UNCREATED RECITATION OF THE QURAN

79. I heard my father when ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Umar – known by Mushakanadah – asked him about the Quran? So he said: “It is the Word of Allah and it not created.”…

81. Abu Ja’far ibn Ishkab narrated to me and said: I heard my father – and he is Al-Husayn ibn Ibrahim ibn Ishkab – so many times that I cannot count it, say: “The Quran is the Word of Allah and not created. And whoever says: (It is) created, he is a kafir.”…

125. Ibrahim ibn Isma’il ibn Yahya ibn Salamah ibn Kuhayl narrated to me, from Abdur-Rahman ibn Yazid, from ‘Abdullah ibn Mas’ud who said: “Whoever loves to know that he loves Allah then let him present himself to the Quran. Then if he loves the Quran, he loves Allah. Because verily, the Quran is the Word of Allah.”…

128.… The Messenger of Allah said: “Allah says: Whoever is occupied from My remembrance and asking Me due to reciting the Quran, I will give him the best reward of those who ask. And the superiority of the Quran over all speech, is like the superiority of Allah over His creation.”…

156. Ahmad ibn Ibrahim narrated to me (and said): ‘Ali ibn Abu Ar-Rabi’ narrated to me (and said): Bishr ibn Al-Harith narrated to me and said: I asked ‘Abdullah ibn Dawud about the Quran, so he said: “Al-‘Aziz Al-Jabbar Al-Mutakabbir, is this created?”

157. ‘Abbas ibn ‘Abdil-‘Adhim Al-‘Anbari narrated to me (and said): Abu Al-Walid Hisham ibn ‘Abdil-Malik narrated to me and said: Yahya ibn Sa’id said to me: “What will they do with: ‘Qul HowAllahu Ahad. (And) what will they do with this verse?

“Verily I am Allah.” (Al-Qasas 28:30)

Is this created?”…

160. I was informed from Muhriz ibn ‘Awn who said: Muhammad ibn Yazid Al-Wasiti said: “His Knowledge and Words are from him and not created.”…

It was narrated to me, from a shaykh from the people of hadith, that he heard Abu ‘Amr Ash-Shaybani say: I said to Isma’il ibn Hammad ibn Abi Hanifah – and he (was among those who) said: “The Quran is created.” So I said to him: “Did He create it before He spoke it or after He spoke it?” He said: “So he became quiet.” …

167. Muhammad ibn Ishaq As-Saghani narrated to me and said:I heard Hasan ibn Musa Al-Ashyab say: “I seek refuge with the Hearing and Knowledgeable from the accursed Shaytan. In the Name of Allah the Most Merciful the Most Beneficent.”

“You (alone) we worship and You we ask for help.” (Al-Fatihah 1:5)

Is this created?”…

166. ‘Abbas ibn ‘Abdil-‘Adhim narrated to me – in the year 226 – (and said): I heard Sulayman ibn Harb who said: “The Quran is not created.” So I said to him: “You never used to say this, so what happened to you?” He said: “I derived it from the Book of Allah:

“And Allah will not speak to them nor will He look at them.” (Alu ‘Imran3:77)

So the Speech and the Look ARE THE SAME.”⁴³

172. I heard from Sawwar ibn ‘Abdullah Al-Qadi: I entered upon a man to seek refuge (with Allah) for him for a pain he had. So he said: “The Quran is not created. And that is because everyone who seeks refuge for me says: ‘I seek refuge with Allah for you. I seek refuge with the Quran for you.’ So I knew that the Quran is not created.”…

177. Abu Bakr Muhammad ibn Ishaq As-Saghani narrated to me and said: I saw in the book of Abu ‘Ubayd Al-Qasim ibn Sallam with his writing: “If the jahmi says to you: ‘Inform me about the Quran, is it Allah or is it something other than Allah?’ then the answer is that it is said to him: ‘You have asked an impossible question. Because Allah described it with a description which does not consist of anything of what you have asked. Allah said:

“The revelation of a Book in which there is no doubt, from the Lord of all the worlds.” (Al-Sajdah 32:2)

So it is from Allah and He did not say: ‘It is Me,’ NOR ‘IT IS OTHER THAN ME.’ He verily named it His Word. So for us there is nothing (to say) about it except what he adorned it with, and we negate for it what he negated.’ Then if they say: Have you seen His Words:

“Verily Our Word to something when We want it (to occur or be) is that We say to it ‘Be’, and then it is.” (An-Nahl 16:40)

So the Quran is something and thereby created.’ Then it is said to him: ‘It is not the Word of Allah which is called something. Have you not heard His Words:”

“Verily Our Word to something when We want it (to occur or be) is that We say to it ‘Be’, and then it is.” (An-Nahl 16:40)

So He informed you that the saying occurred from Him before the something. So the saying from Allah came before the something, and the meaning of His Word: “Be”, is that it was in His Knowledge that He would bring it into existence.”  

