and they denied what has been narrated from the Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace:

“Allah—Mighty and Majestic is He—descends every night to the lowest heaven,”

as well as other reports transmitted by trustworthy narrators from the Messenger of Allah—may Allah bless him and grant him peace. Likewise, all the people of innovation—the Jahmiyyah, the Murji’ah, the Harūriyyah, and the people of deviation—have, through their innovations, opposed the Book and the Sunnah, what the Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—and his Companions followed, and what the Muslim community unanimously agreed upon, just as the Mu‘tazilah and the Qadariyyah have done. I shall explain this chapter by chapter [and] point by point, if Allah wills; help comes from Him.”

Then “al-Ash‘arī” said:

“Section: Explaining the Position of the People of Truth and the Sunnah

If someone were to say to us, ‘You have rejected the position of the Mu‘tazilah, the Qadariyyah, the Jahmiyyah, the Harūriyyah, the Rāfidah, and the Murji’ah. Make known to us, then, the position [to which] you subscribe and the religion you profess,’ he would be told: