Quran: Created or Uncreated? 

One of the most controversial historical divides between the rationalists (Muʿtazilites) and the traditionalists (Sunnis) in 9th-century Islam was the nature of the Quran and whether it was created or uncreated. On one side, Mutazilites vehemently argued the Quran was created, asserting that since the Quran is the word of God, He “must have preceded His own speech.”¹ Sunnis, on the other hand, took the hardline opposing view that is best encompassed in the following statement by at-Tabari, “whoever says otherwise [that the Qruan was created] is an infidel whose blood may be shed and from whom God has dissociated Himself.”²

Although this debate may appear trivial initially, it holds broad metaphysical implications. The stance one takes on this issue profoundly impacts our understanding of God and the fundamental nature of reality itself. It’s not just a simple matter; it’s a window into how we conceptualize the divine and our place in the cosmos. This wasn’t merely about scriptural interpretation; it was a struggle to define the fabric of truth and reality by understanding the nature of God and His words.

Historical Background (The Abbasids)

In 750 CE / 132 AH, the Abbasids overthrew the Umayyad Caliphate. The Abbasid caliphs were Arabs who traced their lineage to Abbas ibn Abd al-Muttalib, an uncle of the Prophet Muhammad. They belonged to the same Banu Hashim clan of the Quraish as Muhammad. The Abbasids asserted their right to the caliphate, claiming that their closer bloodline to Muhammad made them the rightful successors to the Umayyad caliphs, who were descended from the Banu Umayya clan of the Quraish.

For reference, below is the succession of the Abbasid Caliphs. The most pertinent to the debate on whether the Quran was created were from al-Ma’mun to al-Mutawakkil.

• al-Saffah (r. 750–754 CE / 132–136 AH)
  • The first caliph of the Abbasid Caliphate.
  • Died at the age of 33 and was succeeded by his brother.
• al-Mansur (r. 754–775 CE / 136–158 AH)
  • Died at age 61 and was succeeded by his son.
• al-Mahdi (r. 775–785 CE / 158–169 AH)
  • Died at age 40/41 and was succeeded by his son.
• al-Hadi (r. 785–786 CE / 169–170 AH)
  • Died at age 22 and was succeeded by his brother.
• Harun al-Rashid (r. 786–809 CE / 170–193 AH)
  • Founded the House of Wisdom
  • Died at age 43 and was succeeded by his son.
• Al-Amin (r. 809–813 CE / 193–197 AH)
  • Died at the age of 26 and was succeeded by his brother.
• al-Ma’mun (r. 813–833 CE / 197–218 AH)
  • Began the inquisition against those who claimed the Quran was uncreated
  • Died at the age of 46 and was succeeded by his half-brother.
• al-Mu’tasim (r. 833–842 CE / 218–227 AH)
  • Died at age 45 and was succeeded by his son.
• al-Wathiq (r. 842–847 CE / 227–232 AH)
  • Died at age 35 and was succeeded by his half-brother.
• al-Mutawakkil (r. 847-861 CE / 232–247 AH)
  • First Sunni Abbasid Caliph
  • Died at age 39 and was succeeded by his son al-Muntasir.

The House of Wisdom (Bayt al-Hikmah)

The shining achievement of the Abbasid Caliphate rests in the start of the Islamic Golden Age and the founding of The House of Wisdom (Bayt al-Ḥikmah / بيت الحكمة ) under the Caliph Harun al-Rashid in Baghdad. The House of Wisdom was the world’s largest public library at the time and consisted of a mass effort to collect works and translate these works into Arabic. This included works in Greek, Syriac, Pahlavi, and Sanskrit. This effort made Baghdad the most educated populace in the world and produced some of the greatest minds in philosophy, mathematics, medicine, astronomy, optics, physiology, and numerous other fields for their time.

