Some people argue whether the Qur’an is really the words of Allah (kalaam-Ullah) or if it is metaphoric. Ahl us-Sunnah wal Jama’ah (those who follow Muhammad (saw) and his companions) believe that the Qur’an is kalaam-Ullah (really his words), that are audible and can be recited. It is not like what the Ash’aris (those who interpret Allah’s names and attributes) believe, who say that the Qur’an is worded by Jibrael but the meaning is from Allah. The correct understanding is that the Qur’an is his own words, which is audible with tune and readable (as we can read the letters).
The only people who disagree with that is those who say that the Qur’an is the creation of Allah, not his attribute. The Qur’an contains letters and alphabets, and this is why the hadith in Sahih Bukhari speaks about the virtues of reciting Soorah Al-Baqarah.
The prophet (saw) said: “Whenever you read any letter (harf) of Al-Faatihah or the beginning of Al-Baqarah you get reward for it. ‘Alif Laam Meem’ is not one harf, rather Alif is one harf, Laam is one harf, and Meem is one harf.”
Allah’s voice and words are both audible and were heard by Jibrael, Aadam and Muhammad (saw).
Allah (swt) said to Musa: “…So listen to what I say to you. Verily! I am Allah! None has the right to be worshipped but I, so worship me and perform prayers for my remembrance.” (EMQ Soorah Taa-Ha, 20: 13-14)
Musa is Kaleem-Ullah (the one whom Allah speaks to) because he actually heard the words of Allah and he was not only inspired in his heart like other Prophets were. The fact that he heard Allah’s voice is proof that Allah’s words are audible with a tune that we can hear.
Furthermore, in the Arabic language, when we speak about Al-Nida (to call) we know that there is no nida, except with an audible tune. Al-Nida in the Arabic language is a call to people in a very sharp tune. We do not use the word nida for anything that has no tune whether real or metaphoric.
In Sahih Bukhari it is narrated that Allah (swt) spoke to Musa in a tune, and the reason we call him Kaleem-Ullah is because he heard Allah.
Allah (swt) also called (nida) Adam and Hawa, so he must have had a tune. And Allah (swt) said: “we called Ibrahim…” and in another ayah he said: “we called Musa from the mountain…” and in another ayah, he said: “we called Musa from the sacred mountain and ordered him to go to Phir’awn who became Taghi.”
Every Taghout is Taghi (the one who exceeds the limit), but not every Taghi is Taghout. Taghout is the one who goes beyond the limit and imposes on others to worship other than Allah and Taghout is also whatever is worshipped, obeyed or followed besides Allah.
Moreover Allah said that he will call the people on the Day of Judgement and ask, “Where are those who you took as partners beside Allah?”
In Sahih Bukhari, Kitaab ut-Tawheed, it is narrated: “Whenever Allah likes a servant, he calls Jibreel and says to him, ‘I love so and so, so love him.’”
In the same book it is narrated:“Allah’s kalaam is audible, and the proof for this is that he spoke but people tried to change his words.”
In Kitaab Al-Fath, Al-Haafiz quotes the narration regarding Allah and Adaam (as), and said that whether the speech is from Allah to Adam or vice versa, there was conversation between them.
"All the angels will flap their wings, subservient to his sayings, as if the voice of Allah is like the chain rub…the angels will ask each other ‘what is he saying?’ they will say, ‘Allah is the haq and he always speaks the haq.’” This hadith is an indication that the angels heard Allah but did not always understand him.
Another narration from Jaabir ibn Abdullah from Abdullah ibn Unais, who said:“I heard the Messenger of Allah (saw) saying: “On the Day of judgement, Allah will call the people with a tune and the people will hear him say ‘I am the supreme King (who will account everybody).’”
Sheikh ul-Islam, Ibn Taymiyyah said: “…nobody claimed that Allah did not speak with a tune except Ibn Kilaab and his followers.”
Abdullah ibn Ahmad ibn Hanbal said: “My father quoted Ibn Mas’ud saying: ‘Whenever Allah speaks, his voice will have a tune like the metal chain dragged over the marble’. Only the Jahamies deny it and my father said those Jahamies are kuffar. Whoever claims that Allah does not speak is a kafir. And my father also said: ‘we repeat the hadith as it is, and we repeat what the people said as we heard it.’ I then said to my father: ‘people say that Allah does not speak with tune’ he said: ‘oh my son, they are Jahamies zindeeq (heretics)…they always deceive the people…’” (Kitab ul Sunnah)
Imam Al-Khallal said: “I heard Imam Abdul Wahhab say: ‘whoever says that Allah speaks without tune is a Jahamie and an enemy of Allah…’”
Ibn Taymiyyah went further and made Takfeer (declared a person to be non-Muslim) on the one who denied the words of Allah i.e. claimed that the words of Allah are his creation. In his fatawa he quoted Imam Abu Mansoor Muhammad ibn Ahmed saying: “My Madhab, the Madhab of Shafi’ee, and the Fuqaha (Ahnaaf – those who follow Abu Hanifah) say that the kalaam of Allah is not created and whoever says it is created is kafir. The Qur’an was carried by Jibreel who heard it from Allah, the Prophet (saw) heard it from Jibreel, and the Sahabah heard it from Rasulullah, and that is what we recite today. It is memorised in our hearts and is audible with tune…”
Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal said: “Whoever says that the kalaam of Allah is creation, he is kafir and the curse of Allah is on him and all the people.”
However, is it Kufr Akbar (takes you outside the fold of Islam) or Kufr douna kufr (kufr but doesn’t take one outside the fold of Islam) to say the Qur’an is a creation? Imam Ahmad said it is kufr douna kufr. Ahl us-Sunnah make tawaqquf (have no opinion) on this issue.
The Ash’aris claim that it is Kalaam ul Allah nafsie i.e. it is what Allah wishes to say inspired in Jibreel, who makes the words and inspires Muhammad (saw) with it. This is completely rejected.
The ‘Ulamah made bara-a (disassociated themselves) from the Ash’aris. Imam Hasan in his book Al Fusul fil Usul mentioned the Imams – Imam Shafi’ee, Imam Maalik, Imam Thawri, Imam Ahmad, Imam U’ayna , Imam Uza’ee, Imam Laith, Imam Ishaaq, Imam Bukhaari, Abu Zara’a, Abu Hanifah,and quoted them all saying that they reject the Ash’aris and warned poeple to be careful of them and even not to be near them, until Imam Ash’ari left his opinions and changed his ‘Aqeedah. The Ash’aris in Usul are Muslim, but those who believe in Ashaa’ira Quburi are kafir as they are a kufr sect and we do not pray behind them; however we do not make individual Takfeer on them.
Imam Shafi’ee said: “Be aware that the entire Qur’an are the words of Allah, its letters and its meaning, nothing in the Qur’an is not his word…”
Show/Hide comments
Show/Hide comment form