❖ Ruling on One Who Claims the Qur’an Is Human Speech
Source: Fatawa Amun Puri by Shaykh Ghulam Mustafa Zaheer Amun Puri
❀ Question:
What is the ruling on one who says that the Qur’an is human speech?
❀ Answer:
The Qur’an is the true speech of Allah ﷻ. To call it “metaphorical speech” is clear heresy. Allah ﷻ spoke the Qur’an with letters and sound; His speech was heard. Jibreel عليه السلام heard it from Allah, and the Prophet ﷺ heard it from Jibreel. Both its words and meanings are from Allah. This is the consensus of Ahl al-Sunnah wal-Jama‘ah.
❀ Allamah al-Sijzi رحمه الله (d. 444H) said:
االإجماع منعقد بين العقلاء على كون الكلام حرفا وصوتا
“The consensus of rational scholars is that speech consists of letters and sound.”
(Risalah al-Sijzi, p. 118)
Thus, since the Qur’an is the speech of Allah, it must necessarily be with letters and sound; otherwise, it would not be called speech.
To say that the Qur’an is human speech, or that its words are those of humans, or that it is the speech of an angel, is clear disbelief (kufr).
❀ Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah رحمه الله (d. 728H) said:
إطلاق القول بأن القرآن كلام جبريل أو محمد أو غيرهما من المخلوقين كفر لم يقله أحد من أئمة المسلمين؛ بل عظم الله الإنكار على من يقول: إنه قول البشر فمن قال : إن القرآن قول البشر فقد كفر وكذلك من قال : إنه قول ملك
“To say that the Qur’an is the speech of Jibreel, Muhammad ﷺ, or anyone else from creation is disbelief. None of the Imams of the Muslims ever said such a thing. Rather, Allah severely condemned those who say it is the word of man. Thus, whoever says that the Qur’an is the word of man has disbelieved, and likewise, whoever says that it is the word of an angel has also disbelieved.”
(Majmu‘ al-Fatawa, 12/556)
