What did the Salaf mean by their statement that the Qur'an is not created? Did they mean that Allah’s speech was with Him in eternity, or merely a denial of its creation? And what did they mean by saying that the Qur'an "will return to Him"?

The questioner is congratulated on his engagement in religious knowledge, and is directed that it is more befitting for a student of knowledge to inquire from his shaykh about what is unclear to him, so that his understanding may increase. It is stated that the Salaf used to say that the Qur’an is uncreated, and they refuted the innovators who claimed that the Qur’an was created, among them Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal.