[Surat an-Nisā’: 158] And the verse that says: {Glory be to the One Who took His slave [Muhammad] by night from the Sacred Mosque [in Makkah] to the Aqsā Mosque [in Jerusalem] whose surroundings We have blessed, so that We may show him some of Our signs. Indeed, He is the All-Hearing, the All-Seeing.} [Surat al-Isrā’: 1] And the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "When Allah completed the creation, He wrote a book with Him: My mercy overcame - or preceded - My anger. It is with Him over the Throne." [Narrated by Al-Bukhāri (7553), Muslim (2751), At-Tirmidhi (3543), and Ibn Mājah (189)] Mu‘āwiyah ibn al-Hakam as-Sulami (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: While I was praying with the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him), a man in the company sneezed. I said: "May Allah have mercy upon you!" The people stared at me with disapproving looks. So, I said: "Woe to me, why are you staring at me?" They began to strike their hands on their thighs, and when I saw them urging me to observe silence, (I became angry) but I said nothing. When the Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) finished the prayer - and I declare that neither before him nor after him have I seen a leader who gave better instruction than him for whom I would give my father and mother as ransom. I swear that he did not scold, beat, or revile me - he said: "Talking to people is not fitting during the prayer, for it consists of glorifying Allah, declaring His greatness, and recitation of the Qur’an." I said: "O Messenger of Allah, I have been until recently a pagan, but Allah has brought Islam to us; among us there are men who have recourse to diviners." He said: "Do not have recourse to them." I said: "There are men who take omens." He said: "That is something they find in their breasts, but it does not turn them away." I said: "Among us there are men who draw lines." He said: "There was a prophet who drew lines; so if they do it as he did, this is permissible." I had a maid-servant who tended goats by the side of Uhud and Jawwāniyyah. One day I happened to pass by that way and found that a wolf had carried a goat from her flock. I am after all a man from the posterity of Adam. I get angry as they (human beings) get angry. So, I slapped her, after which I went to the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him), having a feeling that this is something grave. I said: "O Messenger of Allah, should I set her free?" He said: "Bring her to me." So, I brought her to him. He said to her: "Where is Allah?" She said: "He is in the heaven." He said: "Who am I?" She said: "You are the Messenger of Allah." Thereupon, he said: "Set her free, for she is a believer." [Narrated by Muslim (537), Abu Dāwūd (930), and An-Nasā’i (1218)] Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said:
"Angels take turns among you by night and by day, and they all assemble at the Fajr and ‘Asr prayers. Then those angels who spend the night among you ascend, their Lord asks them, although He knows best about them: 'How did you leave My servants?' They say: 'We left them while they were praying and we came to them while they were praying.'" [Narrated by Al-Bukhāri (555), Muslim (632), and An-Nasā’i (485)] Abu Razīn al-‘Uqayli (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: I said: "O Messenger of Allah, where was Allah before He created His creation?" He said: "He was in the clouds, below which was air and above which was air, and He created His Throne above water." [Narrated by At-Tirmidhi (3109), Ibn Mājah (182), At-Tayālisi (1189), Ahmad (16188), and Ibn Abi ‘Āsim in As-Sunnah (625)] These and numerous other verses and Hadīths point to Allah's highness. The proofs for His highness is too numerous to be counted. It is unanimously confirmed by the scholars of Islam and established by the sound mind and natural disposition. Imām Ibn Battah (may Allah have mercy upon him) said: "The Muslims - including the Companions, the succeeding generation, and all faithful scholars - unanimously agree that Allah, Blessed and Exalted be He, is above His Throne, above His heavens, and separate from His creation, and His knowledge encompasses all His creation." [Al-Ibānah Al-Kubra by Ibn Battah (7/136)] Ad-Dārimi (may Allah have mercy upon him) reported that when Ibn al-Mubārak was asked: "How can we recognize our Lord?" He said: "He is above the Throne, above the seventh heaven above the Throne, and is separate from His creation." [Ar-Radd ‘Ala Al-Jahmiyyah by Ad-Dārimi (98)] Among Allah's attributes is His rising over the Throne, which He mentions in seven places in the Qur’an. One of those verses reads: {Your Lord is Allah, Who created the heavens and earth in six days, and then rose over [istawa] the Throne. He makes the night and day overlap in rapid succession. He made the sun, the moon, and the stars – all subservient to His command. Behold, His is the creation and the command. Blessed is Allah, Lord of the worlds.}
[Surat al-A‘rāf: 54] Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "When Allah completed the creation, He wrote a book with Him: My mercy overcame - or preceded - My anger. It is with Him over the Throne." [Narrated by Al-Bukhāri (7553), Muslim (2751), At-Tirmidhi (3543), and Ibn Mājah (189)] Al-Lālikā’i narrated that Ibn ‘Uyaynah reported: Rabī‘ah was asked about the verse that reads: {The Most Compassionate rose over the Throne.} [Surat Tāha: 5], as to how He rose over the Throne? He replied: “The rising is not unknown, but its nature is inconceivable. The message came from Allah, and the Prophet was tasked with conveying it; and we are obligated to firmly believe.”
