false than the preceding view, for it is necessarily known that the sounds produced by human beings come into existence.

A “fifth group” said: “Rather, Allah speaks by His will and power, uttering the Quran in Arabic and other speech. However, it was not possible for Him to speak by His will in pre-eternity, because events without a beginning are impossible.” Like those others, they held that the Lord was unable in pre-eternity to speak by His will or to act. They then held that action and speech became possible and within His power without anything new occurring to bring about that ability and possibility—just as those others maintained concerning the effects of His acts that exist separately from Him.

As for the early generations, they maintained that Allah has always spoken whenever He wills; that speech is an attribute of perfection; and that one who speaks is more perfect than one who does not, just as one who knows and has power is more perfect than one who neither knows nor has power. One who speaks by his will and power is more perfect than one whose speech is inseparable from his essence, yet over which he has no power and in which he exercises no will. Perfection lies only in attributes subsisting in the one described by them, not in things separate from him. Someone can be described as speaking, knowing and possessing power only through speech, knowledge and power that subsist in him.

That being so, one who has always possessed the attributes of perfection is more perfect than one who acquired them after not possessing them—even if their coming into existence were possible. How much more so, then, if that is impossible? Thus it is clear that the Lord has always possessed, and will always possess, the attributes of perfection and the qualities of majesty. Among the greatest of these is speech. He has therefore always spoken whenever He wills and will always do so. He speaks in Arabic whenever He wills, as He spoke the Quran