Did Imam Malik definitively state that the man who asked about the manner of istiwaa' (rising above the Throne) is an innovator?

Question : What did he say in the Risalah regarding the clarification of his position, and what he intended not to follow, so is it...

Answer : He did not state it definitively. Imam Malik said, "I do not think you are anything but an innovator." He did not state it definitively; he meant, "I do not think you are anything but one of the people of innovation." There is no harm in saying to a person, "I think this is an innovator," or saying to him, "I think you are an innovator." Because suspicion is not the same as testimony or a definitive judgment.