Mutazlites vs. Sunnis

The predominant Islamic ideology of the people of Baghdad during the apex of the Islamic Golden Age in Baghdad was that of the Muʿtazilites, also known as the people of Kalam (speech), who particularly loved to debate. They adamantly argued against Hadith and instead focused on understanding the Quran as their source of religious law and using their God-given reason and logic to extract rulings and wisdom from the Quran as well as science. For example, while Sunnis were memorizing the chains of narrators for their Hadith, Muʿtazilites like Ibrahim al-Nazzam (775–845 CE) memorized the Qur’an, the Torah, the Injeel, and Psalms and their interpretation so he could refute Christians.³

In opposition to the Muʿtazilites were the traditionalists (Sunnis), whose religion was predominately based on Hadith. The most prominent Sunni in opposition to the createdness of the Quran was Ahmad Ibn Hanbal (780–855 CE / 164–241 AH), the founder of the Hanbali school of Sunni Islam and the most notable individual supporting the idea that the Quran was uncreated.

These two groups had many disputes based on their fundamentally different paradigms of understanding the religion, but for one reason or another, the question regarding whether the Quran was created or not became a major focus of the divide between these two schools of thought. Muʿtazilites upheld the position that the Quran was created, while Sunnis upheld that the Quran was eternal and, therefore, was uncreated. Thus, the Sunnis were stating that the Quran always co-existed with God, and just like God never had a beginning, God’s word never had a beginning and just always is. On the other hand, Muʿtazilites held that if the Quran is God’s word, logically, God must have preceded his own speech.

Ahmad Ibn Hanbal’s ideology

Unlike the schools that preceded him, Hanafi, Malaki, and Shaifi’i, Ibu Hanbal declined to write a book of fiqh and forbade his companions to read books of fiqh out of fear that doing so would make them dispense with hadiths.⁴ Hanbal way of thinking was to try to make all rulings come from Hadith. He believed even a weak (dai’f) Hadith had more merit than any rulings made by logic and reason. Because of this understanding, he spent most of his life collecting and rating Hadith. His Musanad consists of some 30,000 narrations, and he claims that while all of them may not be authentic, it consists of any authentic narration that can be attributed to the prophet.⁵

In the book “Misquoting Muhammad,” Jonathan Brown writes on page 44,

“Although Ibn Hanbal acknowledged that there were many Hadiths in his Musnad that suffered from some flaw or weakness in their Isnads, he felt they were all admissible in elaborating some area of the Shariah. He explained that, as long as a Hadith was supported by an Isnad reliable enough to show it was not a patent forgery, “then one was required to accept it and act accordingly to the Prophet’s words.’ ‘A flawed Hadith is preferable to me than a scholar’s opinion or Qiyas,’ he added. Muslims were, Ibn Hanbal reminded his students, commanded to take their religion from on high and not rely on the flawed faculty of reason.”

Ahmad forbade people to study kalam, the science that discusses religion using philosophical means. He criticized those who involved themselves with kalam, even if they were correct because it was not something the Salaf (the first three generations after the prophet) had done.⁶

Ibn Hanbal’s Argument for the Quran being Uncreated

According to Ibn Qutayba, Ibn Hanbal is reported to have said, “When people resorted to their scholars, they did not tell them it was an innovation to discuss it, but they removed doubt with certainty, dispelled confusion, and removed distress. They agreed that the Qur’an is not created and gave fatwa to that effect. They used evidence and proofs, investigated and compared and deduced evidence for their fatwa from the Book of Allah…”⁷

According to Ibn Hanbal, in a letter he wrote to al-Mutawakkil recorded in the History of Islam by adh-Dhahabi, he stated that the Salaf view was that the Qur’an is not created. His argument was that the Quran is the Word of Allah, and the Word of Allah cannot be considered Allah’s creation. The Qur’an is part of Allah’s knowledge, and Allah’s knowledge is not created.⁸

Ibn Hanbal is even recorded as saying, “One must repeat the prayer if it was led by Hisham.”⁹ Hisham was a famous reciter of the Quran, and it is explained that Ibn Hanbal made this decree because Hisham had an ideological position that one’s recitation of the Quran is created.¹⁰ This shows that the understanding of Ibn Hanbal and other contemporaries who supported the view that the Quran was uncreated understood that it is even kufr (disbelief) to say that the recitation of the Quran is created.

