Ahmad explained to the questioner that speech comes from the speaker and subsists in him. Speech cannot be detached from the speaker or fail to subsist in him, as is evident from the fact that your speech, O created being, comes from you, not from anyone else. Since you are created, your speech must also be created. Since Allah Most High is uncreated, whatever comes from Him and subsists in Him cannot be created.

His purpose was to refute the Jahmiyya, who claim that Allah’s speech neither comes from Allah nor is connected to Him. He thus explained that this conception of speech does not convey what it means for a speaker to speak, nor does it reflect the reality of speaking. Nor is it what the messengers and believers mean when they report that Allah spoke and speaks, uttered the Quran, called out, spoke privately, and summoned, and other such things that His messengers have reported about Him and that believers in Him from every nation have agreed upon.

Hence Allah Most High says:

“But the word from Me has come into effect.”

And He says:

“The revelation of the Book is from Allah, the Almighty, the All-Wise.”

And Allah Most High says:

“Indeed, you receive the Quran from One who is All-Wise, All-Knowing.”

And Allah Most High says:

“Alif Lām Rā. A Book whose verses have been perfected, then set out in detail, from One who is All-Wise, All-Aware.”

The Quran is not a self-subsisting entity such that one could say that this is like His statement:

“And He has subjected to you whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth—all from Him.”

Rather, it is an attribute, like knowledge, power, mercy, anger, will, seeing, hearing, and the like. Such an attribute can subsist only in that which possesses it. Every quality that has a name