and he was a Shiʿi. He also relied on the writings of Abū ʿAlī al-Jubbāʾī (1) and others of that stripe, so that what he transmits often reflects the views of those men, as is the case here. Muḥammad ibn Shujāʿ (2) reports that one faction allegedly said, “The Quran is the Creator,” while another claimed, “It is part of Him.” Likewise, Zurqan’s attributing this statement to Wakīʿ ibn al-Jarrāḥ belongs to the sort of narration distorted by their faulty interpretation. The same applies to his allegation that a group declared, “Allah is part of the Quran,” arguing that since the name of Allah appears in the Quran—and, in their view, the name is identical with the Named—Allah must therefore be in the Quran.
In reality, what Wakīʿ and the other leading scholars actually meant when they said, “The Quran is from Allah,” is that the Quran is an attribute of Allah (3); that He—exalted is He—is the One who speaks it; and that an attribute falls within the scope of the One so described.
As al-Khallāl (4) narrated: “Abū Bakr al-Sālimī told me; [Ibn] (5)….”
See: Al-Muntazam by Ibn al-Jawzi, vol. 6, pp. 99–105; Wafayat al-Ayan by Ibn Khallikan, vol. 1, pp. 94–95; Lisan al-Mizan by Ibn Hajar, vol. 1, pp. 323–324.
(1) The text enclosed in brackets is an addition in both the S and T manuscripts. He is Abu Ali Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab ibn Salam al-Jubbai al-Basri, a leading figure of the Muʿtazila and teacher of their own Shaykh Abd al-Salam ibn Hashim al-Jubbai. He studied Muʿtazila under Abu Yaʿqub al-Shiham and other contemporary theologians; the Jubbaiyyah branch of the Muʿtazila takes its name from him. His heretical views are enumerated by the authors of al-Maqalat. For his life and doctrine, see:
- Al-Firaq bayna al-Firaq by al-Baghdadi, pp. 183–184
- Wafayat al-Ayan, vol. 4, pp. 267–269
- al-Ibar by al-Dhahabi, vol. 1, p. 445
- Tabaqat al-Muʿtazila by Qadi Abd al-Jabbar, pp. 272–273
(2) Originally Abu Shujaʿ; this is confirmed in the S and T manuscripts. His biographical entry appeared above on p. 344.
(3) In manuscript T it reads “Allah.”
(4) Al-Musnad of Abu ʿAbd Allah Ahmad ibn Hanbal, Kitab Masail, as transmitted by Abu Bakr Ahmad ibn Muhammad al-Khallal (manuscript, plate 161). Al-Khallal records: “Abu Bakr al-Marwadhi told me: Abu Bakr al-Salimi told me: Ibn Abi ʿUways told me: I heard Malik ibn Anas say: ‘The Qur’an is the speech of Allah, Exalted and Glorious, and nothing of Allah is created.’”
(5) The text enclosed in brackets is an addition in the S, T, and al-Musnad manuscripts.