Al-Ma’mun

The debate regarding the creation of the Quran got more extreme during the reign of al-Ma’mun, who publicly adopted the doctrine of the createdness of the Quran. Towards the end of his rule, he became a lot more forceful regarding his stance on this subject. In the final year of his rule, he sent pronouncements to the most influential religious leaders in his various provinces to have them assert that the Quran was created. This was predominantly targeted towards the faqaha’ and the hadith scholars. If they claimed that the Quran was uncreated, they were first threatened with removal of any government position they held and non-acceptance of testimony.⁹ If they they were not straightforward with their answers, they would be pressed further and, in some cases, fettered, shackled, imprisoned, and possibly death by incarceration.

Al-Ma’mun’s argument for the Quran being Created

Al-Ma’mun summarized his position regarding the createdness of the Quran in the following letter he sent to all his officials in their respective provinces:

“…They are unable to value Allah as He should be valued; to recognize Him as He should be recognized, or to distinguish between Him and His creation, because of their deficient intelligence and inabiliyt to think logically. That is why they set forth an equivalence between Allah and the Qur’an He has revealed, maintaing that outside time, not created and originated by Allah.

Allah Almighty says in His Book, which He has made a healing for the breates and mercy and guidance for the beelivers,

“We made it an Arabic Qur’an (43:3)
إِنَّا جَعَلْنَـٰهُ قُرْءَٰنًا عَرَبِيًّا لَّعَلَّكُمْ تَعْقِلُونَ

‘Made ( جَعَلْ )‘ means created. He says,

“Praise belongs to Allah who created the heavens and the earth and appointed darkness and light.” (6:1)

ٱلْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ ٱلَّذِى خَلَقَ ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضَ وَجَعَلَ ٱلظُّلُمَـٰتِ وَٱلنُّورَ ثُمَّ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا۟ بِرَبِّهِمْ يَعْدِلُونَ

He says,

“Thus do we give you news of what has gone before.” (20:99)
كَذَٰلِكَ نَقُصُّ عَلَيْكَ مِنْ أَنۢبَآءِ مَا قَدْ سَبَقَ وَقَدْ ءَاتَيْنَـٰكَ مِن لَّدُنَّا ذِكْرًا

So He reports the stories of things after they have happened. He says,

“Alif Lam Ra, A book whose verses are perfectly constructed and then demarcated, coming directly from One who is All-Wise, All-Aware (11:1)
الٓر كِتَـٰبٌ أُحْكِمَتْ ءَايَـٰتُهُۥ ثُمَّ فُصِّلَتْ مِن لَّدُنْ حَكِيمٍ خَبِيرٍ

Every ‘constructed’ ( أُحْكِمَتْ ) and ‘demarcateed’ ( فُصِّلَتْ ) thing must be created and originated.

“Then people presented a flase argument, called people their posiition and claimed to be upholders of the Sunna while every part of the Book of Allah are stories whose very words invalidate their posiiton and refute their claim and poistion and creed…”

The first letter of al-Ma’mun dated Rai’ al-Awwal, 218 AH¹⁰

Mihna

This inquisition of individuals who believed the Quran was uncreated was known as the Mihna and started with the reign of al-Ma’mum but continued for the next fourteen years through his two sons, al-Mu’tasim and al-Wathiq.

Al-Ma’mun punished Ibn Hanbal through censure, imprisonment, and injury for his views on the Quran being uncreated, as well as other prominent Sunnis of that time. After his reign, his son, Al-Mu’tasim, punished him with imprisonment and flogging. Followed by his son, Al-Wathiq, who punished him with banishment and constriction. The Mihna against those who believed the Quran was uncreated ended when al-Mutawakkil came to power. He was the first Abbasid Caliph to embrace Sunni Islam. Upon his rule, he elevated the status of Ibn Hanbal, and Sunni Islam gained the upper hand against the Muʿtazilites.

Al-Bukhari (810–870 CE / 194–256 AH)

But for all the hostility that was displayed by the Muʿtazilites toward the Sunnis, the same resentment was mirrored by Sunnis towards anyone who dared to suggest that the Quran was uncreated. And this wasn’t even limited to the opposing Muʿtazilites but even the members within their own fold. The best example of this can be seen in how some of the most prominent Sunnis reacted to Bukhari’s position on the matter.

