It is a Medinan surah and it has two hundred verses. 'In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.'

(M) Its proper recitation is to pause on it as one pauses on Alif and Lam, and to begin what follows as you say: one two.

And this is the reading of Asim. As for its opening, it is the movement of the hamzah that was placed upon it when it was dropped for ease. If you say:

How is it permissible to place its movement upon it while it is a hamzah of connection that does not remain in the flow of speech, so its movement does not remain because the stability of its movement is like its stability? I say: This is not in the flow, because (M) is in the status of pause and stillness, and the hamzah is in the status of stability. It was only omitted for ease and its movement was placed on the consonant before it to indicate it. An example of this is their saying: one two, by placing the movement of the hamzah on the dal. If you say: Why do you not claim that it is a movement for the meeting of two consonants?

I say: Because the meeting of consonants is not a concern in the matter of pause, as in your saying: this is Ibrahim and Dawud and Ishaq.

And if the meeting of consonants in the state of pause necessitated movement, the two mims in Alif Lam Mim would have been moved due to the meeting of consonants. And it did not wait for another consonant. If you say: They did not move due to the meeting of consonants in the mim, because they intended to pause and it was possible for them to pronounce with two consonants, but when a third consonant came, it was only possible to move, so they moved.

I say: The evidence that the movement is not for meeting the consonant is that they could have said: one two, with the dal remaining still and omitting the hamzah, thus combining two consonants, as they said: Asim and Madiq. So when they moved the dal, it was known that its movement is the movement of the dropped hamzah and nothing else, and it is not for the meeting of consonants. If you say:

What is the reason for the reading of Amr ibn Ubaid with the kasrah? I say: This reading is based on the assumption of movement for the meeting of consonants, and it is not a valid claim. And the Torah and the Gospel are foreign names. And it is forced to derive them from Al-Wara and Al-Najl and to weigh them with Tafa'lah and Afa'il, which is only valid after they have become Arabic. And Al-Hasan read: the Gospel, with the opening of the hamzah, which is evidence of foreignness, because Afa'il - with the opening of the hamzah - is absent in the weights of the Arabs. If you say: Why was it said (He sent down to you the Book)? [Mamdud said: 'If you say: Why was it said in the Qur'an

I said: The category of the heavenly books [he repeated his words] said: And the Furqan may refer to all the heavenly books because they differentiate between truth and falsehood, or the books that he mentioned, or he meant the fourth book which is the Psalms. As he singled it out and delayed its mention in his saying: "And We gave David the Psalms" or he repeated the mention of the Qur'an as a description for it and praise for it being a differentiator between truth and falsehood, after having mentioned it by name as a category to honor its status and to show its virtue, and Allah knows best. Ahmad said: Al-Zamakhshari made the secret of the expression about the revelation of the Qur'an in the form of ' فعل' its differentiation in the revelation as previously mentioned, then he carried the Furqan to one of its interpretations on the Qur'an and expressed it with 'أفعل' like others. If this is the case - and Allah knows best - then the point is that when he first expressed its specific descent, he used a phrase that corresponds to the intent of specificity. So when it was mentioned again to be described with an additional attribute to the name of the category, he expressed its descent in terms of generality, relying on its distinction first and summarizing that in what was not intended. And from the common expression about this meaning: speech is summarized in what is not intended and detailed in what is intended. Because all of them are Furqan that differentiates between truth and falsehood, or the books that he mentioned, as if he said after mentioning the three books: And He revealed what differentiates between truth and falsehood from His books, or from these books, or he meant the fourth book which is the Psalms, as he said: "And We gave David the Psalms" and this is clear. Or he repeated the mention of the Qur'an as a description for it and praise for it being a differentiator between truth and falsehood after having mentioned it by name as a category, to honor its status and to show its virtue with the signs of Allah from His revealed books and others, He is the Avenger with a severe vengeance [Mahamud said: "Its meaning is that He has a severe vengeance... etc." Ahmad said: And this glorification is met with the indefiniteness, and it is one of its signs like in his saying: "Say: Your Lord is the Lord of vast mercy."] No one can match Him in vengeance.