Imam Aḥmad therefore cited evidence to prove that Allah’s knowledge is found in the Qur’an, namely his own statement:

“Indeed, the Qur’an is part of Allah’s knowledge, for Allah Himself has declared it so.”

Aḥmad thus employed the wording of the Qur’an that pinpoints the crux of the debate, for his words—

“The Qur’an is part of Allah’s knowledge”

—correspond to Allah, the Exalted, saying:

“And if you follow their desires after the knowledge that has come to you, you will have no protector nor helper from Allah” (1),

and His saying:

“And if you follow their desires after the knowledge that has come to you, then you would surely be among the wrongdoers” (2),

and His saying:

“So if anyone disputes with you concerning him after the knowledge that has come to you, then say, ‘Come, let us call our sons and your sons, our women and your women, ourselves and yourselves…’” (3),

and His saying:

“Thus We have sent it down as an Arabic ruling; and if you were to follow their desires after the knowledge that has come to you, you would have neither ally nor protector against Allah” (4).

It is plain that what is meant in these verses by “the knowledge that has come to you” is nothing other than what came to him in the form of the Qur’an, as the context makes clear. Hence the coming of the Qur’an to him is the coming of Allah’s knowledge to him, and this proves that part of Allah’s knowledge is contained in the Qur’an.

One may further say, “This discourse (5) contains tremendous knowledge,” or, “This discourse (6) is tremendous knowledge.” For that reason Aḥmad described the Qur’an as being from Allah’s knowledge: speech that contains knowledge is itself called knowledge, and thus it is from the knowledge of Allah, just as—