The Eternal Speech according to Sunni Islam, the Mu’tazilah, & the Wahhabi Sect

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ 

Sunnis Islam believes that the Qur’an is the Eternal Speech of Allah (s.w.t.).  This Speech is an Eternal Attribute of Allah (s.w.t.), and is Uncreated.  The Speech is not mere letters or sounds, and is not something sequential or divisible into parts, just as Allah’s (s.w.t.) Attribute of Will is not divisible.  The muswhaf of the Qur’an, which is letters and words, expresses some of what is Allah’s (s.w.t.) Attribute of Speech, as translated into this material realm. 

The Mu’tazilah say that Allah’s (s.w.t.) Speech is letters and sounds that He Brought into existence, not in Himself, because it is impossible that something should come into existence in Him.  They also claim that speech can only be sounds and letters.  For this reason, they say that Allah (s.w.t.) does not have an Eternal Speech, and that the Qur’an is Created. 

The Hashawiyyah, like the Wahhabis, say that Allah’s (s.w.t.) Speech is letters and sounds that He Brought into existence in Himself.  They disagree with the Mu’tazilah only on where it emerged, not on the claim that it was brought into existence. 

Sunni Islam believes that the Qur’an is Allah’s (s.w.t.) Eternal Attribute of Speech that is not letters, sounds or words, because what is not created cannot consist of parts or be composed in any sense.  However, it is also used to refer to the words that express some of what Allah’s (s.w.t.) attribute of Speech refers to.  For example, when it is said, “Please get me the Qur’an on the bookshelf.” 

The Mu’tazilah say that the Qur’an is the Arabic expression that is printed in books. 

The Wahhabis say that the Qur’an is the Arabic expression that is printed in books and was brought into existence in Allah (s.w.t.) Himself. 

Sunni Islam believes the Speech is an Eternal Attribute of Allah (s.w.t.) that is not brought into existence.  It is not letters and sounds, but an Eternal Attribute by which Allah (s.w.t.) Informs, Commands, and Forbids. 

The Mu’tazilah say that Speech is not an Eternal Attribute of Allah (s.w.t.), because Speech cannot be other than letters and sounds.

The Wahhabis say that Speech is an Eternal Attribute of Allah (s.w.t.), in that it is a series of statements without a beginning brought into existence bit by bit. 

Sunni Islam believes letters and sounds cannot be eternal, whether a single one of them, or a series of them. 

The Mu’tazilah say letters and sounds cannot be eternal, whether a single one of them, or a series of them. 

Wahhabis say letters and sounds can be in an eternal series of continuous speech.  The Wahhabis believe Allah’s (s.w.t.) Speech is a speech of letters and sounds that is brought into existence, bit by bit without a beginning.  This is identical to their saying about the world being eternal.  The only difference between what they call created and uncreated speech, is the claimed place of its emergence into existence.