—in a clear and manifest Arabic tongue, as Aḥmad affirmed: Allah Himself spoke it; He did not bring it into being inside any created entity.

Aḥmad then listed the utterances Allah has commanded and those He has forbidden, and he (1) pointed out that nowhere among the commands do we find: “Say about the Qur’an, ‘It is created,’” nor among the prohibitions: “Do not say, ‘It is My Speech.’” Aḥmad (2) said:

“I asked the Jahmīs: Has not Allah—exalted be His praise—said, ‘Say: We believe in Allah’ (3); ‘and speak kindly to people’ (4); ‘Say: We believe in what has been sent down to us and what was sent down to you’ (5); ‘and speak an upright word’ (6); ‘then say: Bear witness that we are Muslims’ (7)? And He said, ‘And say: The truth’ (8); and He said, ‘So say: Peace’ (9). Yet we have never heard Allah say, ‘Say: My Speech is created.’ He also said, ‘Do not say “Three”; desist’ (10); and He said, ‘Do not say to one who offers you the greeting of peace, “You are not a believer”’ (11); and He said, ‘Do not say rāʿinā, but say…’