Imâm adh-Dhahabî Rahimahullâh said in his book al-Uluww, "The teacher Abu'l Qâsim al-Qushayrî said: I heard Abû Alî ad-Daqqâq say: I heard the jurist Zâhir bin Ahmad say: Al-Ash'arî Rahimahullâh passed away while his head was on my lap. While he was breathing his last, he was saying, "May Allâh curse the Mu'tazilah! They diluted and fabricated!"237
Hâfidh [Hujjah] Abu'l Qâsim Ibnu Asâkir said in his book Tabyînu Kadhib'il Muftarî fîmâ Nusiba ila'l Ash'arî,
"May Allâh have mercy upon him, since - as was mentioned regarding him- Abu'l Hasan possesses a good creed, his path is verified by the possessors of knowledge and criticism, the major devout worshippers are in agreement with most of the views he adheres to, and his views are only rebuked by the possessors of ignorance and stubbornness, then it is inevitable to narrate his creed from him as a trust so that his condition in the soundness of his creed in terms of religion is known. Thus, listen to what he narrates in his book al-Ibânah, as he said,
"All praise is due to Allâh al-Wâhid (the One), al-Azîz, al-Mâjid (the Glorious), the only one to whom unity is ascribed, the magnified in praise, whom the attributes of the slaves do not adequately describe and who does not have an equivalent and rival..."
Ibnu Asâkir then mentioned his preface wherein he refuted the Mu'tazilah, Qadariyyah, Jahmiyyah, Harûriyyah, Râfidhah, and Murji'ah and he clarified therein the opposition of the Mu'tazilah to the Book of Allâh, the Sunnah of His Messenger, and the consensus of the Sahâbah.238
Then al-Ash'arî said, "If someone says: You have denied the opinion of the Mu'tazilah, Qadariyyah, Jahmiyyah, Harûriyyah, Râfidhah, and Murji'ah. So, teach us the opinion you hold and the religion you follow!
It is said to him: The opinion we hold, and the religion we follow is holding fast to the Book of Allâh, the Sunnah of Allâh's Nabî Sallallâhu Alayhi wa Sallam, and what was related from the Sahâbah, the Tabi'ûn, and the Imâms of Hadîth. We hold firmly to this and hold as opinion what Ahmad bin Hanbal was upon, may Allâh illuminate his face. We are distant from those who oppose his opinion. This is because he is the virtuous Imâm and the perfect leader, with whom Allâh manifested the truth when misguidance prevailed, with whom Allâh clarified the path and with whom Allâh restrained the innovation of the innovators, the deviancy of the deviators, and the doubts of the doubters. May Allâh have mercy upon this leader Imâm and grand instructor, and upon the entirety of the Imâms of the Muslims. (Âmîn!)
The summary of our opinion is that we affirm Allâh, His angels, His Books, His Messengers, that which came from Allâh, and what the trustworthy have narrated from Rasûlullâh Sallallâhu Alayhi wa Sallam. We do not reject any of these. We affirm that Allâh is Ilâh, Wâhid, one, peerless, Samad, there is no deity worthy of worship except Him, He does not have a wife nor child, Muhammad is His servant and Messenger, Jannah is true, the fire is true, there is no doubt regarding the Hour coming, Allâh will raise those who are in the graves, and Allâhu Taâlâ has done Istiwâ above His Arsh, as He said,﴿الرَّحْمَنُ عَلَى الْعَرْشِ اسْتَوَى﴾
"Ar-Rahmân did Istiwâ above the Throne." (Tâ-Hâ, 20/5)
We affirm that Allâh has a face, as He said,﴿وَيَبْقَى وَجْهُ رَبِّكَ ذُو الْجَلَالِ وَالْإِكْرَامِ﴾
"And the Face of your Rabb full of Majesty and Honour will remain forever." (ar-Rahmân, 55/27)
We affirm that Allâh has two hands, as He said,﴿بَلْ يَدَاهُ مَبْسُوطَتَانِ﴾
"Rather, both His hands are extended." (al-Mâ'idah, 5/64)
We affirm that Allâh has two eyes without delving into howness, as He said,﴿تَجْرِي بِأَعْيُنِنَا﴾
"Floating under Our eyes..." (al-Qamar, 54/14)
We affirm that the one who deems that the name of Allâh is other than Him, is misguided. We also affirm that Allâh has knowledge, as He said,﴿أَنْزَلَهُ بِعِلْمِهِ﴾
"He has sent it down with His Knowledge." (an-Nisâ, 4/166)
We affirm that Allâh has might. We affirm that He has hearing and sight and we do not deny this as was denied by the Mu'tazilah, the Khawârij, and the Jahmiyyah.