Bukhari believed that while God’s speech is timeless, the letters and words that make His speech were created. Such that according to Jonathan Brown, Bukhari had reportedly declared that “reciting the Quran is an element of createdness.” This slight concession was enough to have him exiled from Nishapur. Some of the most prominent scholars of Hadith of that time, Abu Hatim al-Razi (811–890 CE) and Abu Zur’ah Al-Razi (815–878 CE), renounced Bukhari and refused to accept his narrations because Bukhari’s belief in Qur’an as being created.¹¹ He then fled back to his hometown of Bukhara only to be nearly beaten to death at the age of 60 for his comments towards the recitation of the Quran being created action. He finally fled to live his final days in exile in a small town called Khartank outside of Samarkand.¹²

Creation vs. Uncreated

The argument whether the Quran was created or uncreated can be summed up in the following way. If you go with the verses of the Quran, it is clear that the Quran describes itself as created, but if you rely on the interpretation of Sunni scholars, you are forced to accept the understanding of what is attributed to the Salaf that the Quran is uncreated.

Quran Position on Its Createdness

Like the ones stated above in the letter from al-Mamun, the following verses from the Quran refer to itself as being created.

[43:3] We have made it an Arabic Quran, that you may understand.

 إِنَّا جَعَلْنَـٰهُ قُرْءَٰنًا عَرَبِيًّا لَّعَلَّكُمْ تَعْقِلُونَ

1	innā	إِنَّا	Indeed, we
2	jaʿalnāhu	جَعَلْنَـٰهُ	[we] made it
3	qur’ānan	قُرْءَٰنًا	a Quran
4	ʿarabiyyan	عَرَبِيًّا	Arabic
5	laʿallakum	لَّعَلَّكُمْ	so that you [all] may
6	taʿqilūna	تَعْقِلُونَ	[you all] understand.

[41:44] If we made it a non-Arabic Quran they would have said, “Why did it come down in that language?” Whether it is Arabic or non-Arabic, say, “For those who believe, it is a guide and healing. As for those who disbelieve, they will be deaf and blind to it, as if they are being addressed from faraway.”

 وَلَوْ جَعَلْنَـٰهُ قُرْءَانًا أَعْجَمِيًّا لَّقَالُوا۟ لَوْلَا فُصِّلَتْ ءَايَـٰتُهُۥٓ ءَا۬عْجَمِىٌّ وَعَرَبِىٌّ قُلْ هُوَ لِلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ هُدًى وَشِفَآءٌ وَٱلَّذِينَ لَا يُؤْمِنُونَ فِىٓ ءَاذَانِهِمْ وَقْرٌ وَهُوَ عَلَيْهِمْ عَمًى أُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ يُنَادَوْنَ مِن مَّكَانٍۭ بَعِيدٍ

1	walaw	وَلَوْ	And if
2	jaʿalnāhu	جَعَلْنَـٰهُ	we made it
3	qur’ānan	قُرْءَانًا	a Quran
4	aʿjamiyyan	أَعْجَمِيًّا	non-Arabic,
5	laqālū	لَّقَالُوا۟	surely they would have said,
6	lawlā	لَوْلَا	“Why not
7	fuṣṣilat	فُصِّلَتْ	[it] was explained in detail
8	āyātuhu	ءَايَـٰتُهُۥٓ	its verses (in that language)?”
9	āʿ’jamiyyun	ءَا۬عْجَمِىٌّ	Whether non-Arabic
10	waʿarabiyyun	وَعَرَبِىٌّ	or Arabic,

[19:97] We thus made this (Quran) elucidated in your tongue, in order to deliver good news to the righteous, and to warn with it the opponents.

 فَإِنَّمَا يَسَّرْنَـٰهُ بِلِسَانِكَ لِتُبَشِّرَ بِهِ ٱلْمُتَّقِينَ وَتُنذِرَ بِهِۦ قَوْمًا لُّدًّا

1	fa-innamā	فَإِنَّمَا	So, only
2	yassarnāhu	يَسَّرْنَـٰهُ	we made it easy
3	bilisānika	بِلِسَانِكَ	in your tongue,

[54:17] We made the Quran easy to learn. Does any of you wish to learn?

