( إِنَّا أَنزَلْنَاهُ…) (Indeed, We have sent it down…): The Quran was revealed all at once from the Preserved Tablet to the heaven of this world, and then it was sent down piecemeal, to the Prophet (saws) to give answers to all the questions offered to or by Muslims. Allah says:

 وَبِالْحَقِّ أَنزَلْنَاهُ وَبِالْحَقِّ نَزَلَ

( And with the truth We have sent the Qur’an down, and with the truth it has descended.) (Al-Israa: 105)

(… قُرْآنًا…) (… Qur’an…): Allah (swt) once described the Quran as an item which is being read while another time Allah (swt) describes it as an item which is written as in the previous verse; a point which indicates the inimitability of the name itself.

(… عَرَبِيًّا…) (… as an Arabic Qur’an…): It is Arabic Quran. Allah (swt) has made the Arabic language a vessel for His Noble Words. It is characterized by qualities that cannot be found in any other language on Earth. You cannot understand the Quran unless you understand the rules of the Arabic language as a sentence has its meaning, and a word itself has a meaning. For example, the Arabic word (‘ayn) can refer to a spring of water, a spy, or the eye we see with. Thus, one word can carry several meanings.

Similarly, the diacritical marks in Arabic can completely change the meaning. In fact, there are many aspects in the Arabic language that must be studied and understood because it is the language of the Quran. The Prophet (saws) said:

‘Love the Arabs, for I am an Arab, the Quran is Arabic, and the language of the people of Paradise is Arabic.’[1]

This is not austerity; rather they are facts. The Arabic language is preserved by the Holy Quran; as without the Quran, the Arabic language would have ceased to exist. However, no one can comprehend and interpret the Quran without being proficient in Arabic language and its grammar.

(... لَّعَلَّكُمْ تَعْقِلُونَ ) (…  that you might understand):  Allah (swt) urges people to make use of their minds to carefully reflect upon matters. We should consider that truthful people are very keen on urging people to utilize their minds, unlike the liars who want them to set them idle.

[1] Shu’ab al-Iman, Chapter” Love the Prophet (saws), Hadith No. 1433.