The ruling on one who holds the Ash'ari belief regarding the names and attributes

Question:
Honorable Shaykh, may Allah preserve you, what is the ruling on one who is upright in his worship and sincere to Allah, but who is Ash'ari in his belief regarding the names and attributes? If he dies in that state, is he a Muslim or a disbeliever who is not prayed over?

Answer:
No, he is not a disbeliever, but he is considered mistaken and misguided. He may be one who relies on custom or follows this school of jurisprudence, because the prevailing school of thought in the Islamic world today, which is taught in universities abroad in Islamic countries, is the Ash'ari creed. One who follows this believes that it is the truth, so this is considered an excuse; he is excused for it and is not declared a disbeliever. However, this is considered misguidance and error, but it does not take him out of the circle of Islam. It is established that he did not associate anything with Allah and did not commit any of the nullifiers of Islam.