But as for someone who holds fast to the sacred revealed law, even if he were to see one of these people flying through the air or walking on water, he would know that this is a trial for Allah’s servants.” End of quotation.

Thus, the jurist Abū Muhammad likewise prohibited cursing them and ordered discretionary punishment for anyone who did so only because of the “foundations of religion” that they defended. This means what we have already mentioned: agreement with the Quran, sunnah, and hadith, and refuting those who oppose the Quran, sunnah, and hadith.

For this reason, Shaykh Abū Ishāq used to say:

“The Ash‘ariyya gained acceptance among people only through their affiliation with the Hanbalīs.”

This is evident in his case and in that of the leading scholars among his followers, in their books and writings before the Qushayrī controversy broke out in Baghdad. Hence, Abū al-Qāsim ibn ‘Asākir said in his account of his virtues:

“In earlier times, the Hanbalīs and the Ash‘arīs remained united, without division, until the controversy involving Ibn al-Qushayrī arose.”

Both before and after that controversy, you will find no one praising al-Ash‘arī except where he agrees with the sunnah and hadith; nor do those who criticize him do so except for his opposition to the sunnah and hadith. This constitutes a consensus among all these groups on venerating the sunnah and hadith, and their testimonies agree that the truth lies therein.

For this reason, you find that those among them who agree most closely with the leading scholars of the sunnah and hadith are held in greater esteem by them all than those whose agreement is less. Al-Ash‘arī himself, being closer to the position of Imam Ahmad and the leading scholars of the sunnah who preceded him, was held by them in greater esteem than his followers. Likewise, the judge Abū Bakr ibn al-Bāqillānī, being the closest among them to that position, was held by them in greater esteem than others. As for figures such as the scholar Abū al-Ma‘ālī,