160. Abū Bakr Ibn Ishāq al Sāghānī narrated to me and said: I saw in the book of Abū ‘Ubayd al Qāsim bin Sallām with his writing:
“If the jahmī says to you: ‘Inform me about the Qurān, is it Allāh or is it something other than Allāh?’
Then the answer is that it is said to him: ‘You have asked an impossible question. Because Allāh – ‘azza wa jalla – described it with a description which does not consist of anything of what you have asked about. Allāh – ‘azza wa jalla – said:
“Alif Lām Mīm The revelation of a Book in which there is no doubt, from the Lord of all the worlds.” (As-Sajdah 32:2)
So it is from Allāh – ‘azza wa jalla – and He did not say: ‘It is Me’, nor ‘It is other than Me’. He verily named it His Word. So for us there is nothing (to say) about it except what He adorned it with, and we negate for it what He negated.’
Then if they say: ‘Have you seen His – ‘azza wa jalla – Words:
“Verily Our Word to something when We want it (to occur or be) is that We say to it ‘Be’, and then it is.” (An-Nahl 16:40)
So the Qurān is ‘something’ and thereby ‘created’.’
Then it is said to him: ‘It is not the Word of Allāh which is called ‘something’. Have you not heard His Words:
“Verily Our Word to something when We want it (to occur or be) is that We say to it ‘Be’, and then it is.” (An-Nahl 16:40)
So He informed you that the ‘saying’ occurred from Him before the ‘something’. So the ‘saying’ from Allāh – azza wa jalla – is other than the ‘something’. And the meaning of His Word: “Be”, is that it was in His Knowledge that He would bring it into existence.”
[Al Sunnah 📚, by Abdillah bin Ahmad bin Hanbal, pg 88-89]