The Shaykh’s discussion on the danger of the claim that a statement is merely its meaning, and the clarification that the correct understanding of any statement attributed to a speaker is that it refers to both the wording and the meaning of the one to whom it is attributed.

The Shaykh : What I want to bring to your attention, which in reality shows you the danger of this claim—the claim of casting doubt on every word of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him)—is that these narrators, the Companions, the Successors, and the Imams of hadith, in all these hadiths, did not transmit to us his words (peace and blessings be upon him) in their exact wording and meaning. This contains a very serious doubt that opens the door to skepticism. This will be very strange to you: doubt in the words of Allah (Mighty and Majestic). Allah the Exalted said in the Noble Qur'an: , and "And when We said to Moses..." and so on. Is this statement in its wording and meaning, or in its meaning without the wording? Here, you cannot waver as you did before. But what I want to say now is: this opens the door for the Asha'irah and the Maturidiyyah, who adopt this distinction: that it is not necessary that when it is said "So-and-so said," it means in his wording and meaning, but only the meaning. From here, Satan entered the Asha'irah long ago and the Maturidiyyah when they said what? They said the "psychological speech" (kalam nafsi), the psychological speech, meaning: this Qur'an is not the speech of Allah; it is psychological speech, and only the meaning is from Allah (Mighty and Majestic). Is this clear to you?
The student: Yes.

The Shaykh : And I do not think a Muslim who follows the methodology of the righteous Salaf would not believe, as established in the books of creed, that among the beliefs of the righteous Salaf is that the Qur'an is the speech of Allah in its wording and meaning, in its expression and its sense, and that it is heard speech. If what was said about the divine hadiths is then spread to the Prophetic hadiths, it leads us to adopt the statement of the Maturidiyyah and the Asha'irah: "Yes, this is the speech of Allah, and the speech of Allah is not created," and they mean the psychological speech. Why? Because we say "So-and-so said" does not mean it is his speech, but only the meaning. No, the reality that we must stand upon is: the original rule for every statement attributed to a person is that it is his wording and his meaning. However, there may be circumstances surrounding it that make us doubt that it is from his saying; that is another matter, an incidental matter. But the original rule when we say "So-and-so said" is that it is his wording and meaning. When we say "The poet said," it is in wording and meaning. When we say "The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said," it is in wording and meaning. When we say "Allah said," it is in wording and meaning.