and “Indeed, We are with you, listening” is that what is heard and seen is not hidden from My eye or My hearing: I perceive it through hearing and sight, not through newly occurring events within Allah.’”

Abū ‘Abd Allāh said:

“Whoever holds that a new act of listening arises in Allah when something audible comes into existence, and a new act of seeing when something visible comes into existence, has attributed to Allah something He has not said. His servants must simply accept what Allah has said: that He is All-Hearing, All-Seeing. We do not add anything He has not said. Its meaning is like His words, ‘Until We know’: until what is known comes into existence. Likewise, it means until what is seen and heard comes into existence. It is not hidden from Him: He knows it and hears it when it exists, just as He knew it before, without any new knowledge, sight, or hearing arising in Allah, nor anything arising within Allah’s essence. Exalted is He above newly occurring events within Himself.”

In his book Jumal al-Kalām fī Usūl al-Dīn (A Summary of Theological Discourse on the Foundations of Religion), Muhammad ibn al-Haysam al-Karrāmī set out the main points of the discussion concerning the Quran, explaining that they rest on five sections:

(First: The Quran is Allah’s speech. He reported that Jahm held that the Quran is not truly Allah’s speech, but rather speech Allah created, which is therefore attributed to Him, just as one says “Allah’s heaven and earth,” “Allah’s House,” and “Allah’s month.” As for the Mu‘tazilah, they stated without qualification that it is truly Allah’s speech, but then agreed with Jahm in substance by saying that it is speech He created separately from Himself.

He said:

“The Muslims generally hold that the Quran is truly Allah’s speech and that He spoke it.”