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the view held by this Imāmī and others like him among the later Rāfidis, Zaydis, Mutazilites, and Jahmites.
The third is:
The view of those who say *) (1): It (2) is a single eternal meaning subsisting in Allah’s essence, at once command, prohibition, statement, and inquiry. If expressed in Arabic, it is Quran; and if expressed in Hebrew (3), it is Torah (4). This is the view of Ibn Kullāb and those who agreed with him, such as al-Asharī and others (5).
The fourth is:
The view of those who say that it consists of eternal letters and sounds, all existing together from eternity. This is the view of a group among the speculative theologians and the adherents of hadith. Al-Asharī mentioned it in al-Maqālāt as the view of one group (6). It is also the view ascribed to the Sālimiyya and others like them.
Among these, one group maintained that those eternal sounds are the sound
(1) The text between the asterisks is omitted from (B) and (A).
(2) (B) reads: *bi-annahu* (“that it is”).
(3) (B), (A), and (M) read: *bi-l-ibrāniyya* (“in the Hebraic language”).
(4) (ʿA) reads: “If it is expressed in Hebrew, it is Torah; and if it is expressed in Arabic, it is Quran.”
(5) Al-Asharī states in *al-Maqālāt*, 2/233: “Abd Allāh ibn Kullāb said … that it—the Quran—is a single meaning subsisting in Allah, Mighty and Majestic; that the *rasm* (formal representation) consists of the distinct letters and is the recitation of the Quran; and that it is wrong to say that Allah’s speech is identical with it, part of it, or other than it. The expressions of Allah’s speech, Glorified is He, differ and vary, whereas Allah’s speech itself neither differs nor varies. Similarly, the ways in which we mention Allah, Mighty and Majestic, differ and vary, whereas the One mentioned neither differs nor varies. Allah’s speech, Glorified is He, is called Arabic only because the *rasm* that expresses it—namely, its recitation—is Arabic; it is therefore called Arabic for this reason. Likewise, it is called Hebrew because the *rasm* that expresses it is Hebrew. Similarly, it is called a command for a reason, a prohibition for a reason, and a report for a reason. Allah has always been speaking, even before He called His speech a command and before the reason for its being called a command came into existence. The same applies to calling His speech a prohibition or a report.…”
(6) See *al-Maqālāt*, 2/234.
قَوْلُ هَذَا الْإِمَامِيِّ وَأَمْثَالِهِ مِنَ الرَّافِضَةِ الْمُتَأَخِّرِينَ وَالزَّيْدِيَّةِ وَالْمُعْتَزِلَةِ وَالْجَهْمِيَّةِ.
وَثَالِثُهَا:
قَوْلُ مَنْ يَقُولُ *)
(١)
: إِنَّهُ
(٢)
مَعْنًى وَاحِدٌ قَدِيمٌ قَائِمٌ بِذَاتِ اللَّهِ هُوَ الْأَمْرُ وَالنَّهْيُ وَالْخَبَرُ وَالِاسْتِخْبَارُ، إِنْ عَبَّرَ عَنْهُ بِالْعَرَبِيَّةِ كَانَ قُرْآنًا وَإِنْ عَبَّرَ عَنْهُ بِالْعِبْرِيَّةِ
(٣)
كَانَ تَوْرَاةً
(٤)
، وَهَذَا قَوْلُ ابْنِ كُلَّابٍ وَمَنْ وَافَقَهُ كَالْأَشْعَرِيِّ وَغَيْرِهِ
(٥)
.
وَرَابِعُهَا:
قَوْلُ مَنْ يَقُولُ: إِنَّهُ حُرُوفٌ وَأَصْوَاتٌ أَزَلِيَّةٌ مُجْتَمِعَةٌ فِي الْأَزَلِ، وَهَذَا قَوْلُ طَائِفَةٍ مِنْ أَهْلِ الْكَلَامِ وَأَهْلِ الْحَدِيثِ. ذَكَرَهُ الْأَشْعَرِيُّ فِي
" الْمَقَالَاتِ "
عَنْ طَائِفَةٍ
(٦)
. وَهُوَ الَّذِي يُذْكَرُ عَنِ السَّالِمِيَّةِ وَنَحْوِهِمْ.
