—among those who maintained this view—that His speech is created. Rather, everyone who has ever said that His (1) speech is created only meant that He brings it into being separate from Himself. The predecessors understood that this was their intention, and so they set about exposing the error (2) of that notion, saying—as did Mālik, Aḥmad, and others—“The speech of Allah is from Allah, and nothing that comes from Allah is created” (3). They also affirmed, “The speech of Allah is from Allah; it is not detached from Him.” When Aḥmad was asked, “Is not your own speech (4) from you?” he replied, “Indeed.” He then added, “So the speech of Allah is from Allah” (5). Statements of this sort are plentiful in their works. Therefore, had the objector said, “The Muslims unanimously agree that He does not create anything within His very Self,”—
(1) In manuscript S it reads “innahu” (“it”).
(2) In S it reads “fasād qawl” (“the saying is corrupt”).
(3) See al-Sunnah by ʿAbd Allāh ibn Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal, p. 25; and Sharḥ Usūl Iʿtiqād Ahl al-Sunnah wa al-Jamāʿah by al-Alkāʾī, vol. 2, p. 272.
(4) The original reads kalamunā (“our speech”), whereas manuscripts S and T read kalamuka (“your speech”). The implication is that since your speech originates from you—a created being—it is therefore created.
(5) Al-Khallāl records this in al-Sunnah (the Musnad of the Issues of Abū ʿAbd Allāh Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal), plate 160. Ahmad ibn al-Ḥasan al-Tirmidhī said: I asked Aḥmad (ibn Ḥanbal), “O Abū ʿAbd Allāh, questions have arisen concerning the Quran—if I am asked about them, what should I say?” He replied, “Are you not created?” I said, “Yes.” He asked, “Is not everything that you are from created?” I said, “Yes.” He said, “Then is not your speech from you and thus created?” I said, “Yes.” He said, “And is not the speech of Allāh from Him?” I said, “Yes.” He concluded, “Then would there be something created from Allāh?!” See Sharḥ Usūl Iʿtiqād Ahl al-Sunnah wa al-Jamāʿah by al-Alkāʾī, vol. 1, pp. 263–264.