and many of those who say that it is nothing but letters and sounds (1) take the Salaf’s statement, “The Qur’an is the uncreated speech of Allah,” to mean that it is an eternal attribute subsisting in His Essence, wholly unrelated to His will, choice, intent, or power. They apply this rule to everything ascribed to Allah: it is either (2) a created thing that exists apart from Him, or (3) an eternal reality independent of His will, intent, and power.

Consequently, they forbid anyone to say: He speaks when He wills; or that He speaks with what He wills (4); or that He has never ceased speaking whenever He wills; or that He is able to speak or utter speech; or that He can speak one thing rather than another; or that, if (5) He wills, He speaks and, if He wills, He remains silent; or that He possesses the power both to speak and to refrain from speaking.

Likewise, they deem it impermissible to say: He gives life when He wills, or that He is able to give life and to withhold it (6), for (7) life is an inalienable attribute of His Essence—it is impossible for Him to be anything but the Ever-Living, the Sustainer. Exalted is He, immeasurably high above what the wrongdoers claim!

Thus, these people regard speech, will, love, hate, pleasure, wrath, coming, arrival, rising over the Throne, joy, and laughter exactly as they regard life.

The first to make this doctrine public—while still agreeing with Ahl al-Sunnah on the major foundational matters (8)—was ʿAbd Allah ibn Saʿīd ibn Kullāb, as al-Ashʿarī’s own words indicate.