The early scholars—may Allah have mercy on them—ruled that whoever adopts the doctrine of waqf (withholding judgment on whether the Quran is created or uncreated) is worse than the Jahmis, because such a person doubts his religion and doubts the word of Allah. Some even employ the expression as an act of taqiyya (dissimulation) to conceal their Jahmi leanings. Hence a distinctive mark of the Sunni is to speak explicitly and say: “The Quran is the speech of Allah, not created.” Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal was asked: “Is it permissible for someone merely to say, ‘The Quran is the speech of Allah, the Exalted,’ and then fall silent?” He replied, “Why should he be silent? Had people not fallen into this controversy, silence would have sufficed; but since they have spoken as they have, why should we not speak?” This was reported by Abu Dawud in his Masaʾil (p. 355, no. 1705). Commenting on Ahmad’s words, al-Ajurri writes in al-Shariʿa (1/528): “What Ahmad means is this: the believers have never differed over the fact that the Quran is the speech of Allah, the Exalted. When Jahm ibn Safwan introduced his heresy by saying, ‘The Quran is created,’ the scholars had no choice but to refute him by declaring, without any doubt or hesitation, that the Quran is the speech of Allah, uncreated. Whoever does not say ‘uncreated’ is called a waqfi, one who is uncertain about his religion.” (1) In manuscript T: “Our pronunciations of it.” (2) Absent from manuscripts T and H. (3) Absent from manuscript T. (4) The expression “the servants’ alfaz with the Quran” can bear two meanings: – First, it may refer to the recited, uttered, read text itself; this is the speech of Allah and is not created. – Second, it may refer to the act of pronouncing—the speaker’s movements, articulations, and voice; this is created. One may also intend both together, in which case it is impermissible either to ascribe createdness to the whole or to deny createdness altogether.