DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC RELATIONS LADJNA IMA'ILLAH NETHERLANDS HOLY QUR'AN: THE WORD OF GOD HOLY QUR’AN: THE WORD OF GOD VS CREATEDNESS
Createdness refers to the Islamic doctrinal position that the Qur’an was created, rather than having always existed and thus being "uncreated“
Majority of Sunni Muslims believe that the Qur’an is the word of God
Some shia sects believe that the Qur’an was created. HOLY QUR’AN: THE WORD OF GOD VS CREATEDNESS
A philosophical discussion which has caused great damage to Muslims who were weak or ignorant but it has also strengthen the Islam, showing the beauty of the perservence of it’s teachings. HOLY QUR’AN: THE WORD OF GOD VS CREATEDNESS
- This dispute started during the post Khulfa-e-Rashideen era.
- During the Abassid Caliphate HOLY QUR’AN: THE WORD OF GOD VS CREATEDNESS
The Islamic rationalist philosophical school known as the Mu'tazila started this discussion > Mu’tazalites
- Rejecting the doctrine of the Qur'an as uncreated and co-eternal with God
- “God must have preceded his own speech”
- Argued that if the Qur'an could be subjected to abrogation, with a new verse abrogating an earlier one, but did not believe in abrogation HOLY QUR’AN: THE WORD OF GOD VS CREATEDNESS
- In 827 CE, (around 211 hijra), al-Ma’mun publicly adopted the doctrine of createdness.
- Six year later instituting an inquisition known as the mihna (test or ordeal) to "ensure acquiescence in this doctrine“
- It was only applied on the “qadis” HOLY QUR’AN: THE WORD OF GOD VS CREATEDNESS
Traditionist Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal (780–855 CE/164–241 AH) - Ibn Hanbal compiled one of the most important Sunni hadith collections, the Musnad.
- An Arab Muslim jurist, theologian, ascetic, hadith traditionist, and founder of the Hanbali school of Sunni jurisprudence — one of the four major orthodox legal schools of Sunni Islam.
- Refused to accept the doctrine of createdness.
- Imprisonment and scourged until unconscious HOLY QUR’AN: THE WORD OF GOD VS CREATEDNESS
Claims of Shia to support the idea of Quran as Createdness
- God's attributes of doing (creating, giving sustenance, etc.) cannot be eternal since they require objects to do actions to
- Abu Ja'far Muhammad ibn 'Ali Ibn Babawayh al-Qummi c. 923–991 - We will have to admit that the world has always existed. But it is against our belief that nothing except God is Eternal. HOLY QUR’AN: THE WORD OF GOD VS CREATEDNESS
Most of the Shia also condemns the Createdness
leading Shia Ayatullah Sayyid Abulqasim al-Khui (1899–1992) declared that "the question of whether the Qur'an was created or eternal is an extraneous matter that has no connection with the Islamic doctrine", and blames the intrusion of the ideas of alien "Greek philosophy" into the Muslim community for dividing the Ummah "into factions which accused each other of disbelief“ HOLY QUR’AN: THE WORD OF GOD VS CREATEDNESS
- Traditionists, like Imam Ibn Hanbal said: Numerous records of the words, actions, or approval of Muhammad (aḥādīth) support the contention that as God's speech, the Qur’an is an attribute of God and therefore "uncreated“
- The "uncreated Word of God" (kalām Allāh ayr ma lū ) g̲ h̲ k̲ h̲ ḳ HOLY QUR’AN: THE WORD OF GOD VS CREATEDNESS
Imam Ibn Hanbal has a famous role in this discussion:
- Great follower of the Sunnah - "If someone were to follow every rukhṣa [dispensation] that is in the ḥadīth, he would become a transgressor (fāsiq)” - Imam ibn Hanbal was student of a Hanafi judge, Abu Yusuf, the renowned student and companion of Imaam Abu Hanifah - Studied Islamic law under Al-Shafi’i. Imam Ash-Shaf'i was a student of Malik ibn Anas.
The four schools of Islamic Juriprudence: Hanafi, Maliki, Shafi and Hanbali HOLY QUR’AN: THE WORD OF GOD VS CREATEDNESS
Imam Ibn Hanbal has a famous role in this discussion:
- Demise of Imam Ibn Hanbal:
- On Friday, 12 Rabi-ul-awwal, 241 AH/ 2 August, 855
- At the age of 74-75 in Baghdad, Iraq
- 800,000 men and 60,000 women
- 20,000 Christians and Jews converted to Islam on that day HOLY QUR’AN: THE WORD OF GOD VS CREATEDNESS
The statement of Ahmadiyya Khalifa’s in this discussion
The Second Khalifa: Praised Imam Hanbal. [ Fazael –e Qur’an ]
The Fourth Khalifa: I do not want to start this discussion again, but I will say that the Holy Qur’an is uncreated.
HOLY QUR’AN: THE WORD OF GOD VS CREATEDNESS
Quranic createdness – Wikipedia
Ahmad ibn Hanbal – Wikipedia
Fazail-ul-Quran.pdf (alislam.org)