:قال شيخ الإسلام رحمه الله تعالى

“وأقول في القرآن ما جاءت به ***  آياته فهو الكريم المُنزَل”

Shaykhul-Islam (May Allah have mercy upon him) says:

“And I say about the Qur’an that which has been related *** In its verses, for it is the Noble revelation”

The Qur’an is the speech of Allah, sent down, not created, from Him it began and to Him it shall return*; this is the summarised belief of Ahlus sunnah wal Jama’a with regards to the Qur’an.

The evidences proving that the Qur’an is the Speech of Allah:

إِنْ أَحَدٌ مِنَ الْمُشْرِكِينَ اسْتَجَارَكَ فَأَجِرْهُ حَتَّىٰ يَسْمَعَ كَلَامَ اللَّهِ

“And if anyone of the disbelievers seeks your protection then grant him protection, so that he may hear the speech of Allah (I.e. The Qur’an)”.

The hadeeth of Jabir bin ‘Abdillah, reported by Abu Dawud and others [graded ‘Sahih’ by Shaykh Albani], that the Prophet ﷺ used to offer himself to the people, saying :

ألا رجل يحملني إلى قومه، فإن قريشا منعوني أن أبلغ كلام ربي عز وجل

“Is there any man who can take me to his people (to convey the Speech of my Lord), for Quraish have prevented me from conveying the speech of my Lord (I.e. The Qur’an).”
The evidence proving that the Qur’an has been *’Sent down’, the saying of Allah:

إِنَّا أَنْزَلْنَاهُ فِي لَيْلَةِ الْقَدْرِ

“Verily! We have sent it (i.e. The Qur’an) down in the night of Al-Qadr (Decree).”

The evidences proving that the Qur’an is not created:

The saying of Allah سبحانه وتعالى :

أَلَا لَهُ الْخَلْقُ وَالْأَمْرُ

“Surely, His is the Creation and the Commandment.”

In this Aayah Allah made a clear distinction between the creation and the commandment; and the Qur’an is not part of the creation, rather it is from the commandment, as Allah سبحانه وتعالى has said :

وَكَذَٰلِكَ أَوْحَيْنَا إِلَيْكَ رُوحًا مِنْ أَمْرِنَا

“And thus We have sent to you (O Muhammad ﷺ) an Inspiration (I.e. The Qur’an) of Our Command”.

So the Qur’an is the speech of Allah; and speech is an attribute of the speaker; and a person’s attributes are a part of them; for this reason the people of knowledge say: “speaking about the attributes extends from speaking about the Essence” [in other words: The same is said concerning the attributes as is said concerning the Essence (Dhaat)].”

‘From Him it began’, meaning : the Qur’an actually started from Allah عز وجل, although we are not aware how exactly this was; unlike the people of innovation who say that it began from a tree or from thin air or from Jibreel, or other than that, and Allah’s refuge is sought.

‘And to Him it shall return’, meaning: it will rise to Allah near the end of time.

This is the ‘Aqeedah of Ahlus sunnah wal Jama’ah with regards to the Qur’an.