(4.) _Iqtiza._ This is a deduction which demands certain conditions: "whosoever killeth a believer by mischance, shall be bound to free a believer from slavery." (Sura iv. 94). As a man has no authority to free his neighbour's slave, the condition here required, though not expressed, is that the slave should be his own property. The Quran is divided into:-- (1). _Harf_ (plural _Huruf_), letters. The numbers given by different authorities vary. In one standard book it is said that there are 338,606 letters. (2). _Kalima_ (plural _Kalimat_), words, stated by some to amount to 79,087; by others to 77,934. (3). _Ayat_ (plural _Ayat_), verses. Ayat really means a sign, and was the name given by Muhammad to short sections or verses of the Quran. The end of a verse is determined by the position of a small circle (.). The early Quran Readers did not agree as to the position of these circles, and so five different ways of arranging them have arisen. This accounts for a variation in the number of verses in various editions. The varieties are:-- (1). _Kufa_ verses. The Readers in the city of Kufa say that they followed the custom of 'Ali. Their way of reckoning is generally adopted in India. They reckon 6,239 verses. (2). _Basra_ verses. The Readers of Basra follow 'Asim bin Hajjaj, a Companion. They reckon 6,204. (3). _Shami_ verses. The Readers in Syria (Sham) followed Abd-ullah bin 'Umr, a Companion. They reckon 6,225 verses. (4). _Mecca_ verses. According to this arrangement there are 6,219 verses. (5). _Madina_ verses. This way of reading contains 6,211 verses. {55} In each of the above varieties the verse "Bismillah" (in the name of God) is not reckoned. It occurs 113 times in the Quran. This diversity of punctuation does not generally affect the meaning of any important passage. The third verse of the third Sura is an important exception. The position of the circle (.), the symbol denoting a full stop, in that verse is of the highest importance in connection with the rise of scholasticism ('Ilm-i-kalam) in Islam. Most of the cases, however, are like the following:-- In Sura xxvii. an account is given of the Queen of Sheba's receiving a letter from King Solomon. Addressing her nobles she said: "Verily, Kings, when they enter a city (by force) waste the same, and abase the most powerful of the inhabitants hereof: and so will (these) do (with us)." Many Readers put the full stop after the word "hereof," and say that God is the speaker of the words "and so will they do."