Measurement and Harmony between Fakhr Razi’s Opinion and Alusi’s View in the Subject Matter of the Divine Speech

Fakhr Razi’s Quran commentary, Mafatih al-Ghayb and Alusi’s Quran commentary, Rouh al-Ma'ani, are of the prominent exegeses in Sunni Islam. Some researchers believe that Alusi’s Quran commentary, Rouh al-Ma'ani, is the second volume of Fakhr al-Din Razi’s Tafsir Kabir, especially in theological subjects. With the analytic-descriptive method and comparative approach the present paper has assessed the “divine word” from the view of these two scholars’ attitudes and has found that the two exegetes think that God is a speaker and believe that word is two kinds. In spite of sharing a common view on the theological bases, there are differences in perception and method. Fakhr applies the rational proofs for proving or justification his claims but Alusi prefers the earlier scholars. Razi believes that “word” is two types: Articulated speech (kalam al-lafzi) which is composed of letters, sounds and created in time and Interior -mental- speech (kalam al-nafsi) which is divine self-existing (Qaim bil dhat illahi). Alusi has defined that the infinitive meaning of the word is to speak and its gerund is speech. He believes that the second meaning is real and has divided into two types: articulated speech (kalam al-lafzi) and interior -mental- speech (kalam al-nafsi) and thinks both are eternal. From Alusi’s look articulated speech is a manifestation of interior -mental- speech and mujarrad (immaterial, abstract, disengaged) which God has shown in the imaginative and sensory forms.