Do We Blame Abu al-Hasan al-Ash’ari for His (Aqeedah) Creed?
Question: Do we blame Abu al-Hasan al-Ash’ari for his creed?
Summary:
• Yes, we criticize Abu al-Hasan in his first and second stages, because they contradicted the way of the Salaf. • We do not blame him after his return in his final stage, rather we praise his return and his clarification of the truth. • Consideration is with what a person died upon, and Abu al-Hasan returned to the truth, so good is hoped for him, but the Ash’ari madhhab that became known from him in his middle stage remains warned against.
Answer:
In the name of Allah, all praise is due to Allah, and may Peace and Blessings be upon the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ)
Abu al-Hasan al-Ash’ari (d. 324H) is a well-known figure in the history of the science of creed, and he went through three stages in his theological life:
1. The first stage: He was upon the madhhab of the Mu’tazilah for about forty years, influenced by their kalam school.
2. The second stage: He left the Mu’tazilah and moved to a madhhab between the Mu’tazilah and Ahl al-Sunnah, which later became known as the first “Ash’ari madhhab.” In this he agreed with Ahl al-Sunnah in some fundamentals, but remained influenced by kalam in issues of the attributes and other matters.
3. The third stage: This was his final stage, in which he returned to the pure creed of the Salaf, as in his book al-Ibanah ‘an Usul al-Diyanah and Maqalat al-Islamiyyin, where he clearly affirmed the attributes as they came, and believed in them without distortion or negation, upon the way of the Salaf.
Do we blame him?
If what is meant is Abu al-Hasan in his first and second stages, then the Salaf and the Imams of Ahl al-Sunnah were not pleased with those statements which contradicted the Qur’an and the Sunnah, and they warned against them, because the truth is in following the way of the Prophet ﷺ and his Companions. Allah the Exalted said:
From the Qur'an:
- al-Baqarah: 137
"So if they believe in what you believe, then they will indeed be ˹rightly˺ guided..."
But if what is meant is the final stage in which he returned to the way of the Salaf, then fairness is required, so we say: the man repented and returned to the truth, and he made it clear in al-Ibanah that he agreed with the creed of the Companions and the Tabi’in. The understanding of the Salaf in this matter:
From the Salaf:
- Imam Ahmad said:
“Consideration is by the endings,”
so if a person returns to the truth, it is obligatory to accept his return.
Ahl al-Sunnah distinguish between the individual and the madhhab: 1. They refute the false madhhab even if its speaker was a great Imam, in accordance with the saying of Allah the Exalted:
From the Qur'an:
- al-A’raf: 3
"Follow what has been sent down to you from your Lord, and do not take others as guardians besides Him. How seldom are you mindful!"
2. They preserve the position of the person if he repented and returned, and they mention him with goodness when speaking of his return to the truth.
I will mention to you the texts from al-Ibanah that prove his complete return to the creed of the Salaf, so that you may see his explicit statements yourself. From the book al-Ibanah ‘an Usul al-Diyanah of Abu al-Hasan al-Ash’ari, which is among the last of what he authored, and in which he clarified his return to the creed of the Salaf: 1. Affirmation of the attributes upon the way of the Salaf:
From the Salaf:
- Abu al-Hasan al-Ash’ari said in the introduction of al-Ibanah (p. 20, Dar al-Ansar edition):
“And our statement which we say, and our religion which we hold, is adherence to the Book of Allah, and the Sunnah of our Prophet ﷺ, and what is narrated from the Companions and the Tabi’in and the Imams of hadith, and we hold fast to that, and we say what Abu Abdillah Ahmad ibn Hanbal, may Allah brighten his face, raise his rank, and increase his reward, said, and we oppose whoever opposes his statement, for he is the noble Imam, the complete leader, by whom Allah made the truth clear, repelled falsehood, clarified the path, suppressed the innovations of the innovators, the deviations of the deviants, and the doubts of the doubters.”
2. Affirmation of the attributes of Allah without distortion or negation:
From the Salaf:
- He said (p. 133):
“If someone says, what do you say regarding al-istiwa? It is said to him, we say that Allah the Exalted rose over His Throne, as He said: {The Most Merciful rose over the Throne}, and we do not distort the words from their places, nor remove the wording from what the Arabs know and apply it to, and we say: al-istiwa is known, its how is unknown, belief in it is obligatory, and asking about it is an innovation.”
3. Affirmation of the vision of Allah on the Day of Resurrection:
From the Salaf:
- He said (p. 136):
“And the believers will see their Lord on the Day of Resurrection with their eyes, as He said: {Faces on that Day will be radiant, looking at their Lord}, and as has come in the reports from the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.”
4. Affirmation of the Divine descent:
From the Salaf:
- He said (p. 140):
“And we believe in what came from the Messenger of Allah ﷺ that Allah the Exalted descends to the lowest heaven and says, ‘Is there one calling, so I will answer him, is there one seeking forgiveness, so I will forgive him,’ as has come in the hadith from the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.”
5. His acknowledgment of the obligation of following the Salaf:
From the Salaf:
- He said (p. 21):
“And we hold that Allah the Exalted will be seen in the Hereafter with the eyes, as the moon is seen on the night of the full moon, the believers will see Him as has come in the reports from the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, and we affirm that as it has come in the authentic reports from the Prophet ﷺ.”
These texts and others like them clearly indicate that Abu al-Hasan al-Ash’ari in his final matter was upon the way of Imam Ahmad and the Imams of the Salaf in the subject of the names and attributes, affirming what Allah affirmed for Himself and what His Messenger ﷺ affirmed for Him, without distortion or negation, without asking how or likening.
And Allah knows best.
← Back to Questions