He—may Allah have mercy on him—was also asked:

What do the eminent, discerning scholars—the imams of the religion, may Allah be pleased with them all—say about someone who says: “Speech is other than the speaker, and an utterance is other than the one who utters it; the Quran, what is recited, and the reciter each has its own meaning”? Give us a thorough explanation that both the discerning and the slow-witted can understand. May Allah reward you through His bounty.

He—may Allah be pleased with him—answered:

Praise be to Allah.

Whoever says that speech is other than the speaker, and an utterance is other than the one who utters it, meaning that it is separate and detached from him, is mistaken and astray. This is the position of those who say that the Quran is created. They claim that no attribute subsists in Allah—neither the Quran nor any other attribute. They mislead people by saying, “Knowledge is other than the knower, power is other than the one possessing power, and speech is other than the speaker.” Then they say, “Whatever is other than Allah is created.” This is deception on their part.

The word “other” can mean something that can exist separately from something else and be parted from it. In this sense, one may not say that Allah’s knowledge is other than Him, nor may one say that one