Risala fi al-Quran wa Kalam Allah
- Author died
- 620 AH
- Editions
- Dār Aṭlas al-Khaḍrā’
Risala fi al-Quran wa Kalam Allah (Arabic: رسالة في القرآن وكلام الله, lit. 'Treatise on the Quran and the Speech of God') is a theological creedal treatise and fatwa by the Hanbali jurist and theologian Ibn Qudama (541–620 AH / 1146–1223 CE) addressing the nature of the Quran and the divine attribute of speech .
Background and Context
The treatise is structured in the format of a formal legal-theological query (istifta') and response (fatwa) . The questioner asks for clarification regarding two conflicting viewpoints:
- The view held by those who affirm that God's speech is an internal meaning subsisting within His essence (maʿnā qāʾim bi-l-dhāt) and that the physical surahs, verses, letters, and words in Muslim codices (maṣāḥif) and memorized in the hearts of believers are not God's speech .
- The view held by those who maintain that the Quran—which is God's eternal speech—consists of these very surahs, verses, letters, and words preserved in copies of the Quran and memorized by believers .
The question explicitly asks which of these two groups adheres to the path of Ahl al-Sunna wa-l-Jama'a, the Sunnah of the Prophet, and the righteous early generations (al-salaf al-salih) .
Content and Arguments
Ibn Qudama responds by asserting that the Quran is God's uncreated speech, revealed to the heart of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ . He identifies it specifically as the text contained within the maṣāḥif and memorized in memory, organized into clear verses and surahs from Surat al-Fatiha to Surat al-Nas .
To support his position, Ibn Qudama marshals scriptural descriptions of the Quran, arguing that God explicitly described His revelation as Arabic, recited, listened to, written, memorized, and divided into parts and verses . The treatise aligns with Ibn Qudama's broader polemical efforts against Ash'ari theological views on speech (kalam nafsi), sharing thematic arguments and style with his other dedicated works on the subject, such as al-Burhan fi Bayan al-Quran, al-Sirat al-Mustaqim fi Ithbat al-Harf al-Qadim, and Hikayat al-Munazara fi al-Quran al-Karim .
Transmission and Publication
The work has been preserved in a manuscript housed at the Central Library of Imam Mohammad Ibn Saud Islamic University in Riyadh (MS 10635 / F 12 Tawhid), spanning pages 101 to 105 in a composite codex (majmu') . This copy was transcribed on Monday, 17 Rajab 1227 AH, by the copyist 'Abd Salih ibn Hasan ibn Salih al-Maqdisi al-Hanbali .
The treatise was edited by Dr. Yusuf ibn Muhammad al-Sa'id and published in issue 61 of the Journal of Islamic Research (Majallat al-Buhuth al-Islamiyya) in 1421 AH (2000 CE) .
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