the noble Messenger; yet it is noble speech issuing from a pure soul. These are the Sabians, and the Jahmiyyah drew close to their position, saying:

“Allah has never spoken and does not speak, nor has speech ever subsisted in Him. His speech is only what He creates in the air or elsewhere.”

Some speculative theologians who affirm the divine attributes adopted part of this view, saying:

“Rather, half of it—its meaning—is Allah’s speech, while the other half—its letters—is not Allah’s speech but something He created.”

Those who affirm the divine attributes and hold that the Quran is uncreated have disagreed: should it be said that it is eternal, without beginning, and not subject to His will? Or should it be said that He speaks when He wills and remains silent when He wills? These are two well-known positions concerning this matter, as well as hearing, sight, and similar attributes. Al-Hārith al-Muhāsibī reported both positions from Ahl al-Sunnah, and Abū Bakr Abd al-Azīz reported both from Ahl al-Sunnah among the followers of Imam Ahmad and others.

Similar disagreement on questions of this kind exists among the scholars of hadith, the Sufis, and the various schools of jurists—the Mālikīs, Shāfiʿīs, Hanafīs, and Hanbalīs—and indeed among the schools of speculative theologians and philosophers. This is not the place to discuss that at length. This is the wording of the answer in the Egyptian fatwa.