Prophet Rasûlullah (sall-Allâhu ta’âlâ ’alaihi wa sallam) said that îmân was to believe in six certain facts. He declared that “First of all, to believe in Allâhu ta’âlâ, second to believe in His angels.” And he went on to declare the rest of them:
The third of the six fundamentals of îmân is “to believe the Books revealed by Allâhu ta’âlâ.” He sent these Books to some prophets by making the angel read to them. To some He sent books inscribed on tablets, and to some others by making them hear without the angel. All these Books are the Word of Allâhu ta’âlâ (Kalâm-Allâh). They are eternal in the past and everlasting. They are not creatures. They are not words made up by angels, nor are they words of prophets. The Word of Allâhu ta’âlâ is unlike the language which we write, keep in mind and speak. It is not like being in writing, speech or mind. It does not have letters or sounds. Man cannot understand how Allâhu ta’âlâ and his Attributes are. But men can read that Word, keep it in mind and write it. It becomes hâdith, a creature, when it is with us. That is, the Word of Allâhu ta’âlâ has two aspects. When it is with human beings, it is hâdith and a creature. When it is thought as the Word of Allâhu ta’âlâ, it is eternal (qadîm).
All the Books sent down by Allâhu ta’âlâ are just and right. There is no lie or fault in them. Though He said He would punish and torture, it was said that it was possible (jâ’iz) that He would forgive; this depends on His Will or on conditions which man could not know, or it is meant that He will forgive the punishment which Muslims deserve. Since the words ‘punishment’ and ‘torture’ do not narrate an event, it will not be a lie if He forgives. Or, though it is not jâ’iz that He will not give the rewards which He has promised, it is jâ’iz that He will forgive the punishments. Reason, laws of human beings and âyats prove us right.
It is necessary to interpret âyats and hadîths in their literal meanings, unless there is a risk or an inconvenience. It is not permissible to give other meanings similar to their literal meanings.[2] The âyats called mutashâbihât have unintelligible, occult meanings. Only Allâhu ta’âlâ knows and very few distinguished superiors who have been granted al-’ilm al-ladunnî understand their meanings as far as they are allowed. No one else can understand them. For this reason, we should believe that âyats of mutashâbihât are of the Word of Allâhu ta’âlâ, and we should not investigate their meanings. The scholars in the Ash’arî madhhab said that it was permissible to explain away (ta’wîl) such âyats briefly or in detail. ‘Ta’wîl’ means ‘choosing, from among the several meanings of a word, the one which is not common.’ For example, about the âyat, “The Hand of Allah is superior to theirs,” which is the Word of Allâhu ta’âlâ, we should say, “I believe whatever Allâhu ta’âlâ means by this.” It is the best to say, “I cannot understand its meaning. Only Allâhu ta’âlâ knows.” Or we must say, “Allâhu ta’âlâ’s knowledge is unlike our knowledge. His Will is not like our will. Similarly, Allâhu ta’âlâ’s Hand is not like the hands of His human creatures.”
In the Books which Allâhu ta’âlâ revealed, either the pronunciations or the meanings of some âyats, or both, were changed (naskh) by Him. The Qur’ân al-kerîm replaced all the Books and abolished the validity of their rules. There will never be any mistakes, additions, forgotten or missing points in Qur’ân al-kerîm until the end of the world, nor will it be forgotten. All knowledge of the past and the future exist in the Qur’ân al-kerîm. For this reason, it is higher and more valuable than all the Books. The greatest mu’jiza of Rasûlullah (sall-Allâhu ta’âlâ ’alaihi wa sallam) is the Qur’ân al-kerîm. If all human beings and genies would assemble and try to say something similar to the shortest sûra of the Qur’ân al-kerîm, they would not be able to do it. In fact, the eloquent, literary poets of Arabia assembled and strove very hard, but they could not say something like three short âyats. They could not stand against the Qur’ân al-kerîm. They were stupefied. Allâhu ta’âlâ makes the enemies of Islam incapable and defeated in front of the Qur’ân al-kerîm. The eloquence of the Qur’ân al-kerîm is above human power. Human beings are incapable of saying as it says. The âyats in the Qur’ân al-kerîm are unlike the poetry, prose or rhymed verse of human beings. Nevertheless, it was said in the letters of the language spoken by the literary, eloquent men of Arabia.
One hundred and four of the heavenly Books were revealed to us: it is well-known that ten suhuf (pl. of sahîfa, little book) were revealed to Âdam (’alaihi ’s-salâm), fifty suhuf to Shis (Shît) (’alaihi ’s-salâm), thirty suhuf to Idrîs (’alaihi ’s-salâm) and ten suhuf to Ibrâhîm (’alaihi ’s-salâm); the Tawrât (Torah) was revealed to Mûsâ (Moses) (’alaihi ’s-salâm), the Zebûr (the original Psalms) to Dâwûd (’alaihi ’s-salâm), the Injîl (Latin ‘Evangelium’) to ’Îsâ (Jesus) (’alaihi ’s-salâm) and the Qur’ân al-kerîm to Muhammad (’alaihi ’s-salâm).
When a person wants to give an order, to forbid something, to ask something or to give some news, first he thinks about and prepares it in his mind. These meanings in mind are called “kalâm nafsî,” which cannot be said to be Arabic, Persian or English. Their being expressed in various languages does not cause these meanings to change. Words expressing these meanings are called “kalâm lafzî.” Kalâm lafzî can be said in different languages. So, kalâm nafsî of a person is a pure, unchangeable, distinct attribute that exists in its possessor like other attributes such as knowledge, will, discernment, etc., and kalâm lafzî is a group of letters that express kalâm nafsî and that come out of the mouth of the person uttering them and that come to the ear. Thus, the Word of Allâhu ta’âlâ is the eternal, everlasting, non-silent and non-creature Word existent with His Person. It is an attribute distinct from the as-Sifât adh-Dhâtiyya and from as-Sifât ath-Thubûtiyya of Allâhu ta’âlâ, such as Knowledge and Will.
