'Abu l-Hasan Al-'Ash^ariyy undertook the task of elucidating the true Muslim belief in detail

والصَّلَاةُ والسَّلاَمُ عَلَى سَيّدِنَا مُحَمَّدٍ أَشْرَفِ اْلمُرْسَلِيْنَ وَعَلَى آلِهِ وَصَحْبِهِ الطَّيّبِيْنَ الطَّاهِرِيْن

His Noble Ancestry

Imam Al-‘Ash^ariyy, whose full name was Abu l-Hasan ^Aliyy, was born in 260 AH in the Iraqi city of Basra. Hailing originally from Yemen, his ancestor, ‘Abu Musa ^Abdu l-Lah fils de Qays Al-‘Ash^ariyy, was a revered companion of the Messenger of Allah. Praised for his piety and wisdom, Abu Musa possessed the qualifications required to issue fatwas and was renowned for having one of the most beautiful voices in Qur'anic recitation.

Abu Musa emigrated to Abyssinia with his two brothers and Ja^far Ibnu ‘Abi Talib before joining the Messenger of Allah in Medina. Allah granted him descendants with a profound understanding of the Prophet's words, whose names have left an indelible mark on history. Among them, Shaykh Abu l-Hasan Al-‘Ash^ariyy, may Allah be pleased with him, took up the mantle in his turn.

His disavowal of the Mu^tazilah belief

Imam Al-‘Ash^ariyy came from a Sunni family but later studied and adopted the Mu^tazilah (Mutazilite) doctrine to such an extent that he became a prominent figure within this deviant movement. However, upon realising the aberrations and numerous errors of this trend, he ultimately abandoned it, repented, and returned to the path of salvation and reason—the path of the Sunnis—thereby disavowing the beliefs of the Mu^tazilah.

He studied the books of the Mu^tazilah and the Jahmiyyah and discovered that they denied the attributes of God, effectively nullifying the sacred texts. They asserted, may Allah protect us from their disbelief, that Allah is not attributed with knowledge, power, hearing, sight, life, freedom from end, or will.

Defender of the golden mean

Imam Al-‘Ash^ariyy also stood against the opposite extreme, namely the Hashwiyyah and the Mujassimah, who claimed that God is a body and attributed to Him qualities comparable to those of creatures. They asserted that God’s knowledge is like the sciences of creatures, His power like the powers of creatures, His hearing like the hearing of creatures, and His Sight like the sight of creatures.

Abu l-Hasan Al-‘Ash^ariyy followed the Sunni path—the just middle—and said: “Allah subhanahu wa ta^ala, He who is absolutely free from imperfection, certainly has knowledge, but it is not like other knowledge; Allah has power, but it is not like other powers; hearing, but it is not like other hearings; sight, but it is not like other sights.”

A Great Imam of the Sunnis

Al-‘Ash^ariyy, may Allah have mercy on him, authored numerous works, with some estimates exceeding three hundred. Many scholars praised him and acknowledged his merits, including As-Subkiyy, ‘Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadiyy, Al-Bayhaqiyy, and many others. His explanations in defence of the beliefs of ‘Ahlu s-Sunnah wal-Jama^ah and his refutations of the words and deviations of various sectarian groups such as the Mu^tazilah, the Jahmiyyah, and the Khawarij became foundational references. These works consolidated the writings of his predecessors among the great Imams, including ‘Abu Hanifah, Malik, Ash-Chafi^iyy and ‘Ahmad Ibnu Hanbal.

Indeed, the proliferation of deviations tested those who succeeded the Prophet's companions, prompting Islamic scholars such as ‘Abu Hanifah, Malik, Ash-Shafi^iyy and ‘Ahmad Ibnu Hanbal to work diligently to preserve Muslim belief. Towards the end of the third century of the Hegira, the influence of ideas contrary to the teachings of the Prophet increased. It was during this period that Imam Abu l-Hasan Al-‘Ash^ariyy in Baghdad and Imam ‘Abu Mansur Al-Maturidiyy in Samarkand undertook the task of elucidating the true Muslim belief in detail and defending it by relying both on rational evidence and the texts of the Qur'an and Hadith. These two Imams thus became the foremost authorities for the Sunnis who succeeded them.

