The early generations understood the true nature of these people’s doctrine and that it nullifies the prophetic mission, for the messengers were sent only to convey Allah’s speech. Indeed, it nullifies monotheism itself, for one who neither speaks nor possesses knowledge or life is like lifeless matter. Rather, one who possesses no attributes is sheer nonexistence, since an essence without attributes can only be conceived in the mind, not exist in external reality—just like conceiving an absolute existence that is neither individuated nor specified. Their position thus resembled that of the “eternalist philosophers,” who regard the Lord’s existence as an absolute existence, stipulated to be absolute, without any attributes. Yet it is known that what is absolute on condition of remaining absolute exists only in the mind.

These eternalists also deny that He truly spoke to Moses. They say that it was merely an emanation flowing upon him from the active intellect, and they say the same about revelation to all the prophets. Their position amounts to saying that the Quran is human speech, though it proceeded from a pure and noble soul.

If the Muʿtazilah are better than these people, yet the early generations declared those who held their views to be disbelievers, what, then, of these people? The statements of the early generations and the imams concerning such people are too numerous to count. Harb ibn Ismāʿīl al-Kirmānī said:

“I heard Ishāq ibn Rāhawayh say: ‘There is no disagreement among the scholars that the Quran is Allah’s speech and is not created. How could anything of the Lord—exalted be His remembrance—be created? If matters were as they claim, they would have to say that Allah’s knowledge, power, and will are created. If they said that, they would have to say that Allah was