3. The third of the six fundamentals of iman is "to believe the Books revealed by Allahu ta'ala." 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 Allahu ta'ala (Kalam- Allah). 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 Allahu ta'ala 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 Allahu ta'ala and his Attributes are. But men can read that Word, keep it in mind and write it. It becomes hadith, a creature, when it is with us. That is, the Word of Allahu ta'ala has two aspects. When it is with human beings, it is hadith and a creature. When it is thought as the Word of Allahu ta'ala, it is eternal (Qadim).

All the books sent down by Allahu ta'ala 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 (jaiz) that He would forgive; this depends on His Will or on conditions which man could not know, or it is meant that He would forgive the punishment which Muslims deserve. Since the words 'punishment' and 'torture' do not narrate an event, it would not be a lie if He forgives. Or, though it is not jaiz that He would not give the rewards which He promised, it is jaiz that He would forgive the punishments. Reason, laws of human beings and ayats prove us right.

It is necessary to interpret ayats and hadiths 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.(19) The ayats called muttashabihat have unintelligible, occult meanings. Only Allahu ta'ala knows and very few distinguished superiors who have been granted al-'ilm al-ladunni understand their meanings as far as they are allowed. No one else can understand them. For this reason, we should believe that ayats of mutashabihat are of the Word of Allahu ta'ala, and we should not investigate their meanings. The scholars in the Ashari madhhab said that is was permissible to explain away (tawil) such ayats briefly or in detail. 'Tawil' means 'choosing, from among the several meanings of a word, the one which is not common.' For example, about the ayat, "The Hand of Allah is superior to theirs," which is the Word of Allahu ta'ala, we should say, "I believe whatever Allahu ta'ala means by this." It is the best to say, "I cannot understand its meaning. Only Allahu ta'ala knows." Or we must say, "Allahu ta'ala's knowledge is unlike our knowledge. His Will is not like our will. Similarly, Allahu ta'ala's Hand is not like the hands of His human creatures."

In the books which Allahu ta'ala revealed, either the pronunciations or the meanings of some ayats, or both, were changed (naskh) by Him. The Qur'an al-karim replaced all the books and abolished the validity of their rules. There will never be any mistakes, additions, forgotten or missing points in Qur'an al-karim until the end of the world, nor will it be forgotten. All knowledge of the past and the future exist in the Qur'an al-karim. For this reason, it is higher and more valuable than all the Books. The greatest mujiza of Rasulullah (sall- Allahu ta'ala 'alaihi wa sallam) is the Qur'an al- karim. If all human beings and genies would assemble and try to say something similar to the shortest sura of the Qur'an al-karim, 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 ayats. They could not stand against the Qur'an al-karim. They were stupefied. Allahu ta'ala makes the enemies of Islam incapable and defeated in front of the Qur'an al-karim. The eloquence of the Qur'an al-karim is above human power. Human beings are incapable of saying as it says. The ayats in the Qur'an al-karim 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 sahifa, little book) were revealed to Adam ('alaihi 's-salam), fifty suhuf to Shis (Sheet) ('alaihi's- salam), thirty suhuf to Idris ('alaihi 's-salam) and ten suhuf to Ibrahim ('alaihi 's-salam); the Tawrat (Torah) was revealed to Musa (Moses) ('alaihi 's- salam), the Zabur (the original Psalms) to Dawud ('alaihi 's-salam), the Injil (Latin 'Evangelium') to 'Isa (Jesus) ('alaihi 's-salam) and the Qur'an al-karim to Muhammad ('alaihi 's-salam).

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 "kalam nafsi," 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 "kalam Lafzi." Kalam Lafzi can be said in different languages. So, kalam nafsi of a person is a pure, unchangeable, distinct attribute that exists in its possessor like other attributes such as knowledge, will, discernment, etc., and kalam Lafzi is a group of letters that express kalam nafsi and that come out of the mouth of the person uttering them and that come to the ear. Thus, the Word of Allahu ta'ala is the eternal, everlasting, non-silent and non-creature Word existent with His Person. It is an attribute distinct from the as-Sifat adh-Dhatiyya and from as-Sifat ath-Thubutiyya of Allahu ta'ala, such as Knowledge and Will.

The attribute Kalam (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'an al-karim. If it is told in Hebrew it is the Tawrat. If it is told in Syriac it is the Injil. [The book Sharh al-maqasid (20) writes that if it is told in Greek it is the Injil and if it is told in Syriac it is the Zabur.]

Al-Kalam al-ilahiyya (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 insha.' If it points out the things that should be done, it is called amr (command). If it points out prohibitions, it is nahi (prohibition). But no change or increase occurs in al-Kalam al-ilahiyya. Each book or each page revealed is a sheet of the Word of Allahu ta'ala; that is, they are of al-Kalam an-nafsi of His. When it is in Arabic it is called the Qur'an al-karim. The wahi revealed in poetry and that can be written and said and heard and kept in mind is called al-Kalam al-Lafzi or the Qur'an al-karim. Since al-Kalam al-Lafzi denotes al-Kalam an-nafsi, it is permissible to call it al-Kalam al-ilahiyya 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'an al-karim, so its parts are called the Qur'an al-karim.

The 'ulama' of the right path unanimously say that al-Kalam an-nafsi is not a creature but it is Qadim (eternal). There is no unanimity on whether al-Kalam al-Lafzi is hadith or Qadim. Some who regarded al-Kalam al-Lafzi as hadith said that it was better not to say that it is hadith for it might be misunderstood and come to mean that al-Kalam an-nafsi is hadith. 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 'ulama' of the right path is heard to have said that the Qur'an al-karim was hadith, we must understand that he referred to sounds and words which we read with our mouth. The 'ulama' of the right path have unanimously said that both al-Kalam an-nafsi and al-Kalam al-Lafzi are the Word of Allahu ta'ala. Though some 'ulama' considered this word metaphoric, they all agreed that it was the Divine Word. That al-Kalam an-nafsi is the Word of Allahu ta'ala means that it is Allahu ta'ala's Attribute of Speech, and that al-Kalam al-Lafzi is the Word of Allahu ta'ala means that it is created by Allahu ta'ala.

Question: "From the preceding writing it is understood that the eternal Word of Allahu ta'ala cannot be heard. The one who says, 'I heard the Word of Allah,' means 'I heard the sounds and words uttered' or 'I understood the eternal al-Kalam an-nafsi through these words.' All prophets, even everybody, can hear it in both of these two manners. What is the reason for distinguishing Musa ('alaihi 's-salam) as Kalim-Allah (one to whom Allahu ta'ala spoke)?"

Answer: Musa ('alaihi 's-salam) heard the Eternal Word without letters or sounds, in a way different from al-'Adat al-ilahiyya (the Divine Custom; the law of causation). He heard it in a manner that cannot be explained, as Allahu ta'ala will be seen in Paradise in an unintelligible and unexplainable manner. Nobody else heard it in this manner. Or, he heard the Word of Allahu ta'ala 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 honored with the name 'Kalim-Allah'. Muhammad ('alaihi 's-salam) also heard the Divine Word in this manner on the Miraj Night. So was the hearing of Jabrail ('alaihi 's-salam) as he received wahi.

FOOTNOTES

(19) The Qur'an al-karim and the Hadith ash-Sharif are in the Quraish language and dialect. But the words should be given the meanings used in the Hijaz thirteen hundred years ago. It is not correct to translate them by giving them contemporary meanings, which are the results of the changes over centuries.

(20) By Sad ad-din at-Taftazani, who passed away in Samarqand in 792 A.H.. (1389).