Is it permissible to describe part of a Qur'anic verse, such as "إِنَّا لِلّهِ وَإِنَّـا إِلَيْهِ رَاجِعونَ" (Indeed we belong to Allah, and indeed to Him we will return), as a "phrase"?

"Expression" in the Arabic language means "speech that passes from the speaker's tongue to the listener's ear." Applying it to a Quranic verse is permissible, such as saying "this is the expression of the Qur'an," meaning its wording and speech.

However, some innovators (Ahl al-Bid'ah) use the word "expression" with a blameworthy intent, claiming that the Qur'an is not the literal speech of Allah with its letters and words, but rather an "expression" of Allah's inner, unarticulated speech. The Salaf have affirmed that this is an innovated saying, and that the Qur'an is truly the speech of Allah.