The attribute Kalâm (Speech, Word) never changes and is pure. It is not in letters or sounds. It cannot be differentiated or classified as command, prohibition, narration or as Arabic, Persian, Hebrew, Turkish or Syriac. It does not take such forms. It cannot be written. It does not need such apparatuses or media as intelligence, ear or tongue. Nevertheless, it can be understood through them as a being distinct from all beings we know; it can be told in any language wished. Thus, if it is told in Arabic it is called the Qur’ân al-kerîm. If it is told in Hebrew it is the Tawrât. If it is told in Syriac it is the Injîl. The book Sharh al-maqâsid writes that if it is told in Greek it is the Injîl and if it is told in Syriac it is the Zabûr.
Al-Kalâm al-ilâhiyya (the Divine Word) tells various subjects; if it narrates the events that happened or that will happen, it is called khabar (narration); if not so, it is called inshâ.’ If it points out the things that should be done, it is called amr (command). If it points out prohibitions, it is nahî (prohibition). But no change or increase occurs in al-Kalâm al-ilâhiyya. Each book or each page revealed is a sheet of the Word of Allâhu ta’âlâ; that is, they are of al-Kalâm an-nafsî of His. When it is in Arabic it is called the Qur’ân al-kerîm. The wahî revealed in poetry and that can be written and said and heard and kept in mind is called al-Kalâm al-lafzî or the Qur’ân al-kerîm. Since al-Kalâm al-lafzî denotes al-Kalâm an-nafsî, it is permissible to call it al-Kalâm al-ilâhiyya or the Divine Attribute. Though this Word is of one sort, it can be divided and broken into parts with respect to persons. As the whole of it is called the Qur’ân al-kerîm, so its parts are called the Qur’ân al-kerîm.
The ’ulamâ’ of the right path unanimously say that al-Kalâm an-nafsî is not a creature but it is qadîm (eternal). There is no unanimity on whether al-Kalâm al-lafzî is hâdith or qadîm. Some who regarded al-Kalâm al-lafzî as hâdith said that it was better not to say that it is hâdith for it might be misunderstood and come to mean that al-Kalâm an-nafsî is hâdith. This is the best comment about it. When the human mind hears something that denotes something else, it simultaneously remembers the denoted thing. When one of the ’ulamâ’ of the right path is heard to have said that the Qur’ân al-kerîm was hâdith, we must understand that he referred to sounds and words which we read with our mouth. The ’ulamâ’ of the right path have unanimously said that both al-Kalâm an-nafsî and al-Kalâm al-lafzî are the Word of Allâhu ta’âlâ. Though some ’ulamâ’ considered this word metaphoric, they all agreed that it was the Divine Word. That al-Kalâm an-nafsî is the Word of Allâhu ta’âlâ means that it is Allâhu ta’âlâ’s Attribute of Speech, and that al-Kalâm al-lafzî is the Word of Allâhu ta’âlâ means that it is created by Allâhu ta’âlâ.
Question: “From the preceding writing it is understood that the eternal Word of Allâhu ta’âlâ cannot be heard. A person who says, ‘I heard the Word of Allah,’ means ‘I heard the sounds and words uttered’ or ‘I understood the eternal al-Kalâm an-nafsî through these words.’ All prophets, even everybody, can hear it in both of these two manners. What is the reason for distinguishing Mûsâ (’alaihi ’s-salâm) as Kalîm-Allah (one to whom Allâhu ta’âlâ spoke)?”
Answer: Mûsâ (’alaihi’s-salâm) heard the Eternal Word without letters or sounds, in a way different from al-’Âdat al-ilâhiyya (the Divine Custom; the law of causation). He heard it in a manner that cannot be explained, as Allâhu ta’âlâ will be seen in Paradise in an unintelligible and unexplainable manner. Nobody else heard it in this manner. Or, he heard the Word of Allâhu ta’âlâ in sounds not only through his ears but also through every particle of his body, from every direction. Or, he heard it only from the direction of the tree, yet not in sounds or with the vibration of air or with other means. Because he heard it in one of these three conditions, he was honoured with the name ‘Kalîm-Allah’. Muhammad (’alaihi ’s-salâm) also heard the Divine Word in this manner on the Mi’râj Night. So was the hearing of Jabrâ’îl (’alaihi’s-salâm) as he received wahî.
[1] Ref: This paragraphes are quoted from the book “The Belief and Islam” , annotated translation of book I’tiqâd-nâma written by Mawlana Khalid-i Baghdadi and published in English by Hakikat Kitabevi, www.hakikatkitabevi.com.tr, Istanbul. Mawlânâ Khalid-i Baghdâdî is the great walî, the treasure of Allâhu ta’lâlâ’s blessings, superior man in every respect, the master of unattainable knowledge, the light of right, truth and religion. The author of the book I’tiqâd-nâma, Mawlânâ Diyâ’ ad-dîn Khâlid al-Baghdâdî al-’Uthmânî (b.1192, A.H./1778 in Shahrazûr in the north of Baghdad, d. 1242/1826 in Damascus, quddisa sirruh), was called al-’Uthmânî because he was a descendant of ’Uthmân Dhu’n-nûrain, the third caliph (radî-Allâhu ta’âlâ’ anh).
[2] Literal meanings: The Qur’an al-kerîm and the Hadîth ash-sherîf are in the Quraish language and dialect. But the words should be given the meanings used in the Hijâz thirteen hundred years ago. It is not correct to translate them by giving them contemporary meanings, which are the results of the changes throughout centuries.
