The Qur’an is created.

“Have the unbelievers not ever considered that the heavens and the earth were one piece and that We tore them apart from one another. From water, We have MADE/CREATED all living things. Will they then have no faith?.” (Qur’an 21:30)

The Arabic text above says, “waja’alna” (We have created)

When a person makes something, he/she does it out of other materials made By Allah. For example, a carpenter who makes a table does not create it but he/she merely assembles and joins pieces of wood with nails and glue together.

In other words, he/she has made a table out of materials created by Allah. But when Allah (swt) 

makes something he does it out of nothing or out of other materials he has created out of nothing. 

“And it is He who has CREATED man from water” (Qur’an 25:54)

 The Arabic text above says, “khalaqa” (created) Allah (swt)  has used in Qur’an 25:54 and Qur’an 21:30 two different Arabic terms yet both of these words are synonymous in what they convey.

“It is He who CREATED you from one soul and CREATED from it its mate that he might dwell in security with her.” (Qur’an 7:189)   

The above text the first term used is “khalaqakum” (created) and the second term “ja’ala” (created).  Again this shows the interchangeable nature of these two terms.

“Oh, mankind! fear your Lord who created you from a single person and created, out of him, his wife.” (Qur’an 4:1)

The above Arabic text is “khalaqakum” (created) and wa “khalaqa”(created).  Allah (swt) used the same word twice. Allah (swt) did not use the word  “ja’ala” (created) as he did in Qur’an 7:189.  This once more shows that the two words convey the same meaning.

“Indeed, We have made it an Arabic Qur’an that you might understand.” (Qur’an 43:3)

The Arabic term that is used here is “ja’alnahu” (made/created). 

“Truly I am going to create man from clay” (Qur’an 38:71) 

The Arabic term here is “khaliqun” (create) 

Now let us look at Qur’an 38:72

The underlying words in verse 72 have however been given contradictory interpretation. Professor Abdullah Yusuf Ali has

translated them as: “And I breathed unto him of my spirit.”

Yusuf Ali (Saudi Rev. 1985)		“When I have fashioned him (in due proportion) and breathed into him of My spirit, fall ye down in obeisance unto him.”
Yusuf Ali (Orig. 1938)		“When I have fashioned him (in due proportion) and breathed into him of My spirit, fall ye down in obeisance unto him.”

While Dr. Al Hilali and Dr. Khan have explained them this way: “And I breathed unto him his soul created by me.”

Muhsin Khan & Muhammad al-Hilali

So when I have fashioned him and breathed into him (his) soul created by Me, then you fall down prostrate to him.”

The implication of the first translation is that Allah (swt) has given part of His spirit so man is the essence of Allah. 

This sounds very much like those who say the Qur’an is the essence of Allah.

In the second translation by Dr. Al Hilali and Dr. Khan, it means that Allah created man’s soul and then breathed it into him. This interpretation agrees with those who say that the Qur’an is created. 

This is also the way the Sahih International translates it this way: “So when I have proportioned him and breathed into him of My [created] soul, then fall down to him in prostration.” (Qur’an 38:72)

The three translations (Abdullah Yusuf Ali & Dr. Al Hilali /Dr. Khan and Sahih International are all three contradictory and both have been endorsed by the religious Institutions in Saudi Arabia.

Fortunately for us, neither translators were Ibadhi or so-called, “Khariji” and thus, no sectarian uproar in the Islamic World!!

Unfortunately, this particular issue is complicated by the fact that there is quite a bit of obfuscation on behalf of our brothers from ‘Ahl Sunnah’ and that is because they do not want to tell us if they regard the attributes of Allah (swt) as being identical with the essence of Allah (swt) or being outside of the essence of Allah (swt). 

For those interested in a brief introduction on this issue I would encourage you to read the following: https://primaquran.com/2020/07/26/the-ibadi-schools-position-on-the-divine-unicity-of-allah-contrasted-with-the-ashari-non-position-and-christian-concepts-of-trinity/