AbdurRahman.org [ Ash'ariyyah: Spotlight Overview ]

Ash’ariyyah: An astray sect that claims to follow Abul-Hasan al-Ash’aree, they deny all of Allaah’s Attributes except seven: [1] Life, [2] Knowledge, [3] Capability, [4] Speech, [5] Wanting, [6] Hearing, and [7] Seeing

The Ashaa’irah were founded by Abul-Hasan al-Ash’aree in the first part of his affair. Afterwards, he differed with the Mu’tazilah, not to mention that he recanted from that and came to the madhhab of the Salaf. Their basic reference point is the intellect, and they reject some of the Attributes and perform ta‘weel (figurative explanation) for some of them. Refer to al-Ajwibatus-Sadeedah (4/53) of al-’Allaamah Zayd Ibn Muhammad al-Madkhalee.

Concerning the 'Aqeedah of Abul-Hasan al-Ash'aree and that which he died upon:

The Scholars of the Salaf have exhibited an outstanding role in foiling the plans of the enemies of Islaam - in all their different sects, and the varying doubts they propagate. And that, by which the Islaamic Aqeedah was put to trial with in its very first period was but the various madhaahib and new ideas which entered it by way of philosophy and theological rhetoric...

And Abu Hasan al-Ash'aree in the first part of his life, used to be a Mu'tazilee since he was brought up at the hands of Abu Alee al-Jubaa'ee, the Shaikh of the Mu'tazilah of Basrah in his time.

And Allaah willed goodness for Abu Hasan al-Ash'aree and granted him success in taking from the Book and the Sunnah and abandoning the madhhab of the Mu'tazilah. Then he refuted the sophistry of the Mu'tazilah, exposed their falsehood, rendered futile their arguments with both textual evidence and by way of reason. His books testify to that. He then remained, for a period, speaking in certain matters of belief, with the saying of Ibn Kullaab. However, in the final stage of his life he was upon the aqeedah of the Salaf and he spoke with whatever Imaam Ahmad spoke with - may Allaah have mercy upon him - with respect to all the Attributes of Allaah. So he affirmed for Allaah whatever Allaah affirmed for himself and whatever His Messenger (sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam) affirmed for Him in his Sunnah.

And this has been recorded in his book called Al-Ibaanah 'an Usool id-Diyaanah. However, those who ascribed themselves to the madhhab of Abu Hasan al-Ash'aree continued taking from the madhhab of Ibn Kullaab and passed it on to those who ascribed themselves to Abu Hasan al-Ash'aree, generation after generation. The truth, however, is what the scholars testify to, those in whose honesty, integrity and impartiality there is no doubt, that the aqeedah which Abu Hasan al-Ash'ariee held and worshipped Allaah with, is the aqeedah which he has affirmed in his book Al-Ibaanah and that this was the last of his books in which the matter of his aqeedah was settled.

In the present time, many ascribe themselves to Abu Hasan al-Ash'aree and call themselves Ash'ariyyah, claiming that they are holding fast to the aqeedah he was upon, especially in the matters of the Attributes of Allaah. However, the truth is that they have not taken the aqeedah that he embraced at the end of his life and which is propounded in his two books al-Ibaanah 'an Usool id-Diyaanah and al-Maqaalaat ul-Islaamiyyeen.

What is more strange, however is their claim that Abu Hasan al-Ash'aree wrote his book al-Ibaanah out of taqiyyah (deception) and as an attempt to outwit the Hanbalees, fearing them, for his life. It is well known that taqiyah is but nifaaq (hypocrisy) and this blameworthy characteristic is something the common Muslim seeks to be free from, then how about a Muslim scholar?

And since this slander was an oppression against him and a clear forgery against him, a number of scholars, known to be possessors of knowledge and piety embarked upon explaining the truth. So they exposed the falsehood of those lies and slanders against this esteemed scholar and explained that taqiyah and nifaaq are not the characteristics of the scholars and that Abu Hasan al-Ash'aree is far removed from that.

And everything that has come in his books al-Ibaanah and al-Maqaalaat is what he believes and worships Allaah with. He said, in al-Maqaalaat: "And with everything that they [i.e. the Ahl ul-Hadeeth] spoke with, we speak with and go towards it."

He also said in al-Maqaalaat: "The summarisation of that which the People of Hadeeth and Sunnah are upon..." and then he lists that which they were upon including therein:

"And that Allaah the Sublime and Exalted is upon His Throne just as He has said:

"And they affirm both Hearing and Seeing for Him and they do not negate that from Allaah as the Mu'tazilah have negated it."

