LessonsDivine Speech: Eternal Attribute, Inner Speech and Its RelationsQuiz

وَهُوَ أَيِ الْكَلَامُ صِفَةٌ أَيِ مَعْنًى قَائِمٌ بِالذَّاتِ
Speech is an attribute, that is, a meaning subsisting in the subject.

مُنَافِيَةٌ لِلسُّكُوتِ
It is contrary to silence.

Silence may mean simply refraining from audible speech. A person who is outwardly silent may still possess a meaning intended for expression. Accordingly theologians distinguish the outward and inward senses of silence.

The contrast in the account of divine speech clarifies what it means for speech to be present rather than absent; it is not an attempt to liken God to a silent human being.

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Inner speech contrasted with silence

Divine Speech: Eternal Attribute, Inner Speech and Its Relations

وَهُوَ أَيِ الْكَلَامُ صِفَةٌ أَيِ مَعْنًى قَائِمٌ بِالذَّاتِ
Speech is an attribute, that is, a meaning subsisting in the subject.

مُنَافِيَةٌ لِلسُّكُوتِ
It is contrary to silence.

Silence may mean simply refraining from audible speech. A person who is outwardly silent may still possess a meaning intended for expression. Accordingly theologians distinguish the outward and inward senses of silence.

The contrast in the account of divine speech clarifies what it means for speech to be present rather than absent; it is not an attempt to liken God to a silent human being.