His praise by scholars

Imam ‘Abu Nasr Al-Qushayriyy said:

شيئان من يعذلني فيهما فهو على التحقيق مني برى
حب أبي بكر إمام الهدى ثم اعتقادي مذهب الأشعري

 which means:

 ‘Two things indubitably dissociate me
From who'd -for them- reproach me
My Ash^ariyy belief and my reverence
For Abu Bakr the Imam of guidance.’

 
The historian and Hafidh of Sham, ‘Abu l-Qasim ^Aliyy son of Al-Hasan son of Hibatu l-Lah son of ^Asakir, composed the book "Tabyinu Kadhibi l-Muftari fima nusiba ila l-’Imami Abi l-Hasani l-‘Ash^ariyy" to defend the honour of Imam ‘Abu l-Hasan Al-‘Ash^ariyy. In this book, he cited his virtues, his works, and the praise of the Imams for him. He also mentioned several illustrious Imams who had learned from Al-‘Ash^ariyy, as well as a large number of scholars who echoed his teachings.

The hafidh Ibn ^Asakir (571 AH) the author of the well known book of “Tarikh Dimashq) in his book “Tabyinu Kadhibi l-Muftari fima nusiba ila l-’Imami Abi l-Hasani l-‘Ash^ariyy” wherein he mentioned some of his authored works and sayings, and defended and praised him at length, and when mentioning the lineage of Imam Al-'Ash^ariyy he said: “He is ^Aliyy the son of Isma^il the son of Ishaq the son of Salim the son of Isma^il the son of ^Abdu l-Lah the son of Musa the son of Bilal the son of Abu Burdah the son of Abu Musa al-'Ash^ariyy the Companion of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ .”Also Imam Taju d-din ^Abdu l Wahhab the son of Taqiyyu d-din ^Aliyy the son of ^Abdu l-Kafi As-Subkiyy (771 AH) in his famous book (Tabaqatu sh-Shafi^iyyah) wherein he wrote the biography of Imam Al-'Ash^ariyy and after mentioning his lineage he said: “ The Shaykh Abu l-Hasan Al-'Ash^ariyy Al-Basriyy the Shaykh of the methodology of 'Ahlu s-Sunnah wa l-Jama^ah and the leader of the people of the praised Kalam–(producing the substantiated arguments in defense of the religion)– and the supporter of the methodology of the master of all the Messengers, the defender of the religion and the one who endeavored to protect the creeds of the Muslims; an endeavor whose effect shall remain until the Day the people rise to settle their accounts before the Lord of the worlds.

He was an astute leader and one who was God-fearing. He protected the honored Shari^ah from the fabricated Hadith, supported the Muslim nation a staunch support, and did not spare any diligence in striving until he cleared the chests from the fabrications, the way one clears the white cloth from filth. He shielded with the lights of certitude against falling into falsehood by silencing every false statement and removing falsehood; for the Truth averts the harm of falsehood.” He rightfully praised him at length and said that the four most famous Madh-habs among the Shafi^iyyah and Malikiyyah and honorable ones among the Hanbaliyyah and some Hanafiyyah follow his methodology as most of them follow the methodology of Abu Mansur al-Maturidiyy ( died 333AH), may Allah accept his deeds, who as well agrees with Al Ash^ariyy in supporting the Madh-hab of Ahlu s-Sunnah and only harmlessly differ with him in some terminology.

The majority of the Muslims follow the two methodologies of these two Sheikhs Abu l-Hasan Al-‘Ash^ariyy and Abu Mansur al-Maturidiyy may Allah accept both of their deeds. The same also was mentioned by Imam Murtada Az-Zabidiyy in his explanation of Imam Al-Ghazaliyy's book “'Ihya'u ^ulumi d-din”. Hence it is clear to the mindful person that Imam Al Ash^ariyy and Imam Al Maturidiyy and those who follow them are the people of Hadith, Fiqh, fundamentals of belief, and Recitations, as richly observed in their authored works, and among them Al-Bayhaqiyy, Al Ghazaliyy, An Nawawiyy, Ibnu Hajar Al-^Asqalaniyy, Ibnu l Hajib, As-Subkiyy and countless others. 

Taju d-Din As-Subkiyy remarked, "If we were to recount the extraordinary aspects of Shaykh Al-‘Ash^ariyy's life, it would exhaust pen and paper. Whoever truly wishes to comprehend his merit and desires his heart to be filled with love for him should delve into the book Tabyinu Kadhibi l-Muftari fima nusiba ila l-’Imami Abi l-Hasani l-‘Ash^ariyy' ('The lies revealed by the slanderers in what they attributed to Imam ‘Abu l-Hasan Al-‘Ash^ariyy') by Hafidh Ibnu ^Asakir Ad-Dimashqiyy, one of the most eminent, beneficial, and exceptional works [I have ever encountered]."

