Forewords by: Shaykh Wahba al-Juhayli,
& by Shaykh Muhammad Sa'id Ramadan al-Buti,
Published by Sunni Publications.

Description :


In an age in which intra-Muslim religious argumentation dominates, heterodox groups have tried and had great success in presenting their beliefs as normative Islam to the average lay Muslim. Unfortunately many of these beliefs are largely at odds with the classical articulations of Sunni orthodoxy throughout the ages.



This work, Ahl al-Sunna : The Ash?aris, aims to remedy this problem. Drawing from the works of Islam’s greatest scholars through the centuries, Shaykh Hamad al-Sinan and Shaykh Fawzi al-?Anjari detail the genesis, rise, beliefs, and contributions of the Ash?ari school of theology, and address—in a refreshingly fair-minded and non-sectarian way—common misconceptions about the Ash?ari school and demonstrate how its rich religious discourse is firmly anchored in the Qur?an, the Sunna, the way of the Companions, and sound reasoning. 



Reviews :


          '' The book in front of us is a useful and blessed endeavor that clarifies
             what Shaykh al-Islam and Imam amongst the Imams, Abu al-Hasan
             al-Ash?ari, may Allah be pleased with him, was upon: a creed free
             from anthropomorphism or negation of Allah’s attributes. His was
             indeed the creed of the pious predecessors [Salaf]. Through its
             compelling arguments, numerous scholarly quotes, and discussions
             by prominent scholars, Ahl al-Sunna : The Ash?aris succeeds in its
             aim, and is added to the long list of works compiled by Hadith
             scholars and theologians who defended Imam Abu al-Hasan
             al-Ash?ari, such as Ibn ?Asakir’s Tabyin Kadhib al-Muftari
             (Clarifying the Lie of the Calumniator), al-Bayhaqi’s declaration in
             the beginning of his compilation on belief entitled al-I?tiqad, and
             others … May Allah reward the two authors with goodness for their
             eagerness through this work to defend the tenets of faith upheld by
             the vast majority of Muslims.''         —_{Shaykh Husayn ?Abd al-?Ali}.


           '' Allah has guided these brothers in writing this book to clarify the
              truth and refute and expose falsehoods concerning the origin and
              creed of the Ash?aris, clarifying to those who may not know about
              them, or only know of them through false information that has
              reached them.''                              _{—Shaykh Hasan Hito}.







Table of Contents :


---Foreword by : Shaykh Wahba al-Zuhayli,
---Foreword by : Shaykh Muhammad Sa'id Ramadan al-Buti,


---Introduction,

---Chapter [1]. The Meaning of the Term Ash'ari,

---Chapter [2]. The Biography of Im?m Ab? al-Hasan al-Ash'ar?,

---Chapter [3]. Did Imam al-Ash'ar? Die upon a Different Doctrine?
------Refuting the First Premise : The Three Stages of Imam al-Ashari, 
------Refuting the Second Premise : Abdullah b. Sa'id b. Kullab,
------Refuting the Third Premise : The Book Al-Ibana,
------Refuting the claim that some of the Imam's retracted from the Ash'ari Doctrine.

---Chapter [4].  Ahl al-Sunna wal-Jam?h,

---Chapter [5]. The Statements of Some Contemporary Scholars Regarding the Ash'ar?s,
------The ambiguous Verses according to the Early and Latter-Day Scholars,
------The Correct Understanding of the ambiguous Verses

---Chapter [6]. Disagreements in Matters of Doctrine,
------Statements from the Reliable Imams' negating direction from Allah, the Exalted, and declaring Him Transcendent above place,
-------Imam Malik,
-------Imam al-Tabari and his negation of physical loftiness ['uluw],
-------Qadi 'Iyad,
-------Imam al-Nawawi,
-------Imam al-Shatibi,
-------Al-Hafiz ibn Hajar al-Asqalani,
-------Imam al-Qushayri,
-------Qadi al-Qudat ibn al-Munir,
-------Imam al-Baydawi,
-------Imam al-Qurtubi,
------Disagreements in the fundamentals of the Ahl al-Sunna.

