One
of the holy and pure attributes of Allah Most High is that He Speaks,
and that He speaks with a Voice. Neither Allah's Speech nor His Voice
is comparable or similar to the Speech or Voice of any of His
creations. Nevertheless, to deny the Attribute of Voice for Allah is
a satanic heresy. No Muslim who adheres to the Sunnah should fall
prey to the misguidance of deviated sects like the Jahmiyya and
Mu'tazila who deny that Allah Speaks Real Speech and that Allah
speaks with a Pure and Holy Voice.
The
proofs for this are many. Firstly, from the Suhuf-i-Mutahhara
(Qur'an), Allah Most High says, while addressing the Prophet Moses
(peace be upon him):
وَ
اَنَا اخۡتَرۡتُکَ فَاسۡتَمِعۡ لِمَا
یُوۡحٰی
Verily,
I have chosen you, so listen to that which is revealed (unto you)
[Surah
20:13]
Similarly,
Allah Most High says:
وَ
اِذَا سَمِعُوۡا مَاۤ اُنۡزِلَ اِلَی
الرَّسُوۡلِ
When
they listen to that which is revealed to the Messenger...[5:83]
وَ
اِذَا قُرِیَٔ الۡقُرۡاٰنُ فَاسۡتَمِعُوۡا
لَہٗ وَ اَنۡصِتُوۡا لَعَلَّکُمۡ
تُرۡحَمُوۡنَ
When
the Qur'an is recited, listen to it and be silent, that you may
receive Mercy [7:204]
الَّذِیۡنَ
یَسۡتَمِعُوۡنَ الۡقَوۡلَ فَیَتَّبِعُوۡنَ
اَحۡسَنَہٗ
Those
who listen to the Saying (of Allah), then follow the best of it
[39:18]
These
and many other verses of the Qur'an al-Karim prove that Allah's Words
are such that are are listened to, and it is only possible to
listen to something (with one's two ears) that is audible, and
that which is audible to the two ears is known as Sawt (Voice).
The
attribute of Sawt (Voice) for Allah is affirmed even more explicitly
in the authentic Hadith, in which the Prophet (Sallallaho alaihi
wasallam) says:
يُحْشَرُ
الْعِبَادُ ,
فَيُنَادِيهِمْ
بِصَوْتٍ يَسْمَعُهُ مَنْ بَعُدَ ,
كَمَا
يَسْمَعُهُ مَنْ قَرُبَ :
أَنَا
الْمَلِكُ ، أَنَا الدَّيَّانُ
Translation:
(On the Day of Resurrection), the servants of Allah shall be
gathered, then Allah shall call out to them with a Voice that is
heard exactly the same from afar as it is heard from near (saying):
“I am the King, I am the Judge”
[Khalq
Af'al al-Ibad of Imam Bukhari and Musnad of Imam Ahmad]
Furthermore,
the great Imam of Ahlus Sunnah, Imam Ahmad bin Hanbal al-Shaybani
(Rahimahullah) has passionately affirmed the attribute of Sawt
(Voice) for Allah, and severely condemned anyone who denies it. The
following are some of the narrations from Imam Ahmad in this regard:
Abdullah
b. Ahmad b. Hanbal says that he asked his father about a people who
say 'When Allah (Azza wa Jall) spoke to Moses, He did not speak with
a Voice' to which my father said: “Rather, your Lord (Azza wa Jall)
speaks with a Voice, we take these Ahadith as they come to us.”
My
father (may Allah have mercy upon him) said: “The Hadith of Ibn
Mas'ud (Radiyallahu anhu): 'When Allah (Azza wa Jall) speaks, His
Voice is heard like a the dragging of a chain against rocks'.” My
father said: “The Jahmiyya [a deviant sect] reject this.”
Ya'qub
b. Bukhtan says: 'I asked Abu Abdullah [Imam Ahmad] about the one who
claims Allah speaks without a Voice' he said: “Rather, Allah Holy
is He speaks with a Voice.”
Imam
Ahmad has also been reported as saying: “Whoever claims Allah spoke
to Moses, but without a Voice, then such a person is a Jahmi, enemy
of Allah and enemy of Islam!”
Reference:
Al-Masa'il wal-Rasa'il al Marwiyah anil Imam Ahmad bin Hanbal
fil-Aqidah; p.302