As for those who have ascribed the book al-Ibaanah to Abu Hasan al-Ash'aree and have testified that it was his last book concerning aqeedah then they are numerous and amongst them:

And were it not for the fact that this is but a brief refutation, then we would have quoted the words of every single one of them, testifying to the details of the aqeedah of Abu Hasan al-Ash'ariyy, as contained and expounded in his al-Ibaanah and its agreement with that of the Salaf us-Saalih

Abu Hasan al'Ash'ariyy's Final Book 'Al-Ibaanah'
Author: Prepared by Abu 'Iyad as-Salafi
Source: Foundations of the Sunnah (Salafi Publications 1997) (www.salafipublications)
Article ID : AQD060001

Abul-Hasan al-Ash'aree's Beliefs mention in one of his final books: Al-Ibaanah

Praise be to Allaah the One, the almighty the glorious, the only one to whom unity is ascribed, the Magnified in praise, whom the attribute of Human beings do not adequately describe. He has neither adversary nor rival, and He is the creator and the restorer, "The Doer of what He wills"- [11:109] He is too exalted to possess consorts or children, too holy to associate with the genera of creation or things corrupt. He has not form capable of expression, nor is a definition of Him by means of a simile possible.

If anybody says to us, "You have denied the beliefs of the Mu`tazilah, the Qadariyyah, the Jahmiyyahh, the Haruriyyah the Rafidha and the Murji`a; now let us know the beliefs you hold and the religion you follow," the answer is:

Holding fast to the book of our Lord, to the Sunnah of our Prophet, and the traditions related on the authority of the Companions and the Successors and the Imaams1 of hadeeth - to that we hold firmly...

The essence of our belief is that we confess faith in Allaah, His angels, His Books, His Messengers, the revelation of Allaah, and what the trustworthy have handed down on the authority of Allaah's Messenger (sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam) , rejecting none of them.

We confess that Allaah is One - There is none worthy of worship but He - unique, eternal, possessing neither consort nor child;

and that Muhammad is His servant and Messenger (sallallaahu alaihi wasallam), who He sent with the guidance and the real Religion;

and that there is no doubt regarding the Coming Hour; and that Allaah will raise up all those who are in the graves ;

and that Allaah (istiwaa) His throne (as He has said, "Ar-Rahmaan has ascended (istawaa) the Throne" - [20:5] ) ;

and that He has a face (as He has said, "but the Face of thy Lord shall abide resplendent with majesty and glory" - [55:27] ) ;

And that He has two hands, bila kaifa (without asking how?) (as He has said "I have created with my two hands," - [38:75] and he has said, "nay! Outstretched are both His hands" - [5:69]);

and that He has an eye, without asking how (as He has said "under Our eyes it floated on" - [54:14] ),

and that anybody who thinks that the names of Allaah are other than He is in error;

and that Allaah has Knowledge (as He has said, in His knowledge He sent it down," - [4:164] ), and as He said, "And no female concieveth and bringeth forth without His knowledge" - [35:12] ),

we also assert that Allaah has hearing and sight, and we do not deny it as the Mu`tazila, the Jahmiyyah, and the Khaarijites deny it;

And we assert that Allaah has Prowess (Quwwah) (as He has said, "saw they not that Allaah Who created them was mightier than they in Prowess?" -[41:14] );

Excerpted from:
The Creed of Abu Hasan al-Ash'aree
Author: Abu Hasan al-Ash`aree
Source: Al-Ibaanah An usool Ad Diyaanah (www.salafipublications.com)

Imaam Abul-'Abbaas ibn Suraij known as 'ash-Shaafi'ee the second' and he was a contemporary of Al-Ash'aree, said: "We do not speak with Ta'weel (interpretation) of the Mu'tazilah, the Ash'arees, the Jahmiyyah, the apostates, the anthropomorphists (Mujassimah and Mushabbihah), the Karraamiyyah and those who declare Allaah to be like His creation (Mukayyifah - those asking about the modality of His attributes). Rather we accept them [the texts about Allaah's attributes] without interpretation (Ta'weel) and we believe in them without declaring any likeness with the creation (Tamtheel)."[3]

