people sought to include al-Ashʿarī among them.

Abū Qāsim ibn ʿAsākir cited this letter in Tabyīn Kadhib al-Muftarī (Exposing the Slanderer’s Lies).

[Al-Bayhaqī’s Letter on al-Ashʿarī’s Merits]

Al-Bayhaqī said in the course of the letter:

“Let Shaykh al-ʿAmīd know that Abū al-Hasan is one of the descendants of Abū Mūsā al-Ashʿarī, may Allah be pleased with him.”

He then mentioned well-known accounts of the merits of Abū Mūsā, the Ashʿarīs, and Abū Mūsā’s descendants, until he said:

“Eventually, the turn came to our shaykh Abū al-Hasan al-Ashʿarī. He introduced nothing new into Allah’s religion, nor did he introduce any religious innovation. Rather, he took the statements of the Companions, the Successors, and the imams who came after them concerning the foundations of religion, and enlightened us through further explanation and clarification, showing that what they affirmed and what revelation brought concerning these foundations is rationally sound. This contradicted the claim of those who follow their desires that some of it does not withstand rational scrutiny. His exposition thus served as