The Quran: Sunni Islam’s Multiple Gods

Is Quaran is created or uncreated speech of Allah.I’ve read about this in Wikipedia encyclopedia. Can you please explain the term as I am confused?

Answer:

Fatwa: 915/818=B/1429)

The unanimous faith of Ahl-e-Sunnah wal-Jamah is that the holy Quran is eternal and uncreated:

فأهل السنه كلهم من أهم المذاهب الأربعه و غيرهم من الخلف والسلف متفقون علی أن القرآن غير مخلوق (شرح الفقه الأكبر)

[Trans. So all Sunnis, including the four major schools of jurisprudence and others among the later and earlier generations, agree that the Quran is uncreated (Sharh al-Fiqh al-Akbar)]

However, calling the holy Quran as eternal and uncreated means that the Word of Allah Almighty is eternal which is an attribute of Allah and is associated with Him. So far as written and recited words of Quran are concerned, these are the created ones and they are not the attribute of Allah, but they indicate to the Words of Allah. A common person should avoid venturing such philosophical discussions, for sometimes a man may fall in suspicion and doubt. One must only believe in the fundamental beliefs mentioned in the Holy Quran and Hadith.

Allah knows Best

Darul Ifta,

Darul Uloom Deoband

Answered by: Maulana Nazrul Islam

Question:

Hope you all are well! I wanted to ask what it means that the Quran is uncreated, and why it is a big issue whether one thinks the Quran is created or uncreated?

In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful

Answer:

“The Qur’an is the word of Allah that emanated from him without the modality of saying.

He sent it down to his Prophet as a revelation.

The believers truly accept it as such, they have complete conviction that it is the word of Allah in reality.

Unlike human speech, it is eternal and uncreated.

Whoever hears it and claims it is human speech has disbelieved.” (1) ( Aqiqah Tahawiyyah page 12)

The Qur’an is the speech (kalam) of Allah, the speech of Allah is a (Sifat) attribute of Allah, the attributes of Allah cannot be created.

The being of Allah is eternal, so are the qualities (Sifaat) of Allah.

So the Qur’an is the speech of Allah which is eternal, and not created.

It is written in Fiqh Al Akbar by Imam Abu Hanifa RA “Allah’s attributes are eternal, they are not new or created. Whoever says the attributes of Allah are not eternal or they are created or have doubts regarding them, he is a disbeliever in Allah (kafir). The Qur’an is the speech of Allah. In the Mushafs (books) it is written, in the hearts, it is protected, on the tongues it is recited, to the Prophet It It was revealed. To use our words to say the Qur’an, our writing of it or to use our words for its recitation is creation but in its originality, the Qur’an is not creation” (2) ( Fiqh Al Akbar page 20)

Only Allah knows best.

Written by Maulana Nazrul Islam

Checked and approved by Mufti Mohammed Tosir Miah

Darul Ifta Birmingham

(1) Indeed, the Qur’an is the word of God, revealed from Him without any modality, and He sent it down to His Messenger as revelation. The believers affirmed this truthfully and were certain that it is truly the word of God Almighty, not created like the speech of humankind. So whoever hears it and claims that it is the speech of a human being has disbelieved.

Al-Aqeedah Al-Tahawiyyah, p. 12, Dar Ibn Hazm

(And the Qur’an is the word of God and is not created) The Book of the Foundations of the Sunnah by Ahmad ibn Hanbal, p. 22, Dar al-Manar

(2) His attributes in eternity are neither created nor originated. Whoever says that they are created or originated, or hesitates or doubts about them, is an unbeliever in God Almighty. The Qur’an is the word of God Almighty, written in the books, preserved in hearts, recited on tongues, and revealed to the Prophet. Our utterance of the Qur’an is created, our writing of it is created, and our recitation of it is created, but the Qur’an itself is uncreated. Al-Fiqh al-Akbar, p. 20, Al-Furqan Library

Question:

Assalamu Alaikum Wa rahmatullahi Wa barakatuhu,

Respected Ulamaa

I would like to have some detailed information regarding the Aqeedah in regards to the Speech of Allah

I understand the following 4 points to be the Speech of Allah (uncreated). Please do correct me because my knowledge is limited and I’m ignorant of the details other than the Qur’an being the uncreated Speech of Allah Ta’ala!

1. Qur’an2. The Previous Kitaabs (Taurah, Injeel) etc3. Whatsoever Allah Says (i.e. the incident of Moosa, the Me’raaj [ and all other commands that Allah issues to the Angels such as Jibreel]4. In other words everything that Allah Speaks is uncreated Speech, and unlike the speech of Mankind. We only don’t know the ‘how’ but we know Allah Speaks!