[Sharh Usul I‘tiqād Ahl As-Sunnah Wa Al-Jamā‘ah (3/442) and Al-‘Arsh by Adh-Dhahabi (2/213)] A similar view was reported from Imam Mālik (may Allah have mercy upon him). [Narrated by Muslim (810) and Abu Dāwūd (1460)]
Allah Almighty praises Himself for sending down this book. He, Exalted be He, says: {All praise be to Allah Who has sent down upon His slave the Book, and has not allowed any crookedness therein.} [Surat al-Kahf: 1] And He Almighty praises this noble book, saying: {Had We sent down this Qur’an upon a mountain, you would have seen it humbled and break asunder out of awe of Allah. Such are the similitudes We set forth for people so that they may reflect.} [Surat al-Hashr: 21] He also says: {Even if there were a Qur’an that could cause mountains to move, or split the earth, or cause the dead to speak.} [Surat ar-Ra‘d: 31] He made it a source of guidance and mercy for the believers. Allah, the Exalted, says: {This [Qur’an] is an insight for people; a guidance and mercy for people who are certain in faith.} [Surat al-Jāthiyah: 20] And He made it an exhortation and a cure for the illnesses of the believers' hearts and bodies. He, Exalted be He, says: {O mankind, there has come to you an exhortation from your Lord, a cure for [illness] of the hearts, a guidance and mercy for the believers.} [Surat Yūnus: 57] He also says: {We send down the Qur’an as a healing and mercy for the believers, but it does not increase the wrongdoers except in loss.} [Surat al-Isrā’: 82]
We believe that this glorious book is the most perfect and most comprehensive among all divine books and it comprises such reasoning, proofs, and examples that establish the argument against mankind till the Day of Judgment. Allah Almighty says: {O mankind, there has come to you conclusive evidence from your Lord, and We have sent down to you a clear light.} [Surat an-Nisā’: 174] He also says: {Whenever they bring you an argument, We bring you the truth and the best explanation.} [Surat al-Furqān: 33] And He Almighty says: {We have explained every kind of example for mankind in this Qur’an, yet most people persist in disbelief.} [Surat al-Isrā’: 89] In another verse, He Almighty says: {We have explained things in various ways in this Qur’an, so that they may take heed, but it only increases them in aversion.} [Surat al-Isrā’: 41] Ibn Jarīr said: "Allah, Glorified be He, says: {We have explained} for the polytheists who ascribe lies against Allah {every kind of example} and lessons, signs, and arguments {in this Qur'an} and warned them {that they may be reminded}; that's they remember these arguments against them and recognize their error and take lessons and repent from their ignorance. Yet, they do not take lessons or reminders from the verses and warnings coming to them." [Tafsīr At-Tabari (17/453)]
This noble Qur'an contains all what was in the previous divine books, and more. Allah Almighty says: {The Word of your Lord is perfect in truthfulness and justice; none can change His Words, and He is the All-Hearing, the All-Knowing.} [Surat al-An‘ām: 115] It contains all what people need, including the fundamentals of faith, laws, arguments, wisdom, exhortations, and information. Our Lord says: {Indeed, this Qur’an guides to what is most upright.} [Surat al-Isrā’: 9] He also says: {We relate to you [O Prophet] the best of stories through Our revelation of this Qur’an.} [Surat Yūsuf: 3] It is at the pinnacle of eloquence and clarity. Allah Almighty says: {Allah has sent down the best message – a consistent Book of repeated lessons.} [Surat az-Zumar: 23] And the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said: "‘I have been sent with concise and profound speech, and I have been given victory through fear." [Narrated by Al-Bukhāri (2977), Muslim (523), At-Tirmidhi (1553), and An-Nasā’i (3087)]
