saying, “I have never ceased hearing our companions declare: ‘The deeds of the servants are created.’ (1)
Al-Bukhari added, ‘Their movements, their voices, their acquisitions, and their writing are created.
‘As for the recited, clearly expounded Qur’an—fixed in the codices, inscribed in writing, and treasured in hearts— it is the speech of Allah and is not created. (2)
Allah, Exalted is He, says: “Rather, it is clear verses preserved in the breasts of those who have been granted knowledge” (29:49).
Abu Ḥāmid al-Aʿmashī said: “I saw Muhammad ibn Ismaʿil at the funeral of Abu ʿUthmān Saʿid ibn Marwān while Muhammad ibn Yahya was questioning him about personal names, kunyahs, and the subtle flaws of hadith, and Muhammad ibn Ismaʿil sped through the answers like an arrow.
“Not even a month had passed before Muhammad ibn Yahya announced: ‘Whoever continues to attend his gathering is not to attend ours. They have written to us from Baghdad that he has spoken on the issue of articulation (al-lafẓ); we forbade him, but he would not desist. Therefore keep away from him, and whoever associates with him should not associate with us.’
“Muhammad ibn Ismaʿil remained there for a while, then set out for Bukhara. (3)”
Abu Ḥāmid ibn al-Sharqī said, “I heard Muhammad ibn Yahya al-Dhuhli say:”