“Clarification of the Jahmiyyah’s denial that Allah spoke to Moses. We asked them, ‘Why do you deny this?’

They replied, ‘Allah has not spoken and does not speak. He merely brought something into being that spoke on Allah’s behalf, and created a sound and caused it to be heard.’ They claimed that speech can only issue from a hollow interior, a tongue, and two lips.

We said, ‘Can something brought into being, other than Allah, rightfully say, “O Moses, I am your Lord,” or say:

“Indeed, I am Allah. There is no deity except Me, so worship Me and establish prayer for My remembrance”?

Whoever claims that this was other than Allah has ascribed lordship to it. If, as the Jahmī claims, Allah had brought something into being, that thing would have said, “O Moses, Allah is the Lord of all worlds.” It could not rightfully say, “Indeed, I am Allah, the Lord of all worlds.” Allah Most High has said:

“And Allah spoke to Moses directly.”

He also said:

“When Moses came to Our appointed meeting and his Lord spoke to him.”

And He said:

“I have chosen you over the people through My messages and My speaking to you.”

This is the explicit wording of the Quran.’

As for their assertion that Allah does not speak or address anyone, how do they account for the hadith narrated by al-Aʿmash, from Khaythamah, from ʿAdī ibn Hātim al-Tāʾī, who said that the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said:

‘There is not one of you who will not speak to his Lord, with no interpreter between them.’”

He continued his argument against them at length, until he said:

“You have fabricated a monstrous lie against Allah by claiming that He does not speak. You have likened Him to the idols worshipped besides Allah, for idols neither speak nor move nor pass from one place to another. When the proof became clear against him, he said, ‘Allah may speak, but His speech is created.’ We said, ‘The speech of human beings is also created. You have thus likened Allah to His creation when