And the best of what you bring, said al-Ash'ari *** and you testify against him with slander (Discussion of Abu al-Hasan al-Ash'ari, his creed, and the creed of his followers)
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The Shaykh :"And the best of what you bring, said al-Ash'ari *** and you testify against him with slander"
This is the best of what you bring: that you attribute your sayings to al-Ash'ari, and yet you testify against him with slander, lying about him. For al-Ash'ari (may Allah have mercy on him), Abu al-Hasan, was in the early part of his life a Mu'tazili, following the doctrine of the Mu'tazilah. He remained on this path for forty years (may Allah have mercy on him), following the doctrine of the Mu'tazilah, denying the divine attributes. He also had views on faith and divine decree, and the like. Then he associated with 'Abd Allah ibn Sa'id ibn Kullab, and he learned from him some matters that contradicted the doctrine of the Mu'tazilah, so he adopted them and differed with them in some matters. One day, a Friday, he had a pulpit—meaning a chair—where he would speak after the Friday prayer. He placed his turban and said: "Whoever knows me knows me, and whoever does not know me, I am Abu al-Hasan al-Ash'ari". Look at the mercy of Allah upon the early scholars; they would proclaim the truth. Then he said that he had been on the doctrine of the Mu'tazilah, "and now I affirm its invalidity and that it is an invalid doctrine". He began to refute it (may Allah have mercy on him). Then, after a period, he looked into the books of the Salaf and the books of the people of the Sunnah, and he was pleased with the doctrine of Imam Ahmad (may Allah have mercy on him), the Imam of the people of the Sunnah. He authored his book *Al-Ibanah 'an Usul al-Din* and explicitly stated that he followed Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal. He presented evidence for affirming the attributes and refuted the Mu'tazilah with a forceful refutation. The book, praise be to Allah, is now famous, known, and printed. As for his followers now, those who claim to belong to him, to which period of his life did they cling? To the middle period, the middle period. So they ended up between the doctrine of the Mu'tazilah and the doctrine of the people of the Sunnah, belonging neither to these nor to those.
This is the best of what you bring: that you attribute your sayings to al-Ash'ari, and yet you testify against him with slander, lying about him. For al-Ash'ari (may Allah have mercy on him), Abu al-Hasan, was in the early part of his life a Mu'tazili, following the doctrine of the Mu'tazilah. He remained on this path for forty years (may Allah have mercy on him), following the doctrine of the Mu'tazilah, denying the divine attributes. He also had views on faith and divine decree, and the like. Then he associated with 'Abd Allah ibn Sa'id ibn Kullab, and he learned from him some matters that contradicted the doctrine of the Mu'tazilah, so he adopted them and differed with them in some matters. One day, a Friday, he had a pulpit—meaning a chair—where he would speak after the Friday prayer. He placed his turban and said: "Whoever knows me knows me, and whoever does not know me, I am Abu al-Hasan al-Ash'ari". Look at the mercy of Allah upon the early scholars; they would proclaim the truth. Then he said that he had been on the doctrine of the Mu'tazilah, "and now I affirm its invalidity and that it is an invalid doctrine". He began to refute it (may Allah have mercy on him). Then, after a period, he looked into the books of the Salaf and the books of the people of the Sunnah, and he was pleased with the doctrine of Imam Ahmad (may Allah have mercy on him), the Imam of the people of the Sunnah. He authored his book *Al-Ibanah 'an Usul al-Din* and explicitly stated that he followed Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal. He presented evidence for affirming the attributes and refuted the Mu'tazilah with a forceful refutation. The book, praise be to Allah, is now famous, known, and printed. As for his followers now, those who claim to belong to him, to which period of his life did they cling? To the middle period, the middle period. So they ended up between the doctrine of the Mu'tazilah and the doctrine of the people of the Sunnah, belonging neither to these nor to those.