One of the strongest proofs that this Qur'an is the word of Allah is the fact that Prophet Muhammad (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) was an unlettered man who could not read or write; yet, the greatest and most eloquent book was revealed to him. Allah, the Exalted, says: {You [O Prophet] never recited any book before this, nor did you write with your hand. Otherwise, the people of falsehood would have raised suspicions.} [Surat al-‘Ankabūt: 48] He Almighty also says: {So believe in Allah and His Messenger, the unlettered Prophet, who believes in Allah and His words, and follow him, so that you may be guided.} [Surat al-A‘rāf: 158]
We believe that the Qur’an is a dazzling miracle in terms of its words and meanings, and Allah Almighty challenged all humans and jinn to produce the like of it, or ten surahs like its surahs, or even one surah. Blessed be Allah, the Lord of all the worlds. Allah Almighty says: {Say: "If all humans and jinn were to come together to produce something similar to this Qur’an, they would not be able to produce the like of it, even if they collaborated with one another."} [Surat al-Isrā’: 88] Allah Almighty also says: {Or do they say: "He has fabricated it"? Say: "Then produce ten fabricated Chapters like it and seek help from whoever you can besides Allah, if you are truthful!"} [Surat Hūd: 13] And He Almighty says: {If you are in doubt concerning that which We have sent down upon Our slave, then produce a chapter like it and call upon your helpers other than Allah, if you are truthful.} [Surat al-Baqarah: 23]
We believe that Allah has undertaken to preserve the Qur’an and did not leave that to people. He Almighty says: {Indeed, it is We who sent down the reminder and We are indeed its guardians.} [Surat al-Hijr: 9] He Almighty also says: {No falsehood can approach it from the front or from behind; a revelation from the One Who is All-Wise, Praiseworthy.} [Surat Fussilat: 42] He made it a perfect book overall. He Almighty says: {Alif Lām Ra. This is a Book whose verses are perfected, then fully explained, from One Who is All-Wise, All-Aware.} [Surat Hūd: 1] And He made it consistent. He, Exalted be He, says: {Allah has sent down the best message – a consistent Book of repeated lessons.} [Surat az-Zumar: 23] And He made some of its verses definite and some others ambiguous. Allah Almighty says: {It is He Who has sent down to you the Book. In it are definite verses, which are the foundation of the Book; while others are ambiguous. Those with deviant hearts follow the ambiguous verses, seeking discord and seeking their [false] interpretation. But no one knows their [true] interpretation except Allah. And those who are well-grounded in knowledge say: "We believe in it. It is all from our Lord." None will take heed except people of understanding.} [Surat Āl ‘Imrān: 7] Allah Almighty clarifies that the people of deviation pursue the ambiguous verses of the Qur’an, while the faithful believe in it altogether, with its definite and ambiguous verses.