We say: Verily, the speech of Allâh is not created. Nothing good or evil happens on earth other than what Allâh wishes. The acts of the slaves are created and decreed by Allâh, as He said,﴿وَاللَّهُ خَلَقَكُمْ وَمَا تَعْمَلُونَ﴾
"While Allâh has created you and what you do!" (as-Sâffât, 37/96)
Verily, good and evil are with the decree and might of Allâh.
We say: Verily, the Qur'ân is the uncreated speech of Allâh. Whoever believes that the Qur'ân is created is a Kâfir. We espouse as religion that Allâh will be seen by the believers on the Day of Judgement by sight, just as the moon is seen on the night it is full, as the narrations come from Rasûlullâh Sallallâhu Alayhi wa Sallam.
We say: Verily, when the believer sees Allâh, the disbelievers will be veiled from Him, as Allâh Azza wa Jalla said,﴿كَلَّا إِنَّهُمْ عَنْ رَبِّهِمْ يَوْمَئِذٍ لَمَحْجُوبُونَ﴾
"Nay! Surely, they will be veiled from seeing their Lord that Day." (al-Mutaffifîn, 83/15)
We say: Verily, Islâm is more extensive than Îmân. Every Islâm is not Îmân. We espouse as religion that Allâhu Taâlâ turns the hearts, that the hearts are between two of Allâh's fingers, and that Allâh will place the skies on one finger and the earth on another finger, as the narrations came from Rasûlullâh Sallallâhu Alayhi wa Sallam.
We believe that Îmân consists of words and deeds, and it increases and decreases. We confirm all the narrations narrated by the people of narration regarding descending to the heaven of the earth, and the Rabb saying, 'Is there any who has a request? Is there any who asks forgiveness?' In contrast to the people of deviation and misguidance, we confirm the rest of the things they relate and affirm. We do not introduce into Allâh's religion innovations that Allâh does not allow, nor we do say about Allâh what we do not know.
We say: Verily, Allâh will come on the Day of Judgement, as He said,﴿وَجَاءَ رَبُّكَ وَالْمَلَكُ صَفًّا صَفًّا﴾
"And your Lord comes with the angels in rows." (al-Fajr, 89/22)
Verily, Allâh comes near to His servants as He wishes, as He said,﴿وَنَحْنُ أَقْرَبُ إِلَيْهِ مِنْ حَبْلِ الْوَرِيدِ﴾
"We are closer to him than his jugular vein." (Qâf, 50/16)
And as Allâh said,﴿ثُمَّ دَنَا فَتَدَلَّى ۞ فَكَانَ قَابَ قَوْسَيْنِ أَوْ أَدْنَى﴾
"Then he drew near, and came down, and was at a distance of two bows' length or (even) nearer." (an-Najm, 53/8-9)"239
Until al-Ash'arî said, "We think that it is necessary to distance from every caller to innovation, and to stay away from the people of desires. We will provide evidences for our opinions we have mentioned and those that remain subject by subject, thing by thing."240
Then Ibnu Asâkir said, "May Allâh have mercy upon you! Ponder over this creed! How clear and how distinctive it is. Acknowledge the virtue of this Imâm who explained and clarified this!"
Quotation ends here.241
Shams'ud Din adh-Dhahabî Rahimahullâh said, "If our companions from the Mutakallimûn were to accept this from and adhere to Abu'l Hasan, they would have done good. However, they delved as the first philosophers delved in the things and they walked behind reasoning. There is no might or power except with Allâh!"242
[Abu'l Hasan al-Ash'arî was first a Mu'tazilî. He took knowledge from Abû Alî al-Jubbâ'î. Then, he separated from him and became a Mutakallim for the Sunnah. He agreed with the Imâms of Hadîth in the majority of their opinions, and this is what we narrated from him. He shined with his intellect.
He passed away in the year 324 H when he was 64 years old. May Allâhu Taâlâ have mercy upon him. (Âmîn.)]
237- Adh-Dhahabî, al-Uluww, p. 200, no. 541; also, Ibnu Asâkir, Tabyînu Kadhib'il Muftarî, p. 148.
238- Ibnu Asâkir, Tabyînu Kadhib'il Muftarî, p. 152.
239- Ibnu Asâkir, Tabyînu Kadhib'il Muftarî, p. 157-161.
240- Ibnu Asâkir, Tabyînu Kadhib'il Muftarî, p. 162-163.
241- Ibnu Asâkir, Tabyînu Kadhib'il Muftarî, p. 163.
242- Adh-Dhahabî, al-Uluww, p. 222, no. 541.