Shaykh Ibn al-Uthaymeen - may Allaah protect him - said: "So - for example - the Ash'arees and the Maatooreedees are not considered from Ahl us-Sunnah wal-Jamaa'ah in this particular matter (i.e. concerning the Names and Attributes of Allaah). Rather, they oppose what the Prophet (sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam) and his Companions were upon with regards to accepting the Attributes of Allaah - the Most Perfect - upon their haqeeqah (real meaning). This is why, whoever says that Ahl us-Sunnah are three groups: the Salafees, the Ash'arees and the Maatooreedees - then such a person is indeed mistaken. Rather we say: How can all three be considered Ahl us-Sunnah and they differ with each other? What is there after Truth, except misguidance. How can they all be Ahl us-Sunnah, whilst each one of them refutes the other - this is not possible - except if it is possible to reconcile the opposites. There is no doubt however, that one of them is truly Ahl us-Sunnah - but which one? Is it the Ash'arees, the Maatooreedees or the Salafees? Whichever of them agrees with the Sunnah is considered to be Ahl us-Sunnah, whilst whichever of them opposes it is not. So we say: The Salaf are Ahl us-Sunnah wal-Jamaa'ah, and this description cannot be true for anyone else other than them. So how can those who oppose the Sunnah be called Ahl us-Sunnah - this is not possible. How is it possible to say Ahl us-Sunnah are of three differing groups, but we say that they are in agreement? So where is the agreement and concensus? Rather, Ahl us-Sunnah wal-Jamaa'ah are those who hold on to what the Prophet (sallallaahu alaihi wasallam) and his Companions were upon, and to the aqeedah of the Salaf - until the Day of Judgement - and they are the Salafees." Sharh Aqeedatil-Waasitiyyah (1/123)

Are the Ash'arees from Ahl us-Sunnah wal-Jamaa'ah?
Source: The Methodology of the Asharees in Aqidah (www.salafipublications.com)
Article ID : AQD060003 [5493]

The following example is extracted from an article concerning a famous Soofee Ash'aree.

Al-'Izz Ibn 'Abdis-Salaam was an Ash'aree, Ash'arees are a people who twist the texts of the Book and the Sunnah until they explain away all of Allaah's Attributes except seven. [5] This was the belief of Al-'Izz ibn 'Abdis-Salaam.

Al-'Izz himself said, after denying that Allaah has a real Hand, and explaining it away as power and authority:

"And as for the one who says that he believes in these texts as the Salaf did (meaning that he affirms the Attributes), then verily he has lied. For how could he believe in something he does not understand, nor does he know the meaning of? To speak like this (meaning to explain the Hand as power) is not a blameworthy innovation, rather it is a praiseworthy innovation, an obligatory one due to the doubts that have spread…" [6]

This is exactly the position of the Ash'arees. He also denied that the Qur'aan is the Speech of Allaah, claiming that it is only a reference to the Speech of Allaah, and that Allaah speaks with no letters or sounds. He said, "How strange is it that someone claims that the Qur'aan is made up of letters and sounds!" [7]

Furthermore, he was asked about people who believe that Allaah is actually above His Throne, while He is everywhere by way of His Knowledge, which is the belief of Ahlus-Sunnah. He replied:

"The apparent meaning of what Ibn Abee Zayd (the fourth century Maalikee scholar who held the correct beliefs referred to in the question) mentioned is that it is a claim that Allaah has a position, since he has made a distinction between His Presence above the Throne and His Presence with His Creation. So the base rule on the one who believes in a position, is that he has not left Islaam, since the scholars of Islaam have not put them out of Islaam, rather they ruled that they can inherit from the Muslims, be buried in their graveyards, have their blood and money honored, and they must be prayed over, like the rest of the leaders (literally "lords") of innovation…" [8]

So he called those who believe that Allaah is above His Throne "Arbaab Al-Bida'", literally: the lords of innovation.

[6] Fataawaa Al-'Izz Ibn 'Abdis-Salaam (p.456), Mu'assasatur-Risaalah printing, 1416.

[7] At-Tabaqaat Ash-Shaafi'iyyah (8/224) of As-Subkee, as quoted by Khaalid Ath-Thufayree in Haqeeatul-'Izz ibn 'Abdis-Salaam (p.5). Indeed Allaah does speak with sounds aqnd letters, as occurs in the authentic narrations, "Then Allaah will call out with a voice…" and "Whoever reads a single letter from the Book of Allaah, then he will have ten rewards…" To deny this is to deny the basic meaning of speech itself.

[8] Fataawaa Al-'Izz Ibn 'Abdis-Salaam (p.287), Mu'assasatur-Risaalah printing, 1416.

The Reality of Al-'Izz Ibn 'Abdis-Salaam As-Sulamee
Abul-'Abbaas Moosaa Richardson (www.bakkah.net)

It is a sect of theological rhetoric that ascribes itself to their Imaam, Aboo Mansoor al-Maatureedee al-Hanafee, who died in the (d.333H). In the face of the Maatureediyyah, we find another sect which can be considered a sister-sect, and that is the Ash’ariyyah, which ascribes itself to Abul-Hasan al-Ash’aree, which is a baseless and false ascription, since he is free of them and their falsehood. And this is the practice of Ahlul-Bid’ah in that they ascribe their innovations to the scholars of Islaam in order to support their falsehood. Both of these sects fall into ta‘weel (figurative explanation), ta’teel (denial) and attributing tafweed (relegation) to the Salaf, and in reality can be considered to be a single sect. What applies to one applies to the other.