Moreover, our Lord made the Qur’an a judge and criterion over all the previous scriptures. He Almighty says: {And We have revealed to you the Book in truth, confirming that which preceded it of the Scripture and as a criterion over it.} [Surat al-Mā’idah: 48] Allah Almighty states that this book narrates to us the stories of the past nations. He, Glorified be He, says: {That is from the stories of the unseen which We reveal to you [O Prophet]; you were not with them when they agreed upon their plan as they were plotting.} [Surat Yūsuf: 102] And there are many other similar verses. Furthermore, the Qur’an judges between the People of the Book concerning things they differed. Allah, the Exalted, says: {Indeed, this Qur’an explains to the Children of Israel most of that over which they differ.} [Surat an-Naml: 76]
On his pulpit, ‘Umar ibn al-Khattāb (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "O people, indeed this Qur’an is the word of Allah, and I know nothing about the views you adopted based on your personal inclinations. Verily, Islam has become dominant over people, and they entered it willingly and unwillingly. Laws have been laid down for you, and none has any say, except when someone engages in disbelief deliberately. So, follow the religion and do not introduce new things to it, for what you have from it is sufficient. Act upon what is definite in it and believe in what is ambiguous." [Narrated by Ahmad in Az-Zuhd (191), Ad-Dārimi (3398), ‘Abdullāh ibn Ahmad in As-Sunnah (117), Al-Ājurri in Ash-Sharī‘ah (155), and this is his wording, and Ibn Battah in Al-Inābah (23)]
‘Umar ibn al-Khattāb (may Allah be pleased with him) also said: "The Qur’an is the word of Allah. So, do not judge it based on your opinions." [Narrated by Al-Ājiri in Ash-Sharī‘ah (156)]
Farwah ibn Nawfal al-Ashja‘i said: "Khabbāb ibn al-Aratt (may Allah be pleased with him) was my neighbor. One day he said to me: 'O Hanāh, draw close to Allah Almighty as much as you can, and know that you will not draw close to Him through something dearer to Him than His word.'" [Narrated by Abu ‘Ubayd in Fadā’il Al-Qur’an (77), Ibn Abi Shaybah (30722), Ahmad in Az-Zuhd (192), ‘Uthmān ibn Sa‘īd ad-Dārimi in Ar-Radd ‘Ala Al-Jahmiyyah (160), and ‘Abdullāh ibn Ahmad in As-Sunnah (111)]
We believe that this Qur’an is the word of Allah; that it is a revelation, not a created being; and that it is preserved in people's hearts. Allah Almighty says: {Rather, this [Qur’an] is clear verses [preserved] in the hearts of those who have been given knowledge. And none rejects Our verses except the wrongdoers.} [Surat al-‘Ankabūt: 49] Whether it is written in mus'hafs or recited at prayer niches and mosques, it remains the word of Allah Almighty, Who says: {Those who recite the Book of Allah, establish prayer, and spend out of what We have provided for them, secretly and openly, hoping for a deal that will suffer no loss.} [Surat Fātir: 29] Allah Almighty says: {This is indeed a noble Qur’an, in a well-preserved Record, that none can touch except the purified [angels] – a revelation from the Lord of the worlds.} [Surat al-Wāqi‘ah: 77-80]
The glorious Qur'an is the word of Allah, and His word is one of His attributes, and His attributes are not part of the creation, for if this were the case, they would be subject to the same things applying to created beings, such as changing and perishing. Our Lord says: {Do they not then ponder on the Qur’an? If it had been from anyone other than Allah, they would have surely found in it many discrepancies.} [Surat an-Nisā’: 82] Allah Almighty also says: {If any of the polytheists asks you for protection, give it to him, so that he may hear the Word of Allah, then escort him to his place of safety; that is because they are a people who do not know.} [Surat at-Tawbah: 6]
