Hafs ibn ʿUmar narrated to us; Shuʿbah transmitted from Abū Isḥāq, from ʿAbd Allāh—may Allah be pleased with him—who said: “The Messenger of Allah ﷺ used to recite: fa-hal min muddakkir?”

Abdān narrated to us; my father informed me, from Shuʿbah with this same report.

Khālid ibn Yazīd narrated to us; Isrāʾīl transmitted from Abū Isḥāq with this same report.

Naṣr ibn ʿAlī narrated to us; Abū Aḥmad transmitted from Sufyān, from Abū Isḥāq with this same report.

Abū ʿAbd Allāh said:

Allah, the Exalted, says, “Convey what has been sent down to you from your Lord” (Q 5:67). Everything the Prophet conveyed is therefore part of what He commanded. For that reason He also says, “Establish the prayer” (Q 2:43). The prayer in its entirety is obedience to Allah, and the recitation of the Quran is one component of the prayer. Thus prayer is obedience to Allah, and the command to pray is itself Quran: it is written in the codices, preserved in hearts, and articulated on tongues. The acts of reciting, memorising, and writing are created, whereas what is recited, memorised, and written is not created.

As evidence for this, people write the word “Allah,” memorise it, and call upon Him. Their supplication, memorisation, and writing are human deeds and therefore created—there is no doubt about that—while the Creator is Allah in His attribute. One then asks: “Do you see the Quran in the manuscripts?” If he says, “Yes,” he is claiming that one of Allah’s attributes can be seen in this world, which contradicts His statement, “Vision cannot grasp Him in this world, while He grasps all vision” (Q 6:103). If he answers, “What is seen is only the written form of the Quran,” he has reverted to affirming createdness.

He is further asked, “Do the eyes perceive anything other than colour?” If he says, “No,” it is said to him, “Can colour exist except in a body?” If he then says, “Yes,” he has claimed that the Quran is a body that can be seen.