 وَلَقَدْ يَسَّرْنَا ٱلْقُرْءَانَ لِلذِّكْرِ فَهَلْ مِن مُّدَّكِرٍ

1	walaqad	وَلَقَدْ	And certainly
2	yassarnā	يَسَّرْنَا	we made easy
3	l-qur’āna	ٱلْقُرْءَانَ	the Quran

[42:52] Thus, we inspired to you a revelation proclaiming our commandments. You had no idea about the scripture, or faith. Yet, we made this a beacon to guide whomever we choose from among our servants. Surely, you guide in a straight path.

 وَكَذَٰلِكَ أَوْحَيْنَآ إِلَيْكَ رُوحًا مِّنْ أَمْرِنَا مَا كُنتَ تَدْرِى مَا ٱلْكِتَـٰبُ وَلَا ٱلْإِيمَـٰنُ وَلَـٰكِن جَعَلْنَـٰهُ نُورًا نَّهْدِى بِهِۦ مَن نَّشَآءُ مِنْ عِبَادِنَا وَإِنَّكَ لَتَهْدِىٓ إِلَىٰ صِرَٰطٍ مُّسْتَقِيمٍ

14	walākin	وَلَـٰكِن	But
15	jaʿalnāhu	جَعَلْنَـٰهُ	we made it
16	nūran	نُورًا	a light,
17	nahdī	نَّهْدِى	we guide
18	bihi	بِهِۦ	with it
19	man	مَن	whom
20	nashāu	نَّشَآءُ	we will
21	min	مِنْ	of
22	ʿibādinā	عِبَادِنَا	our servants.

[32:23] We have given Moses the scripture—do not harbor any doubt about meeting Him—and we made it a guide for the Children of Israel.

 وَلَقَدْ ءَاتَيْنَا مُوسَى ٱلْكِتَـٰبَ فَلَا تَكُن فِى مِرْيَةٍ مِّن لِّقَآئِهِۦ وَجَعَلْنَـٰهُ هُدًى لِّبَنِىٓ إِسْرَٰٓءِيلَ

11	wajaʿalnāhu	وَجَعَلْنَـٰهُ	And we made it
12	hudan	هُدًى	a guide
13	libanī	لِّبَنِىٓ	for (the) Children (of)
14	is’rāīla	إِسْرَٰٓءِيلَ	Israel.

The Sunni Argument

The irony is that the Sunnis have to resort to flawed philosophical reasoning for their argument to support the understanding they are attributing to the Salaf regarding the matter. Their argument follows the following deductions:

1. God is uncreated.
2. God consists of attributes.
3. Therefore, His attributes must be uncreated.
4. One of God’s attributes is speech.
5. Therefore, God’s speech must also be uncreated.
6. The Quran is God’s speech.
7. Therefore, the Quran is uncreated.

Paradoxes of Uncreated Speech

This line of reasoning can get really wonky really quick. If Sunnis say that God’s speech is uncreated, then they are forced to say that if one recites God’s speech, that action of reciting must also be timeless.

[17:78] You shall observe the Contact Prayer (Salat) when the sun declines from its highest point at noon, as it moves towards sunset. You shall also recite [the Quran] at dawn. (Reciting) the Quran at dawn is witnessed.

(٧٨) أَقِمِ ٱلصَّلَوٰةَ لِدُلُوكِ ٱلشَّمْسِ إِلَىٰ غَسَقِ ٱلَّيْلِ وَقُرْءَانَ ٱلْفَجْرِ إِنَّ قُرْءَانَ ٱلْفَجْرِ كَانَ مَشْهُودًا

8	waqur’āna	وَقُرْءَانَ	and Quran / recitation
9	l-fajri	ٱلْفَجْرِ	(at) [the] dawn,
10	inna	إِنَّ	indeed,
11	qur’āna	قُرْءَانَ	(the) Quran / recitation
12	l-fajri	ٱلْفَجْرِ	(at) the dawn
13	kāna	كَانَ	it is
14	mashhūdan	مَشْهُودًا	witnessed.

