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evelation 155China), or that occur explicitly for the sensory perception of thehuman mind (the reconversion of the waves back into acoustic andvisual signals for the reception of TV viewers). The term al-tanzÊl isassigned to this process of objective, nonhuman communication(reception by human beings is uncertain, impossible, or unintended),while the term al-inz§l refers to the process of changing unperceivablesignals outside the human mind to signals that can be perceived.In the case of the televised football match, al-tanzÊl occurred firstand al-inz§l second. If, however, a sports reporter took photographsof the match in Brazil and then sent these pictures to China to havethem displayed at the National Sports Show, the process of al-inz§l(taking pictures) would have preceded al-tanzÊl (transport of picturesto China). Sometimes, al-inz§l happens without an accompanyingal-tanzÊl (e.g., if the pictures had been displayed immediately inBrazil), 40 but in all instances, al-inz§l and al-tanzÊl communicate somethingthat exists in reality (e.g., the football players, the ball, thereferee, the spectators, etc.) and that exists before the process ofcommunication has been initiated.Al-inz§l and al-tanzÊl of the al-qur"§nThe processes of al-inz§l and al-tanzÊl in communicating the qur"§n tohumankind require that the qur"§n exists prior to its communication(like the football players in the example above). Since the qur"§n containsthe objective sources of reality, its revelation to MuÈammad (ß)occurred in a conclusive, unalterable manner, regardless of any circumstancesof revelation (hence, the asb§b al-nuzål do no apply to thequr"§n). Its revelation was inevitable, whether someone required thisinformation or not. Allah even urged people not to ask questions inthis respect before the qur"§n was revealed:40Al-inz§l without al-tanzÊl: this is, MS maintains, why for example when it statesthat ‘manna and quails were sent down’, the text employs either nazzala (20:80) oranzala (2:57). In both verses the children of Israel are addressed and asked to ‘eatfrom the good things’, but while in the first instance (nazzaln§) in 20:80 the verse endswith the statement that ‘manna and quails were sent down’, in the second instance(anzaln§) in 2:57 the verse continues to say ‘eat of the good things We have providedfor you’ which indicates that ‘manna and quails’ have become perceptible to humanbeings and are registered as food to be eaten, whereas in 20:80 this last step of perceptionthrough inz§l is not indicated.