been a Speaker, in the sense that He has eternally possessed the power to speak.
He would further say: “The speech of Allah is muḥdath (originated) yet uncreated.” (1) And he added: “This is the view of Dāwūd al-Asbahānī as well.”
Abū Muʿādh al-Tūmnī (2) said: “The Qur’an is the speech of Allah; (3) it is ḥadath, not muḥdath—an act, not something acted upon.” He refused to claim that it was created and (4) asserted that it is neither a creation nor created, that it subsists with Allah, and that it is inconceivable for Allah to speak by a speech subsisting in something other than Himself, just as it is impossible for Him to move by a motion that subsists outside of Himself.
He spoke in the same manner about Allah’s will, love, and hatred, maintaining that all of these attributes subsist with Allah.
He also said (5) that part of the Qur’an is command—namely, Allah’s will that faith be embraced (6); (7) in other words, the only meaning of Allah’s willing faith is that He commands it.
Zarqān related from Maʿmar (8) that he said: “Allah, exalted be He, created substance…"
(1) He wrote: an addition by the Shaykh for clarification; the discussion continues from the preceding passages in al-Maqalat.
(2) In manuscript s: “Abu Imaadh” (a copyist’s error). It should read “Abu Muʿadh al-Tumanni,” nisba to Tuyumun (Tumin), one of the leading imams of the Murjiʾah. The Tumanniyah al-Muʿadhiyah sect takes its name from him; it held that iman (faith) consists in whatever preserves one from disbelief. The term denotes certain qualities which, if entirely abandoned—or even if any single one is abandoned—render a person an unbeliever. Abu Muʿadh also asserted that one described as fasiq (outlaw) for committing major sins is neither an enemy of Allah nor under His protection, among other unorthodox views recorded by the authors of al-Maqalat. For his life and creed, see: Maqalat al-Islamiyyin by al-Ashʿari, vol. 1, pp. 221, 351; al-Farq bayn al-Firaq by al-Baghdadi, pp. 203–204; al-Ansab by al-Samahani, vol. 3, p. 111.
(3) The text enclosed in quotation marks is an addition from al-Maqalat.
(4) The text enclosed in quotation marks is an addition found in manuscripts s, t, and al-Maqalat.
(5) The text enclosed in quotation marks is an addition found in manuscripts s, t, and al-Maqalat.
(6) In manuscripts s and t: “al-iman.”
(7) In manuscript s: “la” (a scribal error).
(8) He is Abu ʿAmr Muʿammar ibn ʿAbbad al-Salmi, an extremist Muʿtazili from Basra, then…