Issue: Is it correct to say that the speech of Allah is eternal? And clarification of the meaning of the issue that the command is the same as the prohibition, and the report is the same as the inquiry, and that the Torah, the Gospel, the Psalms, and the Qur'an are one thing.
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The Shaykh :"And the other is the eternal meaning, which subsists *** in the self, not heard from the Lord"
This is the speech of Allah according to the Asha'irah. The eternal meaning. This is why they say the speech of Allah is eternal. Pay attention to this word; it is an error, it is not correct, and it is not permissible for us to say the speech of Allah is eternal. Rather, the speech of Allah is connected to His will; whenever He wills, He speaks. We do not say it is eternal. They say the speech is the eternal meaning. The other one says the other eternal meaning subsists in the self, subsists in itself. "Not heard from the Lord" It was not heard by Jibril, nor by Musa, nor by Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him). Why? Because it is the meaning that subsists in the self. Everyone knows that the meaning that subsists in the self is never called speech. If you wanted to give a sermon now and you were forming its elements in your mind, saying "I will say this and I will say that," would it be said that you spoke? That is not speech. It is not known in the Arabic language that this is speech. They say this is the speech. This is why they said the speech of Allah is eternal, because Allah (Mighty and Majestic) knows that He will speak with this speech until the Day of Resurrection. He knows with eternal knowledge. They say this is the speech, the eternal meaning. I am not surprised by this. "And the command is the same as the prohibition" In truth, no sane person says the command is the same as the prohibition. Yes,[An-Nisa 4:3] is the same as His saying: It is the same in essence. It is the same. [An-Nisa 4:36] And I do not believe a sane person says this meaning. Glory be to Allah, the command is the same as the prohibition. He says yes, because speech is a meaning. But if you express it as a command, it becomes a command, and if you express it as a prohibition, it becomes a prohibition. Glory be to Allah. Even the speaker himself, does he consider the command a command or a prohibition? He considers it a command, not a prohibition. They say no, the meaning is one, it is not divisible, it is not partial, and it is not a command or a prohibition. But the form that is created to express it is what is called a command or a prohibition. And this is absolutely unreasonable.
"And the command is the same as the prohibition, and its inquiry *** is the same as its report"
The inquiry, "Did Zayd stand?" meaning "Zayd stood." Is there a difference between them or not, people? In their view, this is that. The inquiry is the report. To inquire or to report means the same thing. So they make the knowledgeable person like the ignorant one. The knowledgeable one who issues reports is like the ignorant one who asks about reports. Look, the report is the same as the inquiry, which is the question. This is why he said:
"And its inquiry *** is the same as its report, and it is one" Meaning it is one thing that is not divisible.
"And it is the Psalms, and the same as the Torah, and the *** Gospel, and the same as the Reminder and the Criterion"
Four books: these are the Psalms, the Torah, the Gospel, and the Criterion. He says these are one thing. The Torah is the Qur'an, the Qur'an is the Gospel, the Gospel is the Psalms; they are all one thing. Yes, but they differed in form. If it was expressed in Arabic, we called it the Qur'an. In Hebrew, the Torah. In Syriac, the Gospel. In the Davidic language, the Psalms. Yes, otherwise it is one thing. So listen to the words of Ibn al-Qayyim:
"And it is the Psalms, and the same as the Torah, and the *** Gospel, and the same as the Reminder and the Criterion
The whole is one thing in itself *** it does not accept division in the minds
It has neither all nor part, nor *** a letter, nor Arabic, nor Hebrew.
There is no description that it is Arabic or Hebrew, or that it has a letter or a sound, or that it is heard. Why? Because speech is the meaning that subsists in the self, and it is one thing that does not accept division, and does not accept that this is a command and this is a prohibition. Everything is one.
This is the speech of Allah according to the Asha'irah. The eternal meaning. This is why they say the speech of Allah is eternal. Pay attention to this word; it is an error, it is not correct, and it is not permissible for us to say the speech of Allah is eternal. Rather, the speech of Allah is connected to His will; whenever He wills, He speaks. We do not say it is eternal. They say the speech is the eternal meaning. The other one says the other eternal meaning subsists in the self, subsists in itself. "Not heard from the Lord" It was not heard by Jibril, nor by Musa, nor by Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him). Why? Because it is the meaning that subsists in the self. Everyone knows that the meaning that subsists in the self is never called speech. If you wanted to give a sermon now and you were forming its elements in your mind, saying "I will say this and I will say that," would it be said that you spoke? That is not speech. It is not known in the Arabic language that this is speech. They say this is the speech. This is why they said the speech of Allah is eternal, because Allah (Mighty and Majestic) knows that He will speak with this speech until the Day of Resurrection. He knows with eternal knowledge. They say this is the speech, the eternal meaning. I am not surprised by this. "And the command is the same as the prohibition" In truth, no sane person says the command is the same as the prohibition. Yes,
marry those that please you of [other] women
انكحوا ما طاب لكم من النساءAnd do not approach fornication.
ولا تقربوا الزناworship Allah
اعبدوا اللهand associate nothing with Him
لا تُشركوا به شيئا"And the command is the same as the prohibition, and its inquiry *** is the same as its report"
The inquiry, "Did Zayd stand?" meaning "Zayd stood." Is there a difference between them or not, people? In their view, this is that. The inquiry is the report. To inquire or to report means the same thing. So they make the knowledgeable person like the ignorant one. The knowledgeable one who issues reports is like the ignorant one who asks about reports. Look, the report is the same as the inquiry, which is the question. This is why he said:
"And its inquiry *** is the same as its report, and it is one" Meaning it is one thing that is not divisible.
"And it is the Psalms, and the same as the Torah, and the *** Gospel, and the same as the Reminder and the Criterion"
Four books: these are the Psalms, the Torah, the Gospel, and the Criterion. He says these are one thing. The Torah is the Qur'an, the Qur'an is the Gospel, the Gospel is the Psalms; they are all one thing. Yes, but they differed in form. If it was expressed in Arabic, we called it the Qur'an. In Hebrew, the Torah. In Syriac, the Gospel. In the Davidic language, the Psalms. Yes, otherwise it is one thing. So listen to the words of Ibn al-Qayyim:
"And it is the Psalms, and the same as the Torah, and the *** Gospel, and the same as the Reminder and the Criterion
The whole is one thing in itself *** it does not accept division in the minds
It has neither all nor part, nor *** a letter, nor Arabic, nor Hebrew.
There is no description that it is Arabic or Hebrew, or that it has a letter or a sound, or that it is heard. Why? Because speech is the meaning that subsists in the self, and it is one thing that does not accept division, and does not accept that this is a command and this is a prohibition. Everything is one.