If you think this is absurd, this exact point was argued by Sunnis according to Ibn Qutaybah (828–889 CE), who reported that some people said that the actual recitation was timeless – which would entail the action of the human beings who performed it being uncreated.¹³

Furthermore, the scholar al-Tabari (d. 923 CE) declared in his aqidah (creed) that (in the words of Islamic historian Michael Cook) the Quran is:

God’s uncreated word however it is written or recited, whether it be in heaven or on earth, whether written on the ‘guarded tablet’ or on the tablets of schoolboys, whether inscribed on stone or on paper, whether memorized in the heart or spoken on the tongue; whoever says otherwise is an infidel whose blood may be shed and from whom God has dissociated Himself.

Claiming that God’s speech is uncreated also poses other problems to Sunni doctrine, most notably their understanding that verses of the Quran have been abrogated by both other verses of the Quran as well as by the Sunnah of the prophet.

[6:115] The word of your Lord is complete, in truth and justice. Nothing shall abrogate His words. He is the Hearer, the Omniscient.

 وَتَمَّتْ كَلِمَتُ رَبِّكَ صِدْقًا وَعَدْلًا لَّا مُبَدِّلَ لِكَلِمَـٰتِهِۦ وَهُوَ ٱلسَّمِيعُ ٱلْعَلِيمُ

Secondly, to claim that God’s speech is eternal would imply that all of God’s scriptures, including the Torah and Injeel, are also eternal. Therefore, the concept of “before” or “after” should not apply to any of God’s scriptures.

[46:12] Before this, the book of Moses provided guidance and mercy. This too is a scripture that confirms, in Arabic, to warn those who transgressed, and to give good news to the righteous.

 وَمِن قَبْلِهِۦ كِتَـٰبُ مُوسَىٰٓ إِمَامًا وَرَحْمَةً وَهَـٰذَا كِتَـٰبٌ مُّصَدِّقٌ لِّسَانًا عَرَبِيًّا لِّيُنذِرَ ٱلَّذِينَ ظَلَمُوا۟ وَبُشْرَىٰ لِلْمُحْسِنِينَ

But these items are minor compared to the more significant issue. To claim that God’s speech is uncreated implies that everything that God spoke is also uncreated, and since everything God spoke “Be” to would then also be uncreated. This is a clear contradiction to the Quran, which claims that God created the Heavens and the Earth and commanded them to come into existence.

[2:117] The Initiator of the heavens and the earth: to have anything done, He simply says to it, “Be,” and it is.

 بَدِيعُ ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ وَإِذَا قَضَىٰٓ أَمْرًا فَإِنَّمَا يَقُولُ لَهُۥ كُن فَيَكُونُ

[6:73] He is the One who created the heavens and the earth, truthfully. Whenever He says, “Be,” it is. His word is the absolute truth. All sovereignty belongs to Him the day the horn is blown. Knower of all secrets and declarations, He is the Most Wise, the Cognizant.

 وَهُوَ ٱلَّذِى خَلَقَ ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضَ بِٱلْحَقِّ وَيَوْمَ يَقُولُ كُن فَيَكُونُ قَوْلُهُ ٱلْحَقُّ وَلَهُ ٱلْمُلْكُ يَوْمَ يُنفَخُ فِى ٱلصُّورِ عَـٰلِمُ ٱلْغَيْبِ وَٱلشَّهَـٰدَةِ وَهُوَ ٱلْحَكِيمُ ٱلْخَبِيرُ

[41:11] Then He turned to the sky, when it was still gas, and said to it, and to the earth, “Come into existence, willingly or unwillingly.” They said, “We come willingly.”

 ثُمَّ ٱسْتَوَىٰٓ إِلَى ٱلسَّمَآءِ وَهِىَ دُخَانٌ فَقَالَ لَهَا وَلِلْأَرْضِ ٱئْتِيَا طَوْعًا أَوْ كَرْهًا قَالَتَآ أَتَيْنَا طَآئِعِينَ

This would also be the case for Adam as well, who Sunnis would have to argue existed with God for all of eternity.

[3:59] The example of Jesus, as far as GOD is concerned, is the same as that of Adam; He created him from dust, then said to him, “Be,” and he was.

