic grammar. It would not be of a lower standard than the eloquent speech of other skilled masters of the language who were contemporaries of the Prophet of Islam. In other words, if subsequent trends in Arabic grammar were in‌ consistent with the language of the Quran, this would be an invalidation of those trends, not an argument against the Quran. This is not to mention that this argument against the Quran could stand only if the various readings of the Quran were iden‌ tical. But we shall demonstrate in due course that the prevalent readings are based on the personal reasoning of the readers themselves, and not on an uninterrupted and universally accepted transmission from the Prophet. Thus, if an objection were raised against a given reading, this would be a proof of the invalidity of that particular read‌ ing, and would not affect the greatness of the Quran and its prestige.
٢. They also say that an eloquent speech cannot be regarded as miraculous even if human beings are unable to match it. This is because its eloquence is appreciated by some people [but not by] others. A miracle, in contrast, must be recognized as a miracle by all human beings, for every individual among them is obligated to be‌ lieve in the prophethood of the person who has worked this miracle.

The response to this objection is as follows. This doubt [about the Quran] is as weak and as analogically inconsistent as the preceding one, for it is not an essential re‌ quirement that a miracle should be acknowledged by all humanity, and if we were to stipulate that as a requirement, we would be left with no miracles at all. This is be‌ cause a miracle is recognized by a particular group, and it would be proven to others by an uninterrupted transmission (mutawatir).١ We have already mentioned that the Quran is distinguished from other miracles in that the transmission of a reported [tradition] may be interrupted with the passage of time. As for the Quran, it is a miracle which will last forever, along with the lasting of the Arab nation or even of those who know the characteristics of the Arabic language, even though they may not be Arabs.

٣. They say that whoever has a full understanding of Arabic would be able to bring forth a word like the words of the Quran; and since [such a person] can do that, he will also be able to produce the like of the Quran. This is because the rules regard‌ ing the possible and the impossible similarities are one and the same.

The response is as follows. This doubt does not deserve mentioning, for the ability to bring forth the like of a word of the Quran, or even of one of its sentences, does not entail the ability to bring forth the like of the [entire] Quran, or even of one of its suras. This is because the ability to produce one element of a structure does not en‌ tail the ability to produce the whole. For this reason, it is not correct to say that every person on earth has the ability to create magnificent castles and huge palaces simply because he is able to make a brick in the structure. Nor is it correct to say that every