the Quran and all the other attributes cannot be said without qualification to be Him, nor can they be said to be other than Him. Likewise, they cannot be said without qualification to belong to “what is besides Him,” nor to fall outside it. With a contextual indication, however, they may sometimes be included in one category and sometimes in the other.

Since some people might understand the Quran to be included in “what is besides Him,” some of the early Muslims said:

“Everything besides Him is created, except the Quran, for it is Allah’s speech, uncreated. From Him it originated, and to Him it returns.”

Those who did not understand speech to be included in the expression “besides Him” had no need for this exception. Rather, they said:

“Allah is the Creator, and everything besides Him is created. The Quran is Allah’s speech, uncreated.”

They did not say, “except the Quran.” That is, the Quran is His speech; His speech, His action, His work, and everything else that subsists in His essence are not created. Only that which is separate from Him is created. Hence the early Muslims and the leading scholars, such as Ahmad and others, said:

“The Quran is Allah’s speech; it is not separate from Him.”

They also said:

“Allah’s speech is from Allah.”

Ahmad ibn Hanbal said to a man who questioned him, “Are you not created?”

He replied, “Yes.”

Ahmad said, “And is your speech not from you?”

He replied, “Yes.”

Ahmad said, “Allah is not created, and His speech is from Him.”

What he meant was that, if a created being’s speech is an attribute