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Speech: An established attribute of Allaah The Almighty
Fatwa No: 35232

Question

We hear Imaams saying: “Allaah the Almighty Said and He is still Saying”, (meaning that His speech is an eternal attribute), then reciting a verse from the Quran. What does this sentence mean?

Answer

All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammad, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, is His slave and Messenger.

 

Ahlus-Sunnah wal-Jamaa‘ah believe that Allaah The Almighty has always had and will forever have the attribute of speech. He speaks whenever He wills and His speech consists of letters and sounds. The Speech of Allaah is an actual attribute that pertains to His Self. It concerns His Self that Allaah The Almighty speaks and continues to speak. As for single parts of Speech, they pertain to the Actions of Allaah The Almighty because He speaks when and how He wills.

Ibn Taymiyyah mentioned that Ahlus-Sunnah Wal-Jamaa‘ah, Imaams of the Sunnah, many followers of scholastic theology, including the Haashimiyyah and Al-Karraamiyyah, hold that the speech of Allaah The Almighty is an attribute that pertains to His Self and His Actions, so that He speaks according to His will through His Own speech. The followers of Abu Mu‘aath At-Tawmani and Zuhayr Al-Yaami and other sects also hold this view. This meaning carries a normal understanding with respect to the attribute of speech for anyone. Any speech that is attributed to angels, humans, Jinn and others should be independent, and they speak with their own free will, and the Speech of Allaah The Almighty is an attribute of perfection, not imperfection. The person who speaks according to his will is more perfect than the one who does not speak according to this. Thus, how can a slave be described with an attribute of perfection without describing the Creator as such?

Accordingly, the meaning of the sentence of the Imaams: “and He still Speaks” is clear. This sentence affirms the continuity of the Speech of Allaah The Almighty and does not negate His Speech, which is dependent on His will.

Allaah Knows best.

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