Yūnus 10:61

The issue

This verse addresses Muḥammad. As translated by Palmer, the addressee is spoken to at times in the Arabic singular (takūnu) as “thou,” as in “thou be… thou recite,” and other times in the Arabic plural (takūnū(ā)) as “ye,” as in “ye do a work….”

Abruptly changing the pronoun form of the addressee from singular to plural does not agree with the art of composition. One pronoun needs to be used consistently in the same context. One scholar attempts to justify the variability of the pronouns with these explanations:

The verse is addressing Muḥammad with the singular pronoun form in “thou be…thou recite” [See the table “Presence of Incorrect Alifs in Early Qur’ānic Manuscripts,” page <OV>.] and the Muslims with the plural form in “ye do a work….”

The verse is addressing Muḥammad alone, but the plural pronoun form in “ye do a work….” signifies magnificence and majesty for Muḥammad, Allah’s prophet.

Addressing both Muḥammad and the Muslims at the same time in a format that does not allow for this distinction of the addressee is a linguistic weakness. Furthermore, the use of the plural pronoun form to confer majesty upon Muḥammad is not held by the most prominent Islamic scholars—in this or other verses.

Question: How can a divine book sent down from heaven, with presumably having the highest levels of eloquence, contain linguistic flaws?