Are All Seven Ahruf of the Qur’an the Speech of Allah?

Question: اَلسَلامُ عَلَيْكُم I know The Quran was revealed in seven dialects. I know Qur'an is word of Allaah . So I want to know as Quran was revealed in seven dialects, so can we say all dialects are word of Allaah and all 7 types Allaah spoke

Summary:

Yes. All seven ahruf upon which the Quran was revealed are from the Speech of Allah, the Mighty and Majestic. All of them are revealed revelation and are uncreated, and Allah truly spoke them in a manner befitting His Majesty. It is not the case that some of the ahruf are the Speech of Allah while others are the speech of someone else. Rather, all of them are Quran that Allah revealed to His Prophet ﷺ as a facilitation for the Ummah, as established in the authentic hadiths.

Answer:

First: The Entire Quran Is the Speech of Allah

Ahl al-Sunnah wal-Jamaah believe that the Quran is truly the Speech of Allah, revealed and uncreated.

From the Qur'an:

  • [Surah al-Tawbah 9:6]
    "And if any one of the polytheists seeks your protection, then grant him protection so that he may hear the Speech of Allah."
  • [Surah al-Fath 48:15]
    "They wish to change the Speech of Allah."

From the Salaf:

  • Imam Ahmad رحمه الله said:
    "The Quran is the Speech of Allah, not created."

    Therefore, the Quran, with all of its words, letters, and meanings, is the Speech of Allah, the Mighty and Majestic.

Second: The Seven Ahruf Were Revealed from Allah

From the Sunnah:

  • al-Bukhari and MuslimUmar bin al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet ﷺ said:
    "Indeed, this Quran has been revealed upon seven ahruf, so recite whichever of them is easy for you."
  • In al-Bukhari and MuslimUbayy bin Kab (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet ﷺ said:
    "Indeed, Allah has commanded you that your Ummah recite the Quran upon seven ahruf."

    Thus, all seven ahruf were revealed from Allah. They were not the result of the Companions' independent reasoning, nor were they selections made by the reciters.

Third: Did Allah Speak All of the Seven Ahruf? Yes. Because all of these ahruf are Quran, and the Quran is the Speech of Allah. Whatever is from the Speech of Allah is something that Allah spoke.

From the Scholars:

  • Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah رحمه الله said:
    "All of the recitations that Allah revealed are the Speech of Allah."
  • He also said:
    "Everything that is established as Quran is something that Allah spoke."
  • Ibn al-Jazari رحمه الله said:
    "Every recitation whose chain is authentic and whose status as Quran is established has been revealed from Allah."

    Therefore, if it is established that a particular harf or recitation is revealed Quran, then it is from the Speech of Allah that He spoke.

Fourth: Does This Mean That Allah Repeated the Speech Seven Times? This is a matter concerning which there is no evidence requiring us to delve into its details. What must be believed is: • That all seven ahruf were revealed from Allah. • That all of them are the Speech of Allah. • That Jibril عليه السلام received them from Allah. • That the Prophet ﷺ conveyed them to his Companions. As for how Allah spoke them and the details of that, no text has come regarding it. Therefore, we stop where the revelation stops.

From the Salaf:

  • Imam Malik رحمه الله said regarding similar matters:
    "The istiwa is known, and its how is unknown."

    Likewise, it is said here: We affirm what revelation has affirmed and do not burden ourselves with matters concerning which no evidence has come.

Fifth: Does This Differ from the Position of the Asharis and Those Who Agree with Them? The answer is: Yes Ahl al-Sunnah say: • The Quran, with its words and meanings, is the Speech of Allah. • Allah truly spoke it with voice and letters in a manner befitting His Majesty. • Whatever is authentically established from the ahruf and recitations is from the Speech of Allah. • As for those who say that speech is a single internal meaning that is not connected to Allah's will, they face difficulty in explaining the multiplicity of the ahruf and recitations, because the texts indicate that all of these different wordings were revealed from Allah. For this reason, the methodology of the Salaf is more consistent with the texts and clearer in affirming what Allah informed us about Himself. Final Answer: • The entire Quran is the uncreated Speech of Allah. • All seven ahruf were revealed from Allah, the Mighty and Majestic. • All seven ahruf are truly from the Speech of Allah. • Allah spoke all of them in a manner befitting His Majesty and Greatness. • It is not permissible to say that some of the ahruf are the Speech of Allah while others are the speech of someone else. • What is obligatory is to affirm what revelation has affirmed without distortion, denial, or asking how, upon the methodology of the Salaf of this Ummah.

And Allah knows best.

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