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What is the secret behind the word "إليك" (to you) appearing in verse 2 of Surah Az-Zumar: "Indeed, We have sent down to you the Book with truth," and the word "عليك" (upon you) in verse 41 of the same Surah: "Indeed, We have sent down upon you the Book for the people with truth"?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

Prepositions differ, each having its own meaning and position, and they may be interchanged for a specific intended meaning. The transitive use of "anzalnā" (We have sent down) with "ilā" (to) in His, the Almighty’s, saying: "Indeed, We have sent down to you the Book with the truth" (Quran 4:105) is because the goal of the revelation and the addressee is the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, signifying his high status. As for its transitive use with "ʿalā" (upon) in His, the Almighty’s, saying: "Indeed, We have sent down upon you the Book for the people with the truth" (Quran 39:41), it is because the Book was sent down for the benefit and advantage of the people, so the address is directed to them to achieve happiness. Furthermore, the choice of one of the two transitive uses may be a stylistic variation in expression.

Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026

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