freshness and agreeableness as though preserving a perpetual youth. One of the Qurayshi leaders even, an expert orator, was sent by the idolators to listen to the Qur’an. He went and listened, then returned and said to them: “These words have such sweetness and freshness, they do not resemble the words of men. I know the poets and soothsayers; these words do not resemble theirs. The best we can do is mislead our followers and say it is magic.” Thus, even the All-Wise Qur’an’s most obdurate enemies were amazed at its eloquence.

It would be very lengthy to explain the sources of the All-Wise Qur’an’s eloquence in its verses and words and sentences, therefore we shall keep the explanation brief and show by way of example the fluency and eloquence of the wording in one sentence obtained through the position of the letters and a single flash of miraculousness that shines forth from that positioning. Take the verse:

Then after the distress He sent down on you a feeling of peace and drowsiness, which overcame a group of you… to the end of the verse (3:154).

In this verse, all the letters of the alphabet are present. But, see, although all the categories of emphatic letters are together, it has not spoilt the smoothness of style. Indeed, it has added a brilliance, a harmonious, congruent, eloquent melody issuing from varied strings. Also, note carefully the following flash of eloquence: of the letters of the alphabet, Alif and Yā, since they are the lightest and have been transposed with one another like sisters, they have each been repeated twenty-one times. And since Mīm and Nūn [^2] are sisters and have changed places, they have each been mentioned thirty-three times. And since Shīn, Sīn, and Ṣād are sisters in regard to articulation, quality, and sound, each has been mentioned three times. And although ‘Ayn and Ghayn are sisters, since ‘Ayn is lighter, it is mentioned six times, while because Ghayn is harsher, it is mentioned half as many, three times. And since Zāy, Dhāl, Ẓā, and Ṭā are sisters in regard to articulation, quality, and sound, each is mentioned twice, while Lām and Alif in the form of LĀ have united and Alif’s share in the the form of LĀ is half that of Lām, Lām is mentioned forty-two times and as a half of it Alif twenty-one times. Since Hamza and Hā are sisters in regard to articulation, Hamza [^3] is mentioned thirteen times and being a degree lighter Hā is mentioned fourteen times. And Kāf, Fā and Qāf are sisters; since Qāf has an

[^2]:Tanwīn is also a Nūn.

[^3]:Pronounced and unpronounced, Hamza is twenty-five, and three more than Hamza’s silent sister Alif, because its points are three.