I asked my father and said: What do you say about a man who says: “The recitation (of the Quran) is created and our words are created, while the Quran is the Word of Allah and it is not created”? What do you say about avoiding him? And is he called an innovator? So he said: “This person is avoided and this is the saying of an innovator, and these are the words of the Jahmiyyah, and the Quran is not created. Aisha said: ‘The Messenger of Allah recited:

“He is the One who revealed the Book to you, from it are verses that are completely clear and are the foundations of the Book.” (Alu ‘Imran 3:7)

So the Quran is not created.”

179. Ibn Shubbawayh narrated to me: “Whoever says that anything from Allah is created: His Knowledge or His Words, then he is a zindiq and he is not prayed upon nor is he prayed behind, and his wealth is considered as the wealth of the murtad while the wealth of the murtad in the madhhab of the people of Madinah are considered to be in the bayt al-mul.”…

186. I heard my father say: “Whoever says: My pronunciation of the Quran is created, then these are downright evil words and they are the words of the Jahmiyyah.” I said to him: “Verily Al-Karabisi says this.” So he said: “He has lied – MAY ALLAH RIP HIM APART– DIRTY MAN.” And he said to me: “He has verily taken the place of Bishr Al-Marisi.⁴⁶” And my father used to hate saying anything about the pronunciation, or that it should be said ‘created’ or ‘not created’.

193.… I heard Abu ‘Ismah say: I heard Ibn Al-Mubarak say: “It’s a failure of the youth that there among them is no-one who can annihilate Bishr.” So I asked ‘Abdan and the companions of Ibn Al-Mubarak regarding this, so they said: “Verily Abu ‘Ismah is truthful and verily did Ibn Al-Mubarak speak words with this meaning.”

194.… I heard Shababah ibn Sawwir say; “My opinion and the opinion of Abu An-Nadr Hashim ibn Al-Qasim and a group of the fuqaha is that we agreed Al-Masiri is a kafir jahid. We believe he should be asked to repent. Then either he repents or else HE IS BEHEADED.”

197.… I heard Harun, Amr Al-Muminin say: “It has reached to me that Bishr Al-Marisi claims that the Quran is created. I swear by Allah, if He lets me get my hands on him, I will kill him in a way that I have never killed anyone ever before.”

206.… I asked ‘Abdur-Rahman ibn Mahdi and said: “What do you say regarding the one who says: The Quran is created?” So he said: “If I had authority to do it, then I would stand on a bridge, and then no man would pass by me except that I would ask him (regarding the Quran). The if he said: The Quran is created, I would BEHEAD HIM and throw his head in the water.”

211… I heard ‘Abdul Malik ibn Al-Majishun say: “Whoever says that the Quran is created, he is a kafir.” An I heard him (i.e. ‘Abdul-Malik) say: “If I found Bishr Al-Marisi then I would verily BEHEAD HIM.”

And Harun (i.e. Al-Farwi) said: “The Quran is the Word of Allah and it is not created. And whoever says that it is created, he is a kafir. And whoever doubts (the kufr) of Al-Waqifah,⁴⁷ he is a kafir.” So I said to Harun: “And (what about) Al-Lafidhiyyah⁴⁸?” He said: “Those are innovators and misguided.”

213.… I heard Surayj ibn An-Nu’man say: I asked ‘Abdullah ibn Nafir and said to him: “Verily in front of us are those who say that the Quran is created.” So he saw that as a huge thing and he did not stop being in pain over this, sorrowful and bringing it back to mind. ‘Abdullah (i.e. ibn Nafi) said that (Imam) Malik said: “Whoever says that the Quran is created, then he is disciplined and imprisoned until it is known that he made tawbah.” And Malik said: “Allah is in the heaven and His Knowledge is in all places. There is not a place which is free from His Knowledge.” And Malik said: “The Quran is the Word of Allah.” And likewise did ‘Abdullah ibn Nafi say in all of this.  

214.… We were with Ibn ‘Uyaynah when the people became disordered around him.  So Ibn ‘Uyaynah said: ”What is this?” So they said: “Bishr has arrived.” So he said: “And what does he say?” They said: “He says that the Quran is created.” He said: “Bring him to me and bring me two witnesses so I can order the governor TO BEHEAD HIM.”