Why does Allah say "We sent down" or "We created" in the Qur'an?

The Qur'an was revealed in the Arabic language. Allah says in the Qur'an:

بِلِسَانٍ عَرَبِيٍّ مُبِينٍ

"In a clear Arabic language" [1].

One of the features of the Arabic language is that when someone wants to express greatness or majesty, instead of saying "I did," they use the plural form "We did." In the book "al-Muʿjam al-Wasīṭ" it is stated: "The word 'We' is used for two or more, but sometimes it is also used by a single person to express greatness." [2]

Therefore, in the Qur'an, when it says:

إِنَّا نَحْنُ نَزَّلْنَا الذِّكْرَ وَإِنَّا لَهُ لَحَافِظُونَ

"Indeed, it is We who sent down the Reminder (the Qur'an), and indeed, We will surely guard it (from corruption)." [3],

يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ إِنَّا خَلَقْنَاكُم مِّن ذَكَرٍ وَأُنثَىٰ وَجَعَلْنَاكُمْ شُعُوبًا وَقَبَائِلَ لِتَعَارَفُوا ۚ

"O mankind! Indeed, We created you from a male and a female and made you into peoples and tribes so that you may know one another" [4], the phrases "We sent down" and "We created" in these verses do not contradict the oneness of Allah. This is simply one of the stylistic features used in Arabic to express majesty.

Department of Sharia and Fatwa, Spiritual Administration of Muslims of Kazakhstan

• [1] Surah ash-Shu‘ara, verse 195.

• [2] "al-Muʿjam al-Wasīṭ", p. 907.

• [3] Surah al-Hijr, verse 9.

• [4] Surah al-Hujurat, verse 13.