—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—when relating his saying,

“Actions are judged only by intentions,”

conveys it through his own movements and voice, although the Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—spoke it through his own movements and voice. The transmitter’s voice is not the voice of the Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—nor are his movements the Prophet’s movements. The speech belongs to Allah’s Messenger—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—not to the person conveying it from him.

If this is known and intelligible, how can it be inconceivable that, when a reciter recites:

“All praise is for Allah, Lord of all worlds,”
“the Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful,”
“Master of the Day of Judgment,”

these words should be called the Creator’s speech, even though the voice is the reciter’s? Whoever supposes that the voices heard from reciters are Allah’s voice is astray and fabricates falsehood, contradicting both clear reason and authentic transmitted evidence, and making a claim that none of the leading scholars of the Muslims has ever made.

Indeed, Imam Ahmad and others censured anyone who said, “My utterance of the Quran is uncreated,” and declared him an innovator, just as they declared anyone who said, “My utterance of the Quran is created,” a Jahmī. They said, “The Quran is Allah’s speech, uncreated, however it is conveyed.” What, then, of someone who says, “My utterance of it is eternal without beginning,” or, “My voice when uttering it is eternal without beginning”? His innovation and misguidance are even more evident. Whoever says that his utterance of the Quran, his voice, his action, or anything of that kind is uncreated is a misguided innovator.

Such people may appeal to His words,

“so that he may hear Allah’s speech,”

and say, “This is Allah’s speech, and Allah’s speech is uncreated; therefore, this is uncreated, and we do not hear