A man of piety and humility

Shaykh ‘Abu l-Hasan Al-‘Ash^ariyy possessed exceptional intelligence, a profound understanding, and a comprehensive mastery of knowledge. For nearly twenty years, he observed the dawn prayer with the ablution of the evening prayer, all the while keeping his acts of worship discreet. He dedicated much of his energy to preparing for the afterlife. His sustenance came from what he could gather from the land of his grandfather, Bilal, son of ‘Abu Burdah, son of ‘Abu Musa Al-‘Ash^ariyy, which he had dedicated to his descendants. His yearly income amounted to barely seventeen dirhams or just over one dirham per month.

His death

The date of death of the esteemed Imam celebrated for his advocacy of the belief of Ahlu s-Sunnah, remains a matter of debate. Some sources suggest he passed away in Baghdad in 333 A.H., while others indicate 324 or 330 A.H. His tomb is reported to be located between Al-Karkh and the gate of Al-Basrah.

Among his disciples

The eminence of a disciple undoubtedly reflects the eminence of the master. Over the centuries, numerous scholars and personalities of Islam have claimed to follow in the footsteps of Imam Al-‘Ash^ariyy. Among them are the following illustrious figures:

• ‘Abu Muhammad At-Tabariyy Al-^Iraqiyy (died in 359H) ;
• ‘Abu Bakr Al-Qaffal Ash-Shashiyy Al-Kabir (died in 365H),
• Qadi ‘Abu Bakr Al-Baqillaniyy (died in 403H),
• ‘Abu Bakr Ibnu Furak (died in 406H)
• Imam ‘Abu Mansur Al-Baghdadiyy (died in 429H),
• Hafidh Al-Bayhaqiyy (died in 458H)
• Imam of the two Harams, Al-Juwayniyy (died in 478H),
• Grand Vizir of the Seljuk Sultans, Nidham Al-Mulk (died in 485H),
• ‘Abu Hamid Al-Ghazaliyy (died in 505H),
• Hafidh Ibnu ^Asakir (571H),
• Shaykh ‘Ahmad Ar-Rifa^iyy (578H),
• Sultan Salahu d-Din Al-‘Ayyubiyy (589H),
• Fakhru d-Din Ar-Raziyy (606H),
• Fakhru d-Din Ibnu ^Asakir (620H),
• Shaykh ^Abdu l-^Aziz Ibnu ^Abdi s-Salam (660H),
• The Exegete of the Qur’an, Al-Qurtubiyy (671H),
• Imam An-Nawawiyy (676H),
• Al-Qarafiyy (684H),
• Qadi Badru d-Din Ibnu Jama^ah (733H),
• The Exegete of the Qur’an, Al-Khazin (741H),
• The Exegete of the Qur’an, ‘Abu Hayyan Al-Andaluciyy (745H),
• Taqiyyu d-Din As-Subkiyy (756H),
• Taqiyyu d-Din Al-Husniyy (829H),
• Hafidh, Ibnu Hajar Al-^Asqala­niyy (852H),
• Shaykh Abu ^Abdi l-Lah As-Sanuciyy (895H),
• Hafidh As-Sakhawiyy (902H),
• Hafidh Jalalu d-Din As-Suyutiyy (911H),
• Shaykh Zakariyya Al-‘Ansa­riyy (926H),
• Shaykh ^Abdu l-Wahid Ibnu ^Ashir (1040H),
• The esteemed scholar Muhammad Mayyarah Al-Malikiyy (1072H),
• Az-Zurqaniyy (1122H),
• Shaykh Ad-Dardir Al-Malikiyy (1201H),
• Shaykh Ahmad Bamba Mbacké (1346H),
• Shaykh Muhammad Hasanayn Makhluf, Mufti of Egypt (1355H),
• Shaykh Muhammad Tahir Ibnu ^Ashur Al-Malikiyy (1393H),
• Shaykh ^Abdu l-Lah Ibnu Muhammad As-Siddiq Al-Ghumariyy (1413H),
• Shaykh Muhammad Belkebir (1421H),
• Shaykh ^Abdu l-Lah Al-Harariyy known as Al-Habashiyy (1429H).