Speech
Allah's speech is eternal — not sound, not letters
Core Claim
Allah's speech is eternal — not sound, not letters, not in any specific language — without beginning or end
Why It Matters
Correctly understanding Allah's speech protects from confusing the eternal attribute with the revealed expression — a historically critical issue
Lesson
Speech (al-Kalām) — Allah's speech is eternal — without beginning or end. It is not sound, not letters, not in any specific language (not Arabic, not any other). Letters are created. Allah's speech is free from any 'how' and from being bound by time.
Two senses of 'Allah's speech': 1. Allah's eternal speech: His attribute subsisting in His essence — not created. It is the eternal attribute that does not resemble the speech of creatures. 2. The revealed expression: The words and letters in the scriptures — created, indicating the eternal speech. The Quran we recite in Arabic letters indicates Allah's eternal speech, but the letters and sounds themselves are created.
Caution: We do not say absolutely 'the speech of Allah is created' without this distinction — because this misleadingly implies that Allah's eternal attribute is created.
Moses and the Speech: Allah said: 'And Allah spoke to Moses with [direct] speech' (an-Nisa 4:164). Allah lifted the conceptual veil for Moses, who heard Allah's eternal speech (which is not sound or anything we know), then the veil was restored. The same occurred for Muhammad (peace be upon him) during the Isra' and Mi'raj.
On 'And your Lord has come' (al-Fajr 89:22): The angels' coming is real (movement from place to place). Allah's 'coming' is a manifestation of His power, not movement.
Imam at-Tahawi said: 'Whoever describes Allah with a meaning from the meanings of humanity has disbelieved' — meaning whoever attributes to Allah the qualities of creation such as movement, relocation, and sound has disbelieved.
Key Points
- 1
Allah's speech is eternal — not sound, not letters, not any language
- 2
Two senses: the eternal speech (uncreated) and the revealed expression (created, pointing to the eternal)
- 3
We do not say absolutely 'Allah's speech is created' without the distinction
- 4
Whoever describes Allah with a human meaning has disbelieved — Imam at-Tahawi
Evidence
وَكَلَّمَ اللَّهُ مُوسَىٰ تَكْلِيمًا
And Allah spoke to Moses with [direct] speech.
Quran 4:164 (Surah an-Nisa)
وَجَاءَ رَبُّكَ وَالْمَلَكُ صَفًّا صَفًّا
And your Lord has come and the angels, rank upon rank.
Quran 89:22 (Surah al-Fajr)
“Whoever describes Allah with a meaning from the meanings of humanity has disbelieved.”
Imam at-Tahawi
Glossary
الكلام
al-Kalām
Allah's eternal attribute of speech — not sound or letters
المتشابه
al-Mutashābih
Allegorical verses — not taken at face value when applied to Allah
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