All praise is due to Allah, and may peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of Allah. To proceed:
The Preserved Tablet is created, while the Qur’an is the uncreated Speech of Allah Almighty. The fact that Allah’s Speech is written in something created does not mean that the Attribute of Speech has indwelt that created thing. Likewise, Allah’s Light is among His Attributes and is uncreated, whereas the lights that exist in the created world are created. The earth shining with the Light of its Lord on the Day of Resurrection does not mean that an Attribute of Allah indwells the earth.
The Preserved Tablet is among the things created by Allah Almighty, because everything other than Allah is created. This includes the Throne, the Kursi, the Pen, the Preserved Tablet, and all other created beings and things.
There is no difficulty in the fact that the Qur’an is written in the Preserved Tablet, because the writing is created, whereas that which is written—Allah’s Speech—is uncreated.
For example, a person may speak some words and then write those words on a sheet of paper. The paper and the writing are created, but the person’s attribute of speech does not thereby become an attribute subsisting in the paper.
Likewise, the Qur’an is the Speech of Allah Almighty, an Attribute of His, and is uncreated, even though it is written in the Mushafs, on paper, and in the Preserved Tablet.
Therefore, it is incorrect to say that merely writing the Qur’an in something created makes the Qur’an created.
No.
The Attribute of Speech subsists in Allah Almighty and does not indwell the Tablet, paper, or the Mushaf.
What is in the Tablet is the writing of Allah’s Speech. The writing is created, whereas Allah’s Speech to which that writing refers is His Speech.
This is similar to what people do when they write words on paper. It is not said that the speaker’s attribute of speech moved from the speaker and indwelt the paper.
Therefore, a distinction must be made between:
The Qur’an and Sunnah establish that Allah Almighty is described with Light. Allah says:
“Allah is the Light of the heavens and the earth.”
[An-Nur 24:35]
And Allah says concerning the scene of the Day of Resurrection:
“And the earth will shine with the light of its Lord, and the Record will be placed, and the prophets and the witnesses will be brought, and judgment will be passed between them in truth, and they will not be wronged.”
[Az-Zumar 39:69]
Scholars have explained that the word “light” may be used with different meanings. Some light is an Attribute of Allah Almighty, while other lights are created lights that Allah has brought into existence in the heavens and the earth.
The light of the sun, moon, stars, fire, electricity, and other such lights are created lights and are not an Attribute of Allah Almighty.
As for Allah’s Light that is attributed to Him, such as the Light of His Face, it is an uncreated Attribute of His.
Allah says:
“And the earth will shine with the light of its Lord.”
This does not mean that one of Allah Almighty’s Attributes moves from Him and indwells the earth.
An Attribute subsists in the one described by it and does not separate from Him in order to indwell a created being.
An Attribute may produce an effect in created things without the Attribute itself indwelling them.
For example, Allah Almighty is the Creator and He created all created beings. This does not mean that the Attribute of creating indwells the created beings. He is All-Hearing and All-Seeing, but this does not mean that His Attributes of hearing and sight indwell anything in His creation.
Likewise, when the Light of the Lord of the worlds causes the earth to shine on the Day of Resurrection, this does not imply that Allah’s Essence or His Attribute indwells the earth.
The matter can be summarized in two categories:
1. Created light:
This includes every light Allah has created in the world, such as the light of the sun, moon, stars, fire, and similar things. All of these are created.
2. The Light that is an Attribute of Allah Almighty:
Such as the Light attributed to His Face. This is one of His Attributes, and Allah’s Attributes are uncreated.
Therefore, one should not confuse the divine Attribute with the effect of that Attribute upon created beings.
As for the hadith containing the words:
“I seek refuge in the Light of Your Face by which the darknesses were illuminated,”
hadith scholars have stated that it is a weak hadith. Therefore, it should not be relied upon by itself to establish a matter of creed, although the fundamental description of Allah with Light is established by authentic evidence.
And Allah knows best.