The ruling on one who is Ash'ari 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 testifies to the oneness of Allah, but is Ash'ari regarding the names and attributes? If he dies in that state, is he a Muslim or a disbeliever who is not to be prayed over?

Answer:
No, he is not a disbeliever, but he is considered mistaken and misguided. He may be one who engages in figurative interpretation or follows this school of jurisprudence, because the prevailing school in the Islamic world today, which is taught in universities abroad in Islamic countries, is the Ash'ari creed. He grew up with this and thought it was the truth, so this is considered an excuse; he is excused for it and not declared a disbeliever. However, this is considered misguidance and error, but it does not take him out of the circle of Islam, as long as he has not associated anything with Allah and has not committed any of the nullifiers of Islam.