What is the validity of some of the Salaf’s interpretation of the saying of Allah the Exalted: “The words of Allah are not exhausted,” meaning His knowledge and His judgment?
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Question:
He says: Honorable Shaykh, may Allah grant you success. In some of the interpretations of the Salaf, the interpretation of the saying of Allah the Exalted, “The words of my Lord are not exhausted,” is that it means His knowledge and His judgment. Is this interpretation correct or not?
Answer:
I do not know what this interpretation you are talking about is, but this is not correct. It is not the case that “speech” means knowledge. Speech is in its true sense; in its true sense, the speech of Allah has no end because He commands and forbids, and He continues to command and forbid, Glorified is He, and He speaks. Does not Allah continue to speak, (Exalted and Majestic is He), with His cosmic and legislative commands and prohibitions? So the speech of Allah, Mighty and Majestic, is never exhausted. It has no end, no beginning, and no end?
Al-Mustadrak lil-Hakim 25:1089. And even if all the trees on earth were pens and the sea were replenished by seven seas after it, the words of [Luqman 31:27]. His words by which He commands, forbids, and manages have no beginning and no end. So the words of Allah, Mighty and Majestic, are not exhausted. So the intended meaning is not knowledge. Yes.
He says: Honorable Shaykh, may Allah grant you success. In some of the interpretations of the Salaf, the interpretation of the saying of Allah the Exalted, “The words of my Lord are not exhausted,” is that it means His knowledge and His judgment. Is this interpretation correct or not?
Answer:
I do not know what this interpretation you are talking about is, but this is not correct. It is not the case that “speech” means knowledge. Speech is in its true sense; in its true sense, the speech of Allah has no end because He commands and forbids, and He continues to command and forbid, Glorified is He, and He speaks. Does not Allah continue to speak, (Exalted and Majestic is He), with His cosmic and legislative commands and prohibitions? So the speech of Allah, Mighty and Majestic, is never exhausted. It has no end, no beginning, and no end?
Say: “Even if the sea were ink for the words of my Lord, the sea would be exhausted before the words of my Lord are exhausted, even if We brought the like of it as a supplement.”
قُلْ لَوْ كَانَ الْبَحْرُ مِدَادًا لِكَلِمَاتِ رَبِّي لَنَفِدَ الْبَحْرُ قَبْلَ أَنْ تَنْفَدَ كَلِمَاتُ رَبِّي وَلَوْ جِئْنَا بِمِثْلِهِ مَدَدًاAllah is Exalted in Might and Wise.
اللَّهِ إِنَّ اللَّهَ عَزِيزٌ حَكِيمٌ
Source
قناة «العلامة الدكتور صالح الفوزان»، [90 -1024] ما صحة تفسير بعض السلف في قوله تعالى: (ما نفدت كلمات الله) أي علمه وحكمه؟ - صالح الفوزان — youtube.com
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.