He—may Allah have mercy on him—went on to describe it as a momentous question, saying:

“Many of the books written on the fundamentals of the religious sciences and other fields show that when an author tackles this great issue—such as the issue of the Qur’an….”⦗1⦘

He likewise made clear that it contains thorny sub-questions that are hard to grasp for anyone who has deviated from the path of the predecessors. After identifying the reason why later scholars disagreed about the letters that constitute speech, he said:

“…Whoever understands the words of the predecessors and distinguishes between these views will see the doubts surrounding this intricate matter—which has unsettled the people of the earth—vanish.”⦗2⦘

Given the gravity of this subject and the difficulty of comprehending it—so much so that it has perplexed the intellects—I ask the reader to pardon whatever shortcomings may appear in my exposition and clarification. This is not meant as a plea for self-exoneration; Allah alone knows the effort and time I have spent gathering the scattered strands of this delicate question. Nor should anyone think that I will add anything new to what the Shaykh—may Allah have mercy on him—has already presented. He has treated the matter fully, discussing it from every angle and refuting opponents with rational and textual proofs that support the view of the predecessors—may Allah Almighty have mercy on them.