of the divine nature; rather, it is created.
Then they assert: the eternal meaning is what was sent down (1) in these created letters. Among them are those who call the letters themselves Allah’s speech in the real sense, just as they call the meaning Allah’s speech in the real sense. Others say that the letters are Allah’s speech only figuratively—just as some Christians declare the humanity (2) to be true divinity on account of its union and intermingling with the divine nature. Still others claim that it is merely the locus and vehicle of the divinity.

The Christians further say: “This body is worshipped solely because it is the manifestation of the divinity, even though it is not identical with it; yet it became identical with it through union, and serves as its abode through indwelling, and for that reason it has been so highly exalted” (3).

In parallel, these people say: “These letters are not part of Allah’s speech, and it is not permissible for Allah to utter them or to address anyone with them; indeed, it lies outside His power to articulate them. Rather, He created them, displayed through them the eternal meaning, and pointed to that meaning by means of them. For this reason they merit honor and sacred restriction, for they fall under His ruling such that no separation is made between the two—unless one distinguishes by saying: this is the manifestation of that and (4) its proof.”

Thus they have taken something that is in no way Allah’s speech, something that Allah has never spoken, and proclaimed it to be Allah’s speech, venerating it with the same reverence due to Allah’s own speech—just as the Christians declared the humanity, which is certainly neither God nor the Word, to be both God and the Word, and venerated it with the reverence due to the deity who, in their view, is the Word of God (5).

Another parallel is that the Christians, as the theologians—such as Ibn al-Bāqillānī (6) and others (7)—have reported, deny the attributes, claiming that the hypostases, namely existence, life, and knowledge, are nothing but specific inherent qualities of the Essence.