Thus, those with whom they affiliate themselves, whom they venerate and seek to follow, are imams of guidance—may Allah be pleased with them all. In this regard, they are like their counterparts among Ahl al-Sunnah wa-l-Jamā‘ah. Scarcely any group among the later generations has been free of some error in its statements, owing to the many specious arguments spread by the people of innovation. Thus, in many works on the principles of jurisprudence, the foundations of religion, jurisprudence, asceticism, Quranic commentary, and hadith, an author mentions several views on a major foundational issue and recounts all manner of opinions, yet fails to mention the position with which Allah sent His Messenger. This is because he does not know it, not because he dislikes what the Messenger upheld.

Certain things appeared in their statements—they objected to some of what appeared in Abū Tālib’s statements concerning the divine attributes, such as indwelling and the like—which the imams of knowledge and religion condemned, accusing them of indwelling on that account. For this reason, Abū al-Qāsim ibn ‘Asākir criticized Abū ‘Alī al-Ahwāzī when the latter wrote an account of Abū al-Hasan al-Ash‘arī’s faults, while the former wrote an account of his merits. Abū ‘Alī al-Ahwāzī belonged to the Sālimiyyah, and some people therefore accused them of indwelling. Judge Abū Ya‘lā also wrote a book refuting the Sālimiyyah.

The disputes between them and their opponents—such as Judge Abū Ya‘lā and others, as well as the followers of al-Ash‘arī and their other opponents—are like disputes among people generally: sometimes both truth and falsehood in their positions are rejected; sometimes something true in their position is rejected; sometimes falsehood is refuted with falsehood; and sometimes falsehood is refuted with truth.