the Muslims. Rather, the four imams and the majority of their followers are free of that view. Whoever says that a particular letter or word is itself eternal has introduced an innovated position that is false according to both revelation and reason.
Whoever says that the letters with which Allah spoke the Quran and other speech, considered as a kind, are uncreated; that the Arabic speech He uttered is uncreated; and that the letters composing it are part of it and inseparable from it, and, since Allah spoke them, cannot be created—has spoken correctly.
Likewise, if he says that Allah guided His servants and taught them to express themselves, enabling them to utter these letters in different languages, and bestowed His favour upon them by enabling them to pronounce the letters that form His Books, His speech, and His names, then he has spoken correctly.
A human being, along with all the sounds, movements, and other things that subsist in him, is created, having come into existence after not existing. The Lord Most High, with His attributes, words, and actions that subsist in Him, is uncreated.
When His servants recite His speech, the speech they recite is His speech, not anyone else’s. His speech, which He uttered, cannot be created, whereas the movements and voices by which they recite His speech are created. Likewise, whatever of His speech is written in copies of the Quran is His speech, written in those copies, and His speech is uncreated. The ink used to write His speech or anything else is created.