so his efforts were directed toward refuting their doctrines, rather than those who affirmed Allah’s attributes. At that time and place, no one was advocating excessive affirmation, whereas advocates of excessive negation had emerged. Refutation is undertaken as the need arises. When al-Bukhārī was tried by the “affirmationist Lafziyya,” his denunciation of them became evident, as seen in the chapter headings near the end of his Sahīh and in The Creation of Actions. Yet he denounced as a liar anyone, from any region, who reported that he had said, “My utterance of the Quran is created.” I believe he swore an oath to that effect, and he was truthful and righteous.

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Ahmad explicitly addressed this very “question” on several occasions. Abū al-Qāsim al-Lālakā’ī related in Foundations of the Sunnah:

Al-Hasan ibn ʿUthmān informed us, saying: ʿAmr ibn Jaʿfar narrated to us, saying: Ahmad ibn al-Hasan al-Tirmidhī narrated to us, saying:

I said to Ahmad ibn Hanbal, “People have become embroiled in controversy over the Quran. What should I say?”

He said, “Are you not created?”

I said, “Yes.”

He said, “Then your speech is from you and is created?”

I said, “Yes.”

He said, “Is the Quran not part of Allah’s speech?”

I said, “Yes.”

He said, “And Allah’s speech is from Allah?”

I said, “Yes.”

He said, “Could anything from Allah, then, be created?”