The Quran as the Speech of Allah (Uncreated)

One of the most consequential theological disputes in Islamic history concerned the nature of the Quran: is it the eternal, uncreated speech of Allah, or is it a created entity? The answer given by the Salaf, confirmed by Imam at-Tahawi, and elaborated by Ibn Abi al-Izz is unequivocal — the Quran is the Speech of Allah (kalam Allah), and it is not created.

Imam at-Tahawi states: 'The Quran is the Speech of Allah. It emerged from Him as speech without one being able to say how. He sent it down upon His Messenger as revelation. The believers affirm this as a truth, and they are certain that it is, in reality, the Speech of Allah.' This statement reflects the consensus of the mainstream Sunni community and stands as the position for which Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal endured years of persecution under the Mu'tazilite-influenced Abbasid caliphs during the Mihna (the Inquisition of 218–234 AH).

The Mu'tazilah argued that since the Quran is composed of letters and sounds — things that exist in time — it must be created. They held that affirming the Quran as uncreated would introduce an eternal being alongside Allah, compromising divine uniqueness. Imam Ahmad and the scholars of the Sunnah rejected this reasoning firmly. They argued that the Speech of Allah is one of His real attributes, and His attributes are not separate from Him — therefore to say the Quran is created is to deny an attribute of Allah Himself.

Ibn Abi al-Izz draws an important distinction in his commentary between what later scholars came to call the 'nafsiyyah' (self-subsistent) aspect of Allah's speech and its 'lafziyyah' (expressed) manifestation. The meaning and content of the Quran — which subsists in Allah's essence — is uncreated and eternal. The physical ink on pages, the sounds produced by human voices when reciting, and the letters as inscribed in the mushaf are created in the sense that they are means of conveyance. This nuance was developed by later scholars to address various objections, but the core principle remains: the Quran as the actual speech and word of Allah is not created.

Allah says in the Quran: 'And if any of the polytheists seeks your protection, then grant him protection so that he may hear the words of Allah' (al-Tawbah: 6). And He says: 'When He decrees a matter, He only says to it: Be, and it is' (al-Baqarah: 117). These verses establish that Allah's word is real, effective, and belongs to His essence — not something brought into being from outside.

The practical significance of this doctrine extends beyond theological debate. Affirming the Quran as the uncreated speech of Allah grounds the Muslim's relationship to revelation in a profound reverence. If the Quran were merely created, it would be at the same ontological level as any other human text, subject to the same limitations. But because it is the actual speech of the Living, the Eternal, it carries an absolute authority that no created thing could possess.

Imam at-Tahawi's statement on this issue stands as a clear marker distinguishing Ahl al-Sunnah from the Mu'tazilah. The scholars of the Sunnah across all four legal schools affirmed the Quran's uncreated nature, and this remains the creed of the Muslim mainstream to this day.