وَهَؤُلَاءِ قَالَ طَائِفَةٌ مِنْهُمْ:
إِنَّ تِلْكَ الْأَصْوَاتَ الْقَدِيمَةَ هِيَ الصَّوْتُ
(١) مَا بَيْنَ النَّجْمَتَيْنِ سَاقِطٌ مِنْ (ب) ، (أ) .
(٢) ب: بِأَنَّهُ.
(٣) ب، أ، م: بِالْعِبْرَانِيَّةِ.
(٤) ع: إِنْ عَبَّرَ عَنْهُ بِالْعِبْرِيَّةِ كَانَ تَوْرَاةً وَإِنَّ عَبَّرَ عَنْهُ بِالْعَرَبِيَّةِ كَانَ قُرْآنًا.
(٥) يَقُولُ الْأَشْعَرِيُّ فِي الْمَقَالَاتِ ٢/٢٣٣: " قَالَ عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ كُلَّابٍ. . وَإِنَّهُ (الْقُرْآنَ) مَعْنًى وَاحِدٌ بِاللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ، وَإِنَّ الرَّسْمَ هُوَ الْحُرُوفُ الْمُتَغَايِرَةُ، وَهُوَ قِرَاءَةُ الْقُرْآنِ، وَإِنَّهُ خَطَأٌ أَنْ يُقَالَ: كَلَامُ اللَّهِ هُوَ هُوَ أَوْ بَعْضُهُ أَوْ غَيْرُهُ، وَإِنَّ الْعِبَارَاتِ عَنْ كَلَامِ اللَّهِ سُبْحَانَهُ تَخْتَلِفُ وَتَتَغَايَرُ، وَكَلَامُ اللَّهِ سُبْحَانَهُ لَيْسَ بِمُخْتَلِفٍ وَلَا مُتَغَايِرٍ، كَمَا أَنَّ ذِكْرَنَا لِلَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ يَخْتَلِفُ وَيَتَغَايَرُ وَالْمَذْكُورُ لَا يَخْتَلِفُ وَلَا يَتَغَايَرُ، وَإِنَّمَا سُمِّيَ كَلَامُ اللَّهِ سُبْحَانَهُ عَرَبِيًّا لِأَنَّ الرَّسْمَ الَّذِي هُوَ الْعِبَارَةُ عَنْهُ وَهُوَ قِرَاءَتُهُ عَرَبِيٌّ فَسُمِّيَ عَرَبِيًّا لِعِلَّةٍ، وَكَذَلِكَ سُمِّيَ عِبْرَانِيًّا لِعِلَّةٍ، وَهُوَ أَنَّ الرَّسْمَ الَّذِي هُوَ عِبَارَةٌ عَنْهُ عِبْرَانِيٌّ، وَكَذَلِكَ سُمِّيَ أَمْرًا لِعِلَّةٍ، وَسُمِّيَ نَهْيًا لِعِلَّةٍ، وَخَبَرًا لِعِلَّةٍ، وَلَمْ يَزَلِ اللَّهُ مُتَكَلِّمًا قَبْلَ أَنْ يُسَمِّيَ كَلَامَهُ أَمْرًا، وَقَبْلَ وُجُودِ الْعِلَّةِ الَّتِي لَهَا سُمِّيَ كَلَامُهُ أَمْرًا، وَكَذَلِكَ الْقَوْلُ فِي تَسْمِيَةِ كَلَامِهِ نَهْيًا وَخَبَرًا. . ".
(٦) انْظُرْ " الْمَقَالَاتِ " ٢/٢٣٤.