 The pivotal importance of the written Koran rests on the fact that it voices the divine names and the signs/verses in human language, thereby providing the key to deciphering the other two books. By interpreting the Koran, we also interpret the cosmos and ourselves. Ibn ‘Arabî typically begins any discussion with a verse or two, and he then proceeds to draw out meanings that have a bearing on whatever the context may be. He insists that readings must conform to the Arabic language as spoken by the original recipients of the Book, but more often than not he offers surprising and highly original interpretations. On close examination, these are seen to be consistent with the language, even when they fly in the face of common sense. It is precisely his ability to stick to the transmitted sources and simultaneously bring out new meanings—which, once expressed, seem almost self-evident—that has convinced the later tradition of his exceptional mastery. He tells us that the author of the Koran intends every meaning understood by every reader, and he reminds us that human authors cannot have the same intention. Moreover, he tells us that if someone re-reads a Koranic verse and sees exactly the same meaning that he saw the previous time, he has not read it “properly”—that is, in keeping with the haqq of the divine speech—for the meanings disclosed in the Three Books are never repeated.