The Creation of the Qur’an and Prohibition on Debating about It

Abu al-Hasan the Third (i.e. al-Hadi) عليه السلام wrote to one of his Shia in Baghdad: In the Name of Allah the Beneficent the Merciful. May Allah protect us and you from the Fitna (trial). If He does that then count it a great blessing, and if He does not then it is perdition! We consider argumentation about the Qur’an to be a Bidʿa (innovation) in which both questioner and respondent have partaken. So the questioner (i.e. who asks about this) has engaged in what is not for him (i.e. his concern) and the respondent has borne what is not on him (i.e. his responsibility to bear). There is no creator except Allah, and what is other than Him is created. The Qur’an is the Speech of Allah. Do not coin a word for it from yourself so you will become among the astray. May Allah make us and you of those who “fear their Lord without seeing Him and are of the Hour - apprehensive” (21:49)

I said to al-Ridha عليه السلام: What do you say about the Qur’an? He said: The Speech of Allah. Do not go beyond it nor search for guidance in other than it - for you will be led astray

The people of Basra inquired about Divine Speech and said ‘Yūnus says that Divine Speech is not created!’ I said to them: ’Yūnus has spoken the truth, Divine Speech is not created. Has the statement of Abī Jaʿfar (a.s.) not reached you when he was asked about the Qur’an ‘is it a creator or created?’ He said to them: ’It is neither a creator nor created, rather it is the Speech of the Creator.’ Thus I strengthened the position of Yūnus. They (i.e. the people of Basra) also said ‘Yūnus says that it is from the Sunnah for a man to pray two units while seated after the final night prayer (i.e. ʿIshāʾ)’. I said: Yūnus has spoken the truth.