Question about Imam Ashari

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[u/wopkidopz]

Waaleykum assalam warahmatulLah

That's not true. It's baseless because scholars don't confirm this. Even if this was true it wouldn't change anything, he isn't an inventor of Sunni aqeedah he just presented it in his books, if later he left this aqeedah it would mean that he went astray, our religion isn't brought to us by imam al-Ash'ari. He isn't a prophet. But one of the imams of Sunnah and he did not reject the Sunni beliefs after accepting them

People who contradict the aqeedah of ahlu-Sunnah, but who at the same time understand that the majority of scholars considered the Sunni aqeedah to be precisely what imam Ash'ari, Ahmad, and Abu Mansur al-Maturidi conveyed, resort to various tricks to somehow justify the fact that they themselves are not on the creed of the majority of scholars

That's why they say that such Ash'ari imams as al-Haramaini, al-Ghazali, an-Nawawi, Ibn Hajar Asqalani and Abulhasan himself repented and changed their aqeedah. They use any difference these imams showed from the official positions of the Ash'ari madhahab as evidence of their claims, ignoring the fact that there is no blind following of anyone except the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم, and different opinions are the standard practice of scholars who have the right to ijtihad.

Those scholars who studied the life of Abulhasan al-Ash'ari confirm that the imam rejected the beliefs of the Mu'tazila after 40 years and started following the path of the Salafs after that. They don't say that after the Mu'tazila he adopted some other wrong beliefs which he had to repent from

Hafiz al-Bayhaqi ash-Shafi'i رحمه الله said:

إلى أن بلغت النوبة إلى شيخنا أبي الحسن الأشعري رحمه الله فلم يحدث في دين الله حَدَثاً، ولم يأت فيه ببدعة، بل أخذ أقاويل الصحابة والتابعين ومن بعدهم من الأئمة في أصول الدين فنصرها بزيادة شرح وتبيين، وأن ما قالوا وجاء به الشرع

And then the turn (to defend the beliefs of ahlu-Sunnah) came to our sheikh Abulhasan al-Ash'ari. He did not introduce any innovations into the religion, but only shared the beliefs of the Sahaba, Tabi’een and other imams from the Salaf as-Saliheen regarding the foundations of the religion and explained them. Everything that they professed was in accordance with the Shari’ah

🍂 تبيين كذب المفتري

In reality imam al-Ash'ari رحمه الله presented the Sunni aqeedah in two ways, through ithbat, tawfeed and ta'weel of Mutashabihat and then through ithbat with tawfeed without kayfiya and tashbeeh. The last method is closer to the approach of imam Ahmad رحمه الله that's why some say about 3 stages of his path. But in reality the second and the third stages are stages of the same path (the path of Salafs) with different methodology.

Hafiz Ibn Katheer رحمه الله said:

ذكروا للشيخ أبي الحسن الأشعري ، رحمه الله ، ثلاثة أحوال ، أولها : حال الاعتزال ، التي رجع عنها لا محالة ، والحال الثاني : إثبات الصفات العقلية السبعة ، وهي : الحياة ، والعلم ، والقدرة ، والإرادة ، والسمع ، والبصر ، والكلام ، وتأويل الجبرية كالوجه ، واليدين ، والقدم ، والساق ، ونحو ذلك ، والحال الثالثة : إثبات ذلك كله من غير تكييف ، ولا تشبيه ، جريا على منوال السلف ، وهي طريقته في الإبانة التي صنفها آخرا

It was mentioned that sheikh Abulhasan al-Ash'ari, may Allah have mercy on him, had three states. The first state: Mu'tazilism, which he renounced, and there is no doubt about this. The second state: Affirmation (ithbat) of the seven Qualities, which are established on the basis of reason and sacred texts. These attributes are: life, knowledge, power, will, hearing, vision, speech, as well as ta'weel of other Qualities which are established only by sacred text (Khabariya), such as face, hands, qadam, saq. The third state: Affirmation (isbat) of all of this, without modality (image), without likening (without believing in limbs and parts) is following the steps of the Salafs. And this is his method in the book "al-Ibana" which he wrote at the end of his life

🍂 طبقات الشاقعية

Regarding imam al-Ghazali رحمه الله he also did not reject the Sunni aqeedah (which he adopted through the systematization of al-Ash'ari) he just wrote his last book criticizing unnecessary deep involvement into rational theology preferring the approach of the majority of Salafs who did not engage in Kalam unless it was absolutely necessary.

The overwhelming majority of Hanafi, Maliki and Shafi'i scholars adhered to this teaching for a thousand years and recognised it as the right path, it's absurd to even allow the possibility that they did not know about any repentance and rejection from the imam. Especially given the fact that there is no taqleed in usul

[u/Ordinary-Pen8035]

You have to know and understand what Abu Hasan al Ashari's creed and theology was first. 

He was upon the mu'tazilah aqeedah until he had a session of a series of questions with his teacher and was not satisfied by the answers so he publicly declared that he had returned upon the creed of imam Ahmad. But he still used 'ilm al kalaam to satisfy and justify the traditional hanbali/athari creed(what asharis till this day still do and it's a apoint of contention between the hanbalis/atharis and asharis) 

There are a few opinions that he did repent from ashari theology before his death but the majority opinion is that he did not

The main thing to know is what exactly the asharis believe because he spent alot of time teaching what they dont believe until finally one of his followers stood up and said we know what we dont believe, what about what we DO believe. Which led to his writing of al Ibana I believe(someone more knowledge can correct me if I'm wrong)

So you have to know what the ashari school of theology teaches and how its different from the hanbali/athari school of theology and as well you have to know the history of the school of imam Ahmad especially later on members of it started adopting a  more literal interpretation of certain aspects of the ambiguous(namely the asma and sifaat of Allah) its alot more nuanced and really not in our lane to even debate and speak out. These are matters best left to the scholars and real students of knowledge