Is it true that the Asha'irah were the people of the Sunnah and the community in the ninth and tenth Hijri centuries?
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The questioner:
He says: Honorable Shaykh, may Allah grant you success. Some people say that the Asha'irah were the victorious sect and the people of the Sunnah and the community in the ninth and tenth Hijri centuries, claiming that all the scholars of that period were Asha'irah. Is this statement correct?
The Shaykh:
I told you that everyone claims a connection to Layla, but Layla does not acknowledge that connection for them. Everyone claims to be the people of the Sunnah and the community, but the criterion is the sources they rely upon. Whoever relies on the Book and the Sunnah and does not engage in figurative interpretation is from the people of the Sunnah and the community. As for whoever relies on doubtful matters, logic, and theological discourse, he is not from the people of the Sunnah and the community.
And among them are the Asha'irah. The sources and learning of the Asha'irah regarding the names and attributes come from other than the Book and the Sunnah, from theological discourse and logic. They studied under the Mu'tazilah. They studied under the Mu'tazilah.
As for their imam, al-Ash'ari (may Allah have mercy on him), he repented and returned to the methodology of the Salaf. But they remained on the methodology of the Mu'tazilah and did not return. Yes.
The questioner:
We say, Honorable Shaykh.
The Shaykh:
How can it be said that they are the people of the Sunnah and the community? Yes.
The questioner:
Honorable Shaykh, may Allah grant you success. One of the doctors who...
The Shaykh:
The questioner says that they became the majority at a certain time. Even if they are the majority, the majority does not indicate the truth. Those who are upon the truth may be few or individuals. The majority does not indicate the truth, nor does it indicate that the majority are the people of truth. Allah the Exalted says:[Al-An'am 6:116] The majority does not indicate the truth. What indicates the truth is the methodology. If the methodology is built upon the Book and the Sunnah, then that is the truth, even if only one person is upon it. And whatever contradicts the Book and the Sunnah is invalid, even if the majority are upon it.
He says: Honorable Shaykh, may Allah grant you success. Some people say that the Asha'irah were the victorious sect and the people of the Sunnah and the community in the ninth and tenth Hijri centuries, claiming that all the scholars of that period were Asha'irah. Is this statement correct?
The Shaykh:
I told you that everyone claims a connection to Layla, but Layla does not acknowledge that connection for them. Everyone claims to be the people of the Sunnah and the community, but the criterion is the sources they rely upon. Whoever relies on the Book and the Sunnah and does not engage in figurative interpretation is from the people of the Sunnah and the community. As for whoever relies on doubtful matters, logic, and theological discourse, he is not from the people of the Sunnah and the community.
And among them are the Asha'irah. The sources and learning of the Asha'irah regarding the names and attributes come from other than the Book and the Sunnah, from theological discourse and logic. They studied under the Mu'tazilah. They studied under the Mu'tazilah.
As for their imam, al-Ash'ari (may Allah have mercy on him), he repented and returned to the methodology of the Salaf. But they remained on the methodology of the Mu'tazilah and did not return. Yes.
The questioner:
We say, Honorable Shaykh.
The Shaykh:
How can it be said that they are the people of the Sunnah and the community? Yes.
The questioner:
Honorable Shaykh, may Allah grant you success. One of the doctors who...
The Shaykh:
The questioner says that they became the majority at a certain time. Even if they are the majority, the majority does not indicate the truth. Those who are upon the truth may be few or individuals. The majority does not indicate the truth, nor does it indicate that the majority are the people of truth. Allah the Exalted says:
And if you obey most of those upon the earth, they will mislead you from the way of Allah. They follow not except assumption, and they are not but falsifying.
وَإِن تُطِعْ أَكْثَرَ مَن فِي الْأَرْضِ يُضِلُّوكَ عَن سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ إِن يَتَّبِعُونَ إِلَّا الظَّنَّ وَإِنْ هُمْ إِلَّا يَخْرُصُونَ
Source
قناة «العلامة الدكتور صالح الفوزان»، [93 -1024] هناك من يقول: إن الأشاعرة كانوا هم أهل السنة والجماعة في القرنين التاسع والعاشر الهجري..؟ — youtube.com
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.