---Chapter [7]. Non-Specific Interpretation [tafwid] and Specific Figurative Interpretation [ta'wil],
------The Position of the Majority of the Salaf was tafwid,
---------Important Notice : The Salafs understanding of the ambiguous texts,
------Figurative Interpretation is a Correct Method taken from the Salaf and the Arabic language,
------Examples of Figurative Interpretation given by the scholars,
------Statements from the scholars in which they negate Sensory Modalities.

---Chapter [8]. Figurative Interpretation [ta'wil] and Extreme Denial [ta'til],
------The Reality of Extreme Denial,
------Do the Ash'aris negate Allah's Attributes?

---Chapter [9]. The Salaf’s Figurative Interpretations of the Texts Pertaining to the Attributes,
------Ibn Abbas' Interpretation of the footstool [kursi],
------Ibn Abbas' Interpretation of the coming of the Lord,
------Ibn Abbas' Interpretation of the word ''eye'' ['ayn],
------Ibn Abbas' Interpretation of the word ''hand'' [yad],
------Ibn Abbas' Interpretation of ''light'' [nur],
------Ibn Abbas' Interpretation of the texts that mention ''face'' [wajh],
------Ibn Abbas' Interpretation of ''shin'' [saq],
------Mujahid and al-Suddi's Interpretation of the word ''side'' [janb],
------The Interpretation of Al-Dahhak, Qatada and Sa'id b. Jubayr for the word ''shin'' [saq],
------The Interpretation of Sufyan al-Thawri and Ibn Jarir al-Tabiri for ''rising'' [istiwa],
------The Interpretation of Mujahid, Al-Dahhak, Abu Ubayda for the word ''face'' [wajh],
------Imam al-Shafi's interpretation of the word ''face'' [wajh],
------Imam al-Tabiri's interpretation of the word ''eye'' ['ayn],
------Imam Malik's interpretation of the hadith of ''descent'' [nuzul],
------Imam Ahmad's interpretation of Allah's coming,
------Al-Hasan al-Basri's interpretation,
------Imam al-Bukhari's interpretation of ''laughter'' [dahak],
------Imam al-Bukhari's interpretation of the word ''face'' [wajh],
------Notice : The misconception that the affirmation of general meanings negates specific affirmation of attributes,
------Response : Attributes are affirmed as they have appeared, without explanation or imparting specific meanings.

---Chapter [10]. The Ash'aris and Maturidi's are the Majority of the Umma,
------The Senior Qur'anic Exegetes of the Umma, from the Ash'aris and Maturidi's,
--------Notice : Imam Muhammad b. Jarir al-Tabari,
------Some of the Latter-day Ash'ari Qur'anic Exegetes,
------The Senior Hadith Scholars and Masters of the Umma, from the Ash'aris and Maturidi's,
------The Senior Jurists of the Umma, from the Ash'aris and Maturidi's,
------The Notable Scholars of Language and Literature, from the Ash'aris and Maturidi's,
------Author's on the Prophetic Biography [sira] from the Ash'aris and Maturidi's,

---Chapter [11]. The Noble Efforts of the Ahl al-Sunna in Defending the Religion and Refuting the Innovators,

---Chapter [12]. Formal Legal Verdicts and Statements from the Scholars Regarding the Virtue of the Ash'ari's and Harsh Words against Those who Condemn them,
------The Legal Verdict of Imam ibn Rushd al-Jadd,
------Imam al-Nawawi,
------Imam ibn Hajar al-Haytami,
------Al-Hafiz ibn 'Asakir,
------Sayyad b. Muhammad al-'Alawi al-Maliki al-Hasani,
------The legal verdict of the Sacred Law Committee in Dubai,
------The formal legal verdict of Shaykh Ahmad al-Hajji al-Kurdi
------The formal legal verdict of the Mufti of Lebanon.

---Chapter [13]. The Doctrine of the Ahl al-Sunna wal-Jama'a,


---Conclusion,
---Bibliography.

*Dimensions : 21 x 14 cm.