 إِنَّ مَثَلَ عِيسَىٰ عِندَ ٱللَّهِ كَمَثَلِ ءَادَمَ خَلَقَهُۥ مِن تُرَابٍ ثُمَّ قَالَ لَهُۥ كُن فَيَكُونُ

Yet, God tells us that he created not just Adam, but all humans.

[15:28] Your Lord said to the angels, “I am creating a human being from aged mud, like the potter’s clay.

وَإِذْ قَالَ رَبُّكَ لِلْمَلَـٰٓئِكَةِ إِنِّى خَـٰلِقٌۢ بَشَرًا مِّن صَلْصَـٰلٍ مِّنْ حَمَإٍ مَّسْنُونٍ

This becomes particularly problematic in regard to Jesus, who is called the word of God, who Sunnis would have to defend coexisted for all of eternity with God if they are to continue arguing that God’s words are eternal and that the Quran is uncreated.

[4:171] O people of the scripture, do not transgress the limits of your religion, and do not say about GOD except the truth. The Messiah, Jesus, the son of Mary, was a messenger of GOD, and His word that He had sent to Mary, and a revelation from Him. Therefore, you shall believe in GOD and His messengers. You shall not say, “Trinity.” You shall refrain from this for your own good. GOD is only one god. Be He glorified; He is much too glorious to have a son. To Him belongs everything in the heavens and everything on earth. GOD suffices as Lord and Master.

 يَـٰٓأَهْلَ ٱلْكِتَـٰبِ لَا تَغْلُوا۟ فِى دِينِكُمْ وَلَا تَقُولُوا۟ عَلَى ٱللَّهِ إِلَّا ٱلْحَقَّ إِنَّمَا ٱلْمَسِيحُ عِيسَى ٱبْنُ مَرْيَمَ رَسُولُ ٱللَّهِ وَكَلِمَتُهُۥٓ أَلْقَىٰهَآ إِلَىٰ مَرْيَمَ وَرُوحٌ مِّنْهُ فَـَٔامِنُوا۟ بِٱللَّهِ وَرُسُلِهِۦ وَلَا تَقُولُوا۟ ثَلَـٰثَةٌ ٱنتَهُوا۟ خَيْرًا لَّكُمْ إِنَّمَا ٱللَّهُ إِلَـٰهٌ وَٰحِدٌ سُبْحَـٰنَهُۥٓ أَن يَكُونَ لَهُۥ وَلَدٌ لَّهُۥ مَا فِى ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَمَا فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ وَكَفَىٰ بِٱللَّهِ وَكِيلًا

13	innamā	إِنَّمَا	Only
14	l-masīḥu	ٱلْمَسِيحُ	the Messiah,
15	ʿīsā	عِيسَى	Jesus,
16	ub’nu	ٱبْنُ	son (of)
17	maryama	مَرْيَمَ	Mary,
18	rasūlu	رَسُولُ	(was) a messenger (of)
19	l-lahi	ٱللَّهِ	God
20	wakalimatuhu	وَكَلِمَتُهُۥٓ	and His word
21	alqāhā	أَلْقَىٰهَآ	He gifted / sent it
22	ilā	إِلَىٰ	to
23	maryama	مَرْيَمَ	Mary
24	warūḥun	وَرُوحٌ	and a revelation
25	min’hu	مِّنْهُ	from Him.

Conclusion

This absurd position that Sunnis have caught themselves in by defending their idolization of Salaf at all costs has led them to argue that Jesus coexisted with God for all of eternity. As usual, the Sunnis disregard the clear verses of the Quran in favor of the conjecture of their scholars.

[9:31] They have set up their religious leaders and scholars as lords, instead of GOD. Others deified the Messiah, son of Mary. They were all commanded to worship only one god. There is no god except He. Be He glorified, high above having any partners.

 ٱتَّخَذُوٓا۟ أَحْبَارَهُمْ وَرُهْبَـٰنَهُمْ أَرْبَابًا مِّن دُونِ ٱللَّهِ وَٱلْمَسِيحَ ٱبْنَ مَرْيَمَ وَمَآ أُمِرُوٓا۟ إِلَّا لِيَعْبُدُوٓا۟ إِلَـٰهًا وَٰحِدًا لَّآ إِلَـٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ سُبْحَـٰنَهُۥ عَمَّا يُشْرِكُونَ

This fulfills the Quranic prophecy of the people abandoning the Quran.

