The scholars of hadith had become divided over this matter. One group began saying, “Our utterance of the Quran is uncreated.” They meant that the Quran as heard is uncreated, not the servant’s voice. This position is reported from Abū Hātim al-Rāzī, Muhammad ibn Dāwūd al-Missīsī, and various others.

Among their followers, however, some might include the servant’s voice or action within the scope of that statement, or withhold judgment concerning it. Some leading scholars recognized this and responded by saying, “People’s actions and voices are created,” refuting those followers. This was the approach taken by al-Bukhārī, Muhammad ibn Nasr al-Marwazī, and other scholars of knowledge and the Sunnah.

The extensive debate over this matter gave rise to ambiguous expressions and personal passions, resulting in a measure of division and discord. The well-known dispute between al-Bukhārī and Muhammad ibn Yahyā al-Dhuhlī arose over this issue. Some sided with al-Bukhārī, such as Muslim ibn al-Hajjāj and others like him, while others opposed him, such as Abū Zur‘ah al-Rāzī, Abū Hātim al-Rāzī, and others.