وَمِن أوضَحِ الأدلة أَنَّ كَلاَمَ اللهِ لَيسَ حَرفًا ولا صوتًا قَولُهُ تعالى ﴿ثُمَّ رُدُّوا إِلَى اللَّهِ مَوْلَاهُمُ الْحَقِّ أَلَا لَهُ الْحُكْمُ وَهُوَ أَسْرَعُ الْحَاسِبِينَ﴾ سورة الأنعام / 62.
اللهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ يَنتَهي مِن حِسَابِ العِبَادِ فِي لَحظَةٍ مِنْ مَوقِفِ من مواقِفِ القيامةِ، ويومُ القيامَةِ كُلُهُ خَمسونَ أَلفَ سَنَةٍ. حِسَابُ النَّاسِ أي توقيفُهُم على أعمالهم.
فلو كان حسابُ اللهِ لِخَلقِهِ مِنْ إِنسٍ وَجِنٍّ بِالحَرفِ والصوتِ ما كَانَ ينتهي من حِسَابِهِم في مائةِ أَلفِ سَنَةٍ لأَنَّ الخَلقَ كَثيرٌ ويأجوجُ ومأجوجُ وحدهم يوم القيامة البشر كلهم بالنسبةِ لهم كَوَاحِدٍ مِن مَائةٍ، وفي روايةٍ كَوَاحِدٍ من ألفٍ، وَبَعضُ الجِنِ يَعيشونَ ءالافًا من السنين، فلو كَانَ حِسَابُ الخًلقِ بالحَرفِ والصوتِ لكانَ إبليسُ وَحْدَهُ يأخُذُ حسابه وقتًا كثيرًا لأَنَّ إِبليسَ عَاشَ نحو مائة ألف سنة أو أكثر أو أقلَ ولا يموتُ إلا يوم النفخة، وحسابُ العباد ليس على القول فقط بل على القَولِ والفِعلِ والاعتِقَادِ وكذلك الإنسُ منهم من عاش ألفي سَنَةٍ ومنهُم من عاشَ ألفًا وزيادة، ومنهم من عاش مئات من السنين فلو كان حِسَابُهُم بالحَرفِ والصوتِ لاستغرقَ حسابُهُم زَمَانًا طويلاً جدًا ولم يكن اللهُ أسرَعُ الحَاسِبينَ بَل لكان أبطأ الحاسبينَ، والله تعالى يقول: ﴿وَهُوَ أَسْرَعُ الْحَاسِبِينَ﴾، ثُمَّ الحُروفُ تَتَعاقَبُ مهمَا كَانَت سريعةً لأخَذَ شَيئًا مِنَ الوَقتِ. أمَّا الله تعالى فكلامُهُ أزليٌّ أبَديٌّ لَيسَ حَرفًا ولا صوتًا ولا يُبتدأُ ولا يُختَتَمُ ولا يَزيدُ ولا يَنقُصُ، فمعنى قَولِنا القُرءانُ كَلاَمُ اللهِ لَيسَ بمعنى أن اللهَ نَطَقَ بِهِ كما نَحنُ نقرؤه، إِنما معناهُ أنَّهُ يَدُلُ على كلامِ الله الذي لَيسَ حرفًا ولا صوتًا، على هذا المَعنى نَقولُ القرءانُ كَلاَمُ اللهِ.
Among the clearest proofs that the Speech of Allah is not a letter or a sound is the saying of Allah ta^ala in Verse 62 of Surat al-An^am:
{ثُمَّ رُدُّوا إِلَى اللَّهِ مَوْلَاهُمُ الْحَقِّ أَلَا لَهُ الْحُكْمُ وَهُوَ أَسْرَعُ الْحَاسِبِينَ}
Allah ta^ala finishes from questioning the slaves in one instance of the posts (mawaqif) of the Day of Judgment. The Day of Judgment is 50,000 years long. The Questioning (Hisab) of the slaves is presenting them with their deeds; they will be brought to account for their deeds.
So had the questioning of the creatures –the humans and jinn been with letter and sound, Allah would not finish from questioning them in one hundred thousand years. This is because the creatures are numerous; the ratio of Ya’juj and Ma’juj (Gog and Magog) compared to the common humans will be hundred to one (100:1) on the Day of Judgment; and in another narration one thousand to one (1000:1). Some of the jinn would live thousands of years, so had the Questioning been with letter and sound, then the Questioning of Iblis alone would take a long time. This is because Iblis has lived about one-hundred-thousand years, maybe more or maybe less; he will not die until the day when Israfil sounds the Horn (as-Sur). The Questioning of the salves will not be only for their sayings; rather it will be for the sayings, acts, and beliefs (convictions).
Also, some of the humans have lived two-thousand years, some of them have lived one-thousand years or more; and some of them have lived hundreds of years. So had their Questioning been with letter and sound, it would take very long time to finish it; this would entail that Allah will not be the fastest One in questioning; He would be the slowest one. This is impossible of course; Allah told us in the Qur’an that He is the fastest One in questioning. Allah ta^ala said:
﴿وَهُوَ أَسْرَعُ الْحَاسِبِينَ﴾
Also, the letters are successive; no matter how fast one says them they would take time to utter. However, the Speech of Allah is eternal and everlasting, it is neither a letter nor a sound which has a beginning and an end; it does not increase or decrease. The meaning of our saying that the Qur’an is the Speech of Allah is not that Allah uttered it as we read it; rather it is an expression about the Speech of Allah which is not a letter or a sound; this is the interpretation of our saying that the Qur’an is the Speech of Allah.