[25:27] The day will come when the transgressor will bite his hands (in anguish) and say, “Alas, I wish I had followed the path with the messenger.
[25:28] “Alas, woe to me, I wish I did not take that person as a friend.
[25:29] “He has led me away from the message after it came to me. Indeed, the devil lets down his human victims.”
[25:30] The messenger said, “My Lord, my people have deserted this Quran.”

 وَيَوْمَ يَعَضُّ ٱلظَّالِمُ عَلَىٰ يَدَيْهِ يَقُولُ يَـٰلَيْتَنِى ٱتَّخَذْتُ مَعَ ٱلرَّسُولِ سَبِيلًا

 يَـٰوَيْلَتَىٰ لَيْتَنِى لَمْ أَتَّخِذْ فُلَانًا خَلِيلًا

 لَّقَدْ أَضَلَّنِى عَنِ ٱلذِّكْرِ بَعْدَ إِذْ جَآءَنِى وَكَانَ ٱلشَّيْطَـٰنُ لِلْإِنسَـٰنِ خَذُولًا

 وَقَالَ ٱلرَّسُولُ يَـٰرَبِّ إِنَّ قَوْمِى ٱتَّخَذُوا۟ هَـٰذَا ٱلْقُرْءَانَ مَهْجُورًا

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1.  Kadri, Sadakat (2012). Heaven on Earth: A Journey Through Shari’a Law from the Deserts of Ancient Arabia … macmillan. p. 77. ISBN 9780099523277.
   ↩︎
2. Cook, Michael (2000). The Koran : A Very Short Introduction. Oxford University Press. p. 112. ISBN 0192853449. The Koran : A Very Short Introduction. ↩︎
3. “A Muslim Theologian in the Sectarian Milieu, ‘Abd al-Jabbar and the Critique of Christian Origins,” by Gabriel Said Reynolds ↩︎
4. The Four Imams by Muhamad Abu Zahra p. 388 ↩︎
5. Hadith Literature by Muhammad Zubayr Siddiqi p. 11 ↩︎
6. The Four Imams by Muhamad Abu Zahra p.407 ↩︎
7. The Four Imams by Muhamad Abu Zahra p. 452 ↩︎
8. The Four Imams by Muhamad Abu Zahra p. 453 ↩︎
9. The Four Imams by Muhamad Abu Zahra p.409 ↩︎
10. The Four Imams by Muhamad Abu Zahra p.411 ↩︎
11. A Critical Assessment of Sahih Bukhari and Muslim p.13 ↩︎
12. https://youtu.be/y69f-_CasAw ↩︎
13. The Four Imams by Muhamad Abu Zahra p. 452 ↩︎

WordPress is having an issue with footnotes not saving correctly, so adding the correct list here as a fallback:

1. Kadri, Sadakat (2012). Heaven on Earth: A Journey Through Shari’a Law from the Deserts of Ancient Arabia … macmillan. p. 77. ISBN 9780099523277.
2. Cook, Michael (2000). The Koran : A Very Short Introduction. Oxford University Press. p. 112. ISBN0192853449. The Koran : A Very Short Introduction.
3. “A Muslim Theologian in the Sectarian Milieu, ‘Abd al-Jabbar and the Critique of Christian Origins,” by Gabriel Said Reynolds
4. The Four Imams by Muhamad Abu Zahra p. 388
5. Hadith Literature by Muhammad Zubayr Siddiqi p. 11
6. The Four Imams by Muhamad Abu Zahra p.407
7. The Four Imams by Muhamad Abu Zahra p. 452
8. The Four Imams by Muhamad Abu Zahra p. 453
9. The Second Canonization of the Qur’an, Nasser, p. 132
10. The Reliability of the Qurra’ in Recitation and Hadith, Farid al-Bahraini p.8
11. The Four Imams by Muhamad Abu Zahra p.409
12. The Four Imams by Muhamad Abu Zahra p.411
13. A Critical Assessment of Sahih Bukhari and Muslim p.13
14. https://youtu.be/y69f-_CasAw
15. The Four Imams by Muhamad Abu Zahra p. 452