A Refutation of the Claim That the Asha'irah Are Not Declared Innovators on the Ground That Some of the Salaf Were Among Them

Question:
He says: Honorable Shaykh, may Allah grant you success, some people do not declare the Asha'irah to be innovators, and they say that they are not innovators, but that they are mistaken. They do this to escape the fact that some of the Salaf were among the Asha'irah.

Answer:
There is no one among the Salaf who is from the Asha'irah. There is absolutely no one among the Salaf who is from the Asha'irah. The Asha'irah are not the Salaf. The Asha'irah, like the Jahmiyyah, are not from the Salaf. They erred and went astray in the names and attributes, in their figurative interpretation (ta'wil). This is a religious innovation (bid'ah). This is an innovation. This is an innovation. And the strange thing is that these people declare others to be innovators for the slightest thing, but when it comes to their desire, they deny the innovation for those they desire and love. So the matter has become based on their desires. There is no doubt that the statement that the Asha'irah are innovators—that they are innovators—is not from the religion. Yes.