Divine Power and Divine Speech

قدرت — کلام

Divine Power (Qudra): The Power of Allah Most High is absolute and without limit. It encompasses all possible things — everything that is not self-contradictory is within the scope of Divine Power.

إِنَّ اللَّهَ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ

"Indeed, Allah has power over all things." (al-Baqara 2:20)

Divine Speech (Kalām): The Divine Speech is an eternal attribute of the Divine Essence. It is not like human speech, which consists of sounds, letters, and temporal sequences. The Quran, as the Speech of Allah, is eternal in its meaning and source, though its recitation in human voices and letters occurs in time. The Mu'tazila erred in claiming the Quran is created (makhluq); the Mujassima erred in affirming an entirely literal, temporal Divine Speech. The sound and letters are created, but the meanings and the Divine Speech as an attribute of the Essence are eternal.

The inimitability (i'jāz) of the Quran is evidence of its Divine origin — no human being or group of human beings, despite the explicit challenge (tahaddi), has been able to produce anything comparable in literary excellence, wisdom, and the depth of its meanings.