a beginning and an end; that it is a miracle granted to the Messenger—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—attesting to his truthfulness; and that the Ash‘ariyyah distinguish between wording and meaning, affirming a meaning signified by the wording.”—

Then he said:

“The early generations and the Hanbalīs said: It has been established by consensus that what lies between the two covers is Allah’s speech, and that what we recite, write, and hear is Allah’s very speech. Those words and letters must therefore themselves be Allah’s speech. Since it has been established by consensus that this speech is uncreated, those words must be beginningless and uncreated.

“Initially, there were two positions: one affirmed eternity, and the other origination in time. Both positions concerned solely the written words and the verses recited aloud. Now, however, a third position has appeared: that the letters and words originated in time, while the speech and command signified by the expressions are eternal. This is an alien intrusion, contrary to both positions.

“Thus, the early generations affirmed eternity and beginninglessness for these