The Ninth Fundamental Principle (1)
Concerning the Exalted One’s being a Speaker
It comprises four sections:
Section One
Identifying the precise point of contention
All Muslims concur that Allah, exalted is He, speaks. The Muʿtazila, however, contend that His being a speaker simply means that He creates these letters and sounds within a body, whereas we maintain (2) that the Speech of Allah is a real attribute distinct (3) from these (4) letters and sounds, and that (5) His very Essence, exalted be He, is described by that attribute (6).
Know (7) that, on close examination, there is in fact no dispute between us and them [about His being a speaker in the sense* they have mentioned, for the disagreement between us (8) and them] (9) concerns either the meaning* (10) or the wording (11).
If the dispute is over the meaning, it may pertain either to whether it is possible or to whether it actually occurs. A disagreement over its possibility (12) is impossible, for we are all agreed
(1) In the margin of manuscript S: “kalam al-Fakhr al-Rāzī fī Nihāyat al-‘Uqul” (“the words of al-Fakhr al-Rāzī in Nihāyat al-‘Uqul”).
(2) In Nihāyat al-‘Uqul: “wa-ammā nāḥnu fa-nuz‘imu” (“as for us, we assert”).
(3) In the original text: “mutaghāyirah” (“different”). The reading attested in S, T, and Nihāyat al-‘Uqul renders the passage coherent.
(4) In all copies: “li-hādhā” (“for this”). The correct reading is the one actually attested.
(5) In Nihāyat al-‘Uqul: “wa-lakin” (“but”).
(6) In Nihāyat al-‘Uqul: “al-ṣifāt” (“the attributes”).
(7) In Nihāyat al-‘Uqul: “i‘lam” (“know”).
(8) In Nihāyat al-‘Uqul: “alladhī baynanā” (“the one among us”).
(9) The text between quotation marks is an addition in T and Nihāyat al-‘Uqul. In manuscript S it reads “fī kun(h)ihi mutakalliman bi-l-ma‘nā” (“in His being a speaker in meaning”), the rest having been omitted.
(10) The text between the asterisks is omitted in S; in Nihāyat al-‘Uqul it appears as “immā an yaq‘a fī al-ma‘nā” (“either it pertains to meaning”).
(11) In Nihāyat al-‘Uqul: “aw fī al-lafẓ” (“or in the wording”).
(12) In manuscript S: “al-ḥaqq” (“the truth”).