you claimed that His speech is created. According to your doctrine, there was a time when He did not speak, until He created speech. You have thus combined disbelief with likening Allah to His creation. Exalted is Allah above such a description! Rather, we say: Allah has always spoken whenever He wills. We do not say that He existed without speaking until He created speech.’”

He then cited the remainder of his statement. He thus made clear that human speech is created: Allah created it. This is even more forceful than his explicit affirmation that people’s actions are created, although he explicitly affirmed both.

He also said:

“If you wish to know that the Jahmī lies about Allah when he claims that He is everywhere and is not in one place to the exclusion of another, say: ‘Did Allah not exist when nothing else existed?’ He will say, ‘Yes.’ Then ask him, ‘When He created His creation, did He create it within Himself or outside Himself?’ He must then adopt one of three positions.

“First, if he claims that Allah created creation within Himself, he commits disbelief by claiming that jinn, human beings, and devils are within Him.

“If he says, ‘He created them outside Himself and then entered into them,’ this too is disbelief, since he claims that He entered a desolate, filthy, foul place.

“If he says, ‘He created them outside Himself and did not then enter into them,’ he has abandoned his position entirely. This is the position of Ahl al-Sunnah.”

Ahmad thus made clear that human speech is created, and explicitly stated in several places that people’s actions are created. His explicit statement concerning their speech is more forceful, since the specious arguments concerning it are more apparent.

Thus, whoever says that