The theological understanding of Allah’s speech, specifically how it is perceived and how it interacts with creation, while maintaining the principles of divine transcendence and perfection. Refutation to “Are you saying God is mute?” 1. Misconception of Divine Speech: The objection assumes that speech necessarily entails sound, letters, and temporal aspects. This is an anthropomorphic projection of human speech onto Allah. Islamic theology (especially the Ash’ari or Maturidi schools of aqida) posits that Allah’s speech (Kalam Allah) is an eternal attribute, uncreated and not bound by the limitations of created phenomena like sounds and letters. 2. Dependence Argument: Claiming Allah’s speech is only in letters and sounds implies that His speech depends on creation (e.g., air vibrations, sound waves, or temporal intervals). This would compromise Allah’s self-sufficiency and independence from His creation. 3. Differentiating Eternal and Created Speech: Allah’s eternal speech exists as an attribute of His essence (Kalam Nafsi), not bound by time, space, or material forms. However, when Allah conveys His speech to creation (e.g., through revelation or direct communication), He creates a medium of perception (such as sounds, letters, or other forms) to make it intelligible to human understanding. This does not mean Allah’s speech itself is created; rather, the medium or perception in the created realm is. 4. Musa (AS) and Day of Judgment: When Allah spoke to Musa (AS), the sound described (e.g., “the sound of a chain over a rock”) was a created phenomenon to facilitate human comprehension of the uncreated speech. On the Day of Judgment, Allah will speak directly to each individual. The perception of His speech will be created in the listener’s ears, allowing comprehension while maintaining the eternal, uncreated nature of the divine speech. 5. Speech Beyond Human Limitations: To confine speech solely to sounds and letters is to limit Allah to the human experience, which contradicts His transcendence. Allah’s communication is not restricted to human modes (sounds, letters) but encompasses forms beyond our comprehension. Just as Allah’s vision in the Hereafter will not involve physical dimensions, His speech does not rely on the physical mechanisms of sounds and letters. The objection of “You’re claiming God is mute” stems from an anthropomorphic misunderstanding of divine attributes. Allah’s speech is pre-eternal and independent of creation, while the perceptible sounds or letters are created for the benefit of creation. This preserves Allah’s perfection and transcendence while affirming His ability to communicate without dependency.