Translated from Ibn Hajar al-`Asqalani's biography of Ibn Taymiyya in al-durar al-kaamina fi a`yaan al-mi'at al-thaamina [The Hidden Pearls Concerning the Famous People of the Eighth Century] Hyderabad: Daa'irat al-ma`aarif al-`uthmaaniyya, 1384 H, vol. 1:144-160.
An inquiry [of his position] was conducted with several scholars [in Cairo] and a written statement was written against him, in which he said: "I am Ash`ari," and his handwriting is found with what he wrote verbatim, namely: "I believe that the Qur'an is a meaning which exists in Allah's Essence (mi`na qaa'imun bi dhaat Allaah), and it is an Attribute from the pre-eternal Attributes of His Essence (wa huwa Sifatun min Sifaati dhaatihi al-qadeema), and that it is uncreated (wa huwa ghayru makhlooq), and that it does not consist in the letter nor the voice (wa laysa bi Harfin wa la Sawt), and that His saying: "The Merciful established Himself over the Throne" is not taken according to its external meaning (laysa `ala zaahirihi), and I don't know in what consists its meaning, nay only Allah knows it, and one speaks of His "descent" in the same way as one speaks of His "establishment" (wa al-qawlu fi al-nuzooli kal-qawli fi al-istiwaa')."
It was written by Ahmad ibn Taymiyya and they witnessed over him that he had repented of his own free will from all that contravened the above. This took place on the 25th of Rabee` al-awwal of the year 707 and it was witnessed by a huge array of scholars and others. [p. 46 and 47]
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