The essence of the assertion that the Quran is merely an “expression” of Allah’s speech or a “narration” of it is nothing but the doctrine of the Lafziyyah.

Imam Ibn Battah (d. 387 AH, may Allah have mercy on him) said:
“Know—may Allah show you mercy—that a faction of the Jahmiyyah, through the deceit of their hearts, the foulness of their opinions, and the vileness of their desires, embraced the belief that the Quran is created. To mask this, they coined an innovation of their own making, using it as a ruse and a glossy façade before the common folk, so that they might conceal their disbelief and render their heresy obscure to those of little knowledge and weak discernment. They declared: ‘The Quran with which Allah spoke—His very speech—is uncreated; but what we recite, read aloud with our tongues, and write in our codices is not that Quran which is the speech of Allah. Rather, it is only a narration of it. What we recite is a narration of that Quran in our own wording, and our wording is created.’ Thus they refined their disbelief and contrived to insinuate it among the masses by the most elusive path, the subtlest approach, and the most hidden guise. Yet, by Allah’s praise, favor, and gracious guidance, this did not escape the leading scholars, the critical experts, and the people of sound reason; they exposed the fraud and laid bare the deception.¹