And you are unlettered; no one has ever known you for reciting a book or writing. If there were anything of that, meaning, of recitation and writing, the deniers among the People of the Book would have certainly doubted and said: 'The one we find in our books is unlettered; he does not write or read, and he is not.' Or the polytheists of Mecca would have doubted and said: 'Perhaps he learned it or wrote it by his own hand.' If you say: Why did He call them deniers, even if he were not unlettered? And if they said: 'He is not what we find in our books,' they would be truthful and correct? And the people of Mecca would also be right in saying: 'Perhaps he learned it or wrote it,' for he is a reading writer? I say: He called them deniers because they disbelieved in him, and he is unlettered, far from doubt. It is as if he said: These deniers in their disbelief in him, if he were not unlettered, they would have doubted him even more. So when he is not a reading writer, there is no reason for their doubt. And another thing: All the other prophets, peace be upon them, were not unlettered, and it was necessary to believe in them and in what they brought, due to their being confirmed by the Wise One through miracles. Suppose he were a reading writer, why did they not believe in him in the same way they believed in Moses and Jesus, peace be upon them? Moreover, the ones who were sent down are not miracles, while this one is miraculous. Thus, they are deniers for not believing in him while he is unlettered, and they would be deniers if they did not believe in him while he is not unlettered. If you say: What is the benefit of His saying 'by your right hand'? I say: Mentioning the right hand, which is the limb used for writing, is an additional clarification of what has been negated from him being a writer. Do you not see that if you said in affirmation, 'I saw the prince writing this letter with his right hand,' it would be stronger in affirming that he took on the writing? Likewise, in negation, the Qur'an consists of clear verses in the hearts of the scholars who memorize it, and these are among the characteristics of the Qur'an: its verses being clear miracles and its being preserved in the hearts, recited by most of the nation openly, unlike other books, which were not miracles and were only read from the manuscripts. Among what has come in the description of this nation is: 'Their chests are their Gospels.' And no one denies the clear signs of Allah except those deeply entrenched in oppression and stubbornness.