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Now my queries:-

Q1. Please explain the objection that the Qur’an (Speech of Allah) did not exist in pre-eternity and that it came into being at a particular time when Allah willed.. and that it is only applicable till Qiyaamah and not eternal! Similarly the argument that the Speaking to Hadhrat Moosa came into existence at a particular time when Allah willed.. and it was only applicable then.. that was also Speech of Allah so how is it eternal?

Q2. If a person says that Allah does not Speak or denies that the Qur’an is the uncreated Speech of Allah will he become an apostate?

Q3. What if someone says, yes it’s Speech of Allah in terms of that it was created by Allah and that no one else can create it. Like how Allah created the Arsh and no one but Allah can create the Arsh? How do we argue that?

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Q4. Below is an objection from a deviant, please address them and in particularly the event of Speaking of Allah with Hadhrat Moosa. How did it take place? I’m sure it wasn’t the tree used as a medium and how is the Speech heard by the creation?

Q4a. Deviant: “You have totally missed the point. Allah does not speak, rather he creates speech.

Reply: Allah indeed Spoke DIRECTLY to Hadhrat Moosa. However one is incapacitated to understand “the how”.. questioning it is innovation.. it is beyond human grasp!

Deviant: “He can create speech through anything. Why a tree and why not a being. Are you likening the tree to him when u say that He spoke through the tree. A medium is a medium – albeit any creation.”

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Please reply ASAP

Answer:

It is the belief of the Ahlus Sunnah wal Jamaat that Allah Himself as well as his attributes are even existing.  One of His attributes is “Speech”.  The Qur’an is the Book of Allah therefore it is asserted that “the Qur’an is the speech of Allah, not a creation.”

“Speech of Allah” over here means “Kalaam-e-Nafsi” (Speech with Allah).  A man when he speaks, then before speaking of before expressing the words, the speech exists in his mind in an unorderly manner that cannot even be indicated to, although those thoughts are preserved in the mind.  Hence that is what we call Kalaam-e-Nafsi.  When the person then utters this speech in word form it will be known as “Kalaam-e-Lafzi” (expressed speech).

After a thought occurs in a person i.e. Kalaam-e-Nafsi, sometimes it is expressed immediately in words, hence becoming Kalaam-e-Lafzi, and sometimes it is expressed at a later stage as per need. Thus we conclude that Kalaam-e-Nafsi does exist without Kalaam-e-Lafzi, which is an obvious fact.

Likewise all the information and knowledge that is with Allah is ever-existing as Allah himself is Ever-Existing and free from being a creation. Then according to expedience, when Allah expressed His knowledge to the creation, such as through the voice that Moosa heard and the gradual revelation of the Qur’an upon Rasoolullah, this speech which is now heard and available in print form on paper is now known as Kalaam-e-Lafzi. The Ahlus Sunnah wal Jamaat maintain that Kalaam-e-Nafsi (speech with Allah) is ever-existing and non-creation but Kalaam-e-Lafzi (expressed speech) i.e. the voice and print form has come into existence freshly thus falls into the category of creation. (Sharhul Aqaaid An-Nasafiyyah, Page 58-59)

The speech of Allah with Moosa and Rasoolullah is Qadeem (ever existing) but the voice and print form is Haadith and a creation. To claim that Allah does not speak is the belief of the Mu’tazilah sect.  The true belief is that the attribute of speech in Allah is an established fact, besides it is also Qadeem, but the voice and words through which the speech is declared to the creation is Haadith and creation in essence.

The voice Moosa heard was from a tree.  Allah had created the voice therein for it to denote on His actual speech. This voice was Haadith and part of His creation.  It was not His personal voice. (Sharhul Aqaaid An-Nasafiyyah, Page 62)

This may be compared to music to which a person tunes his voice to. That tune is not the voice of the man, it is not him that is speaking, rather it is a tune that denotes on some meaningful speech.

In conclusion we may suggest that you avoid discussing this topic in depth. Such topics were not prevalent during the age of the Sahabah. It is the creation of the Mu’tazilah sect. They misinterpreted this issue in the light of philosophy of their age. Initially the Muhadditheen went only this far to assert that “The Qur’an is the speech of Allah, not creation.” They added nothing more, then when people started claiming that “the pages of the Qur’an and the ink is not creation”, which the Mu’tazilah made a mockery of, then the Mutakallimeen crystallised this issue in light of authentic beliefs and philosophical principles.  They declared that “Allah is Mutakallim.”  Speech is an attribute of His, which is Kalaam-e-Nafsi, non-creation and Qadeem.  The words and voices that denote Kalaam-e-Nafsi are Haadith and creation.

And Allah Ta’ala knows best

Mufti Muhammad Ashraf

Darul Iftaa

Jameah Mahmoodiyah

Springs

10 December 2004

27 Shawwal 1425

This Q&A was indexed in 2012 from the website of Jameah Mahmoodiyah, South Africa. The original website no longer exists.