Ibn ‘Abbās (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) used to seek refuge with Allah for Al-Hasan and Al-Husayn, saying: "Your forefather used to seek refuge with Allah for Ismā‘īl (Ishmael) and Is'hāq (Isaac) by reciting the following: O Allah, I seek refuge with Your perfect words from every devil and from poisonous pests and from every envious eye." [Narrated by Al-Bukhāri (3371), Abu Dāwūd (4737) - and he said: This is a proof that the Qur'an was not created - At-Tirmidhi (2060), and Ibn Mājah (3525)]
Isma‘īl ibn Abi Oways reported consensus of the people of Madīnah that the Qur'an was not created. He said: "Mālik and the scholars of our city used to say that the Qur'an is from Allah, and nothing from Allah is created. The scholars of Madīnah at the time of Mālik ibn Anas included Muhammad ibn ‘Abdur-Rahmān ibn Abi dhi’b, ‘Abdul-‘Azīz ibn Abi Salamah al-Majshūn, Abu Bakr ibn Abi Sabrah, Ibrāhīm ibn Sa‘d az-Zuhri, Sa‘īd ibn ‘Abdur-Rahmān al-Jumahi, Hātim ibn Ismā‘īl, ‘Abdullāh ibn ‘Abdul-‘Azīz al-‘Amri az-Zāhid, Abu Damrah Anas ibn ‘iyād, and Muhammad ibn Ismā‘īl ibn Abi Fudayk." [Sharh Usūl I‘tiqād Ahl As-Sunnah Wa Al-Jamā‘ah (2/300)]
Shu‘ayb ibn Harb related: I said to Abu ‘Abdullāh Sufyān ibn Sa‘īd ath-Thawri: "Tell me something of the Sunnah from which Allah Almighty will make me benefit, and when I stand before Allah Almighty and He questions me as to from where I learned it, I will reply: My Lord, Sufyān ath-Thawri told me about it, and I learned it from him; thus, I will be safe, and the responsibility will fall on you." He said: "O Shu‘ayb, this is emphasis - a sure one! Write this down: In the name of Allah, the Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful: The Qur'an is the word of Allah and was not created. It originated from Him and will return to Him." [Sharh Usūl I‘tiqād Ahl As-Sunnah Wa Al-Jamā‘ah (1/170)]
Imām Ibn Jarīr at-Tabari said: "Ibn ‘Uyaynah related to us that he heard ‘Amr ibn Dinār say: 'I used to hear our Shaykhs, seventy years ago, say: The Qur'an is the word of Allah. It originated from Him and will return to Him.'" [Sarīh As-Sunnah by At-Tabari (19)]
Al-Hasan ibn Ayyūb said: "I heard Ahmad ibn Hanbal quote Al-Faryābi as saying: I heard Ath-Thawri - i.e. Sufyān - say: Whoever says that the Qur'an was created is a heretic." ‘Abdullāh ibn Ahmad ibn Hanbal said: "I heard my father say: I learned that Ibrāhīm ibn Sa‘d, Sa‘īd ibn ‘Abdur-Rahmān ibn al-Jumahi, Wahb ibn Jarīr, Abu an-Nadr Hāshim ibn al-Qāsim, and Sulaymān ibn Harb said: The Qur'an is not created." [Sharh Usūl I‘tiqād Ahl As-Sunnah Wa Al-Jamā‘ah (2/277)]
The leading Imām Muhammad ibn Khuzaymah (may Allah have mercy upon him) set a chapter on this issue, titled: "Chapter on the proofs denoting that the Qur'an is the word of Allah, the Creator, and His word is not a created being." [At-Tawhīd by Ibn Khuzaymah (1/404)]
Abu Sa‘īd ad-Dārimi said: "These Hadīths point out that the Qur'an is not created, as there is no greater difference between created beings in terms of superiority than the difference between Allah and His creation, for the difference in superiority between created beings can be minimized, whereas the difference between Allah and His creation cannot, and His superiority over them is immeasurable; the same holds true for the superiority of His speech over the speech of created beings. If it were created speech, its superiority over other speech would not be like the superiority of Allah over His creation, or even a millionth of it or close to that. So, ponder it, for indeed there is nothing like unto Him, and there is no speech like His speech, and none would ever be able to produce the like of it." [Ar-Radd ‘Ala Al-Jahmiyyah by Ad-Dārimi (188)]
Abu Yūsuf (may Allah have mercy upon him) said: "As for the Qur'an, it is the word of Allah Almighty and His revelation. This is the view adopted by Abu Hanīfah and other great imams; they did not regard it as a created being or a creator." [Al-I‘tiqād by An-Naysābouri (135)]