What is your opinion of Safer al-Hawali's statement that the Asha'irah do not fully agree with the people of the Sunnah except regarding the Companions and the Imamate?

The questioner : One of the brothers is interjecting.

The Shaykh : Yes.

The questioner : Regarding the topic of the Asha'irah and the people of the Sunnah, he mentions that Shaykh Safer al-Hawali, in his treatise...?

The Shaykh : Who?

The questioner : The Shaykh : Safer al-Hawali, in his treatise "The Methodology of the Asha'irah in Creed," states that they do not fully agree with the people of the Sunnah except regarding the Companions and the Imamate, and then the disagreement in the rest is extensive. What is your opinion?

The Shaykh : This restriction and exception is not correct?

The questioner : It is not authentic.

The Shaykh : Do they not agree with the people of the Sunnah in believing in the attribute of knowledge, for example, and hearing and sight? Do they not share with the people of the Sunnah in this, contrary to the Mu'tazilah?

Another questioner : He says they affirm them, but not as the people of the Sunnah affirm them. The Shaykh provides evidence for this from their books, saying they do not affirm what the people of the Sunnah affirm, such as the affirmation of the people of the Sunnah.

The Shaykh : What do they say about divine knowledge? What is the difference between the Asha'irah and the people of Hadith?

Another questioner : He provided evidence in his treatise for what he was saying, and restricted the agreement with the people of the Sunnah in every aspect to these two issues.

Another questioner : They say "All-Knowing without knowledge" and "All-Hearing without hearing." Does this agree with the same knowledge that the people of the Sunnah hold? What do the Asha'irah hold?

The questioner : Should it not be said that the issue of knowledge is a secondary matter falling under the principle of attributes? And in the principle of attributes generally, they contradict the people of the Sunnah, but this does not prevent them from agreeing with them in details, such as affirming knowledge, or something of this sort?

The Shaykh : This is what we are saying?

Another questioner : They say in existence, and they say not above, not below, and not in any place. Is this not the statement of the Asha'irah?

Another questioner : ... From my reading of the Shaykh's book, he says that there must be something with them that contradicts the method of the people of the Sunnah and the community in affirming that issue. They may agree with them in some aspects or one aspect, and differ in some details, which makes them not like the people of the Sunnah and the community in affirming what they affirm... in this issue?

The Shaykh : We did not say anything other than this. We did not say that they are with the people of the Sunnah in everything the people of the Sunnah hold, nor did we say that they contradict the people of the Sunnah in everything the people of the Sunnah hold.

Another questioner : What I mean is thatThe Shaykh : He traced what is said about them, that they agree with the people of the Sunnah and the community in it, because it is what we have memorized, studied, and heard from our Shaykhs, and they used it to refute many of the misguided in this regard. It is not the refutations of al-Sabuni and al-Bahnasawi... he refuted him.The Shaykh : 'Abd al-'Aziz ibn Baz refuted him, andThe Shaykh : Al-Fawzan refuted him, and Safer also refuted him in this treatise. They always say we find that the disagreement between the people of the Sunnah and the community and the Asha'irah is restricted to the issue of attributes.The Shaykh : He came and said, "I traced the creed of the Asha'irah and found that they do not fully agree with the people of the Sunnah except in these two issues." So it is not only in attributes, meaning in the fundamentals of faith, in other matters, meaning in all matters. If they agree with the people of the Sunnah and the community in some aspects, they differ with them except in these two issues, in which they fully agree with the people of the Sunnah and the community.

The Shaykh : It is not accepted to accept this statement with this restriction, except in these two issues... Do you not believe that the Asha'irah believe in divine will?

Another questioner : He says they do not affirm it as the people of the Sunnah and the community affirm it. So they differ with us...?

The Shaykh : ... It is well known their belief regarding divine speech, that they interpret it as internal speech. In reality, they meet with the Mu'tazilah. There is no dispute in this, but I am speaking about this restriction.

Another questioner : This restriction is based on induction and the reality of their books, because when it is said that the Asha'irah agree with the people of the Sunnah, he looks into this agreement and finds a contradiction for them, except in these two issues. So they fully agree with the people of the Sunnah and the community. The Shaykh, this research that was printed, "The Methodology of the Asha'irah in Creed," in Kuwait, is part of his doctoral dissertation, and perhaps he expands on it there more, even though he may have discussed the issue at length in this book of his, which is "The Methodology of the Asha'irah in Creed." So it is possible to refer to it and to the sources he referred to, because the Shaykh inducted and studied. And what led him to single out this research and publish it was, in reality, the refutations that took place between the Shaykhs and al-Sabuni, where they restricted the disagreement to attributes. So the Shaykh inducted and brought up other things in faith, in many things, and that they, even if they agree with the people of the Sunnah and the community, have contradictions, as you mentioned a moment ago, and the brothers indicated that they, even if they affirm knowledge, have a contradiction with the people of the Sunnah and the community; they do not agree with them in affirming knowledge as the people of the Sunnah and the community affirm it according to the texts of the Shari'ah from the Book and the Sunnah.

The Shaykh : The important thing is that there is no dispute that the Asha'irah contradicted the people of the Sunnah in many matters, but with this specification and this restriction, it is difficult to believe in it.

Another questioner : Shaykh Safer al-Hawali refuted al-Sabuni and others who transmitted from the people that the Asha'irah are from the people of the Sunnah and the community. So he mentioned that the people of the Sunnah and the community, this phrase has two meanings: a general meaning and a specific meaning. The general meaning is in contrast to the Rafidah; they are from the people of the Sunnah and the community with respect to their opposition to the Rafidah, but they are not from the people of the Sunnah and the community with respect to the people of Hadith.

The Shaykh : Yes, exactly.

Another questioner : The Shaykh mentioned the meaning without mentioning the general and the specific.

The Shaykh : There is no doubt in this?