I also wish here to draw attention to the misguided creed of the Ashʿarīs, for they mislead people into believing that they are Ahl al-Sunnah. In the books taught today at al-Azhar in Egypt, one finds the claim that the methodology of Ahl al-Sunnah is a mixture of the Ashʿarī and Māturīdī methodologies. In making this claim, they speak falsely. Rarely does one find a man defending innovators without his harboring some affliction and concealed evil. We seek refuge in Allah from that.

I should also point out that the term “lying” here concerns accuracy rather than moral probity. This distinction should be noted, for such usage does not constitute an impugnment, as scholars well know—especially if the writer has not properly ascertained the school’s doctrine. There is then no harm in saying, “He spoke falsely,” meaning that he erred. But if he knowingly intends falsehood and deception and advocates them, this is a sign of hypocrisy and caprice within the heart. We seek refuge in Allah from that. If the speaker does not understand what he is saying, that is a calamity, and he had no right to speak. If he understands and then lies and deceives, the calamity is greater. We ask Allah for pardon and well-being.

The Ashʿarīs are merely a misguided sect, as are the Māturīdīs. I will not let this occasion pass without drawing attention to their innovations and beliefs and considering whether they agree with Ahl al-Sunnah in these matters or not. One thing calls another to mind, as I previously stated. We ask Allah for beneficial knowledge and to keep us steadfast upon His religion and the sunnah of His Prophet, for hearts are between two fingers of the Most Merciful, and He turns them however He wills.

The Ashʿarīs sought to reconcile the Jabriyyah and the Qadariyyah, so they introduced the theory of kasb (acquisition). Al-Rāzī—who was himself unable to understand it—said: “Man is compelled while appearing to possess free choice.” End quote.

Their statements concerning causality and the actions of created beings, as in our discussion of envy.

According to Ahl al-Sunnah wa al-Jamāʿah, tawhīd is known by its three divisions: the oneness of Allah’s lordship, the oneness of His divinity and exclusive right to worship, and the oneness of His names and attributes. In their view, it is the first duty incumbent upon a morally responsible person. As for the Ashʿarīs, both earlier and contemporary, they define tawhīd as the negation of duality or multiplicity and the negation of partition, composition, and divisibility—or, in their terminology, “the negation of continuous quantity and discrete quantity.” On the basis of this meaning, they defined a deity as the Creator or one possessing the power to bring things into existence. They denied some of the attributes, such as the Face, Hand, and Eye, because these imply composition and parts.