Are the Asha'irah among the people of the Sunnah and the community?

Question:
Some students of knowledge say that the Asha'irah are among the people of the Sunnah and the community. Is that true? And what is the criterion for that?

Answer:
The Asha'irah are among the people of the Sunnah in some matters, and they are not among the people of the Sunnah in other matters. They are among the people of the Sunnah in what they agreed with the people of the Sunnah upon, and they are not among them in what they contradicted the people of the Sunnah in: such as the figurative interpretation of many of the attributes, and other matters known to those who have read their creed. Therefore, it is not permissible to say that they are not among the people of the Sunnah absolutely, nor that they are among the people of the Sunnah absolutely. Rather, they are among the people of the Sunnah in what they agreed with the people of the Sunnah upon. They have made great efforts in knowledge: such as Ibn Hajar, al-Nawawi, al-Maziri, and a large group of others, Ibn al-Tabi' al-Baqillani, and others. They vary in their figurative interpretation of the attributes, and they vary in what is criticized of them in creed. They have made great efforts, possess abundant knowledge, and have praiseworthy works that it is not permissible to deny. However, despite all this, it is not permissible to follow them in what they erred in.