Sayyid Muhammad Alawi Maliki (﵀) writes in his 'Mafahim', in the chapter 'Truths that are Dying':
"The discussion about Allah's Kalam is another example. One group argues that Allah's Kalam is Nafsi (without letters and sound), and another group argues that it has letters and sound. Both these groups are purifying Allah from all forms of Shirk. True purification is what both groups desire. The matter of Kalam is an undeniable, established truth. Considered from another perspective, it is a divine Sifat (attribute) mentioned in the Quran. It is established. And no one knows its reality except Allah.
We must accept and believe that Allah has Kalam, the Quran is His Kalam, and Allah is Mutakallim (One who speaks/has the attribute of speech). We need not research whether it has letters and sound or not. All that is unnecessary. The Prophet (ﷺ), who was sent to teach Tawhid, did not say anything about it. Then why do we transgress what the Prophet (ﷺ) did? Why do we add to what the Prophet (ﷺ) practiced? In reality, are not such discussions the worst Bid'ah?
On the day when all people gather in the presence of Allah, the Prophet (ﷺ) will explain it to us. Our explanation and stance on this matter and others should be an acceptance of its reality and free from discussions about its form, appearance, and characteristics."
Sheikh Maliki's quote ends here. Now, another topic is being discussed.
“ولا نعرف في أهل البدع طائفة يكتمون مقالتهم ولا يتجاسرون على إظهارها إلا الزنادقة والأشعرية”
“Among the people of Bid'ah, we do not know of any group that conceals their statements and does not dare to reveal them, except the Zanadiqa (heretics/atheists) and the Ash'aris.”
This is a truncated ibarah (phrase/statement) that Salafis are widely propagating on the internet now. It is presented as a quote from the book "Al-Munazaratu fil Quran" (The Debate on the Quran) by Imam Ibn Qudamah (﵀), who was a Hanbali.
There is a factual error in this quote itself. Even if we concede for the sake of argument that the "Ash'ariyya" are misguided Mubtadi'un (innovators), in what way are the Zindiqs, who are atheists and deniers of God, introduced as Mubtadi'un? Are they not outside of religion? Can they be called Bid'is? Or does it mean that, like them, the Ash'aris are also outside of religion? If so, there is no need to call them Ahlul Bid'ah, is there? It would have been enough to state the matter directly, wouldn't it? Why should they lack the courage to reveal their own arguments, as mentioned in the ibarah? There are many such questions regarding this. Let it be...
Such a book is not found in the list of Imam Ibn Qudamah's (﵀) books. This name is not among the books mentioned in the Tarjuma (biography) of Imam Ibn Qudamah written by Imam Ibn Rajab (RA).
Now, a well-known book that is in the list of Ibn Qudamah's (﵀) own books is "Lum'atul I'tiqad" (The Radiance of Belief). Look at a quote from it:
(وكل متسم بغير الاسلام والسنة مبتدع كالرافضة والجهمية والخوارج والقدرية والمرجئة والمعتزلة والكرامية والكلابية ونظائرهم ، فهذه فرق الضلال وطوائف البدع أعاذنا الله منها) (لمعة الإعتقاد)
"All distinct factions that are not upon Islam and Sunnah are indeed Mubtadi'un. Examples include the Rafidah, Jahmiyyah, Khawarij, Qadariyyah, Murji'ah, Mu'tazilah, Karramiyyah, Kullabiyyah, and similar groups. All these are misguided factions and Bid'i groups. May Allah protect us from their evil."
So, where did the aforementioned Ash'ariyya go? Why did the Imam, who listed all existing factions by name, omit the Ash'ariyya here in this ibarah, in this statement that directly lists the Bid'i factions???
Before Ibn Taymiyyah, there were some differences of opinion, disputes, and harsh expressions between the Hanbalis and the followers of the Ash'ari madhhab. Imam Ibn Qudamah (﵀), a Hanbali, may have been a part of it. We do not deny it. That is why Imam Subki (﵀), when introducing the Ash'ari path in his Tabaqat, specifically wrote that all Hanafis, Shafi'is, Malikis, and prominent figures in the Hanbali madhhab are part of this path. Meaning, not all Hanbalis are Ash'aris or Maturidis. Perhaps the great scholar wrote so with Ibn Qudamah and Ibn Taymiyyah in mind.
In the book 'Tahrimun Nazr', Ibn Qudamah (﵀) quotes another scholar as follows:
وقال أحمد بن إسحاق المالكي أهل الأهواء والبدع عند أصحابنا هم أهل الكلام فكل متكلم من أهل الأهواء والبدع أشعريا كان أو غير أشعري لا تقبل له شهادة ويهجر ويؤدب على بدعته فإن تمادى عليها استتيب منها
تحريم النظر في كتب الكلام [ صفحة 42 ]
“The Maliki scholar Ahmad bin Ishaq said: ‘The people of Hawa (those who opine according to their desires) and Bid'ah, according to us, are the people of Ilm al-Kalam (those who explain textual evidence based on reason). Whether they are Ash'aris or not, their testimony will not be accepted. They should be punished and exiled for their Bid'ah. If they persist in it, repentance should be sought from them.’”
Now, the history of the aforementioned book "Al-Munazaratu fil Quran". It was mentioned earlier that such a name has not appeared in the list of Ibn Qudamah's (﵀) books. This book mentions its history. Its manuscript was discovered in a library in Damascus. Another scholar testifies that it belongs to Ibn Qudamah (﵀). There are many citations to prove his reliability. Based on that, a copy taken from a library in Kuwait was tahqiq-ed (verified/edited, 'corrected' in Malayalam) and published a few years ago by a Kuwaiti Salafi scholar. That book is what is available now. Another tahqiq has also come to notice. In short, these lines may indeed be by Ibn Qudamah (﵀), or they may not be. Both possibilities exist.
However, in this book, Ibn Qudamah (RA) criticizes not only Ash'ariyyah but also Imam Ash'ari (﵀) himself by name. Here, a fabricated story of the Wahhabis is debunked. That is, it is a reality that Imam Ash'ari (﵀), who was a Mu'tazili ideologue, repented and returned to Ahlus Sunnah wal Jama'ah. Subsequently, the Ash'ari path became widespread. The Wahhabis portray this repentance as Imam Ash'ari (RA) repenting from Ash'ariyyah (in their eyes, Mu'tazilism and Ash'ariyyah are the same) and returning to what they call Salafism, i.e., Ahlus Sunnah wal Jama'ah. So, Imam Ash'ari (﵀) is now their man. However, that repentance story is debunked in this book attributed to Imam Ibn Qudamah (﵀). Because Ibn Qudamah (﵀), who was born two centuries after Imam Ash'ari (﵀) passed away, has numerous ibarahs in this "Al-Munazara" severely criticizing Imam Ash'ari (﵀) for Ash'ariyyah. This means that such a repentance was fabricated and attributed to Imam Ash'ari (RA) by later people. If Ibn Qudamah (﵀) had known and accepted that repentance, would he have made this criticism? To argue that Ibn Qudamah (﵀), who came in the third generation after two generations had passed since Imam Ash'ari's (﵀) death, could not have known that Imam Ash'ari (RA) had come to the true Salafi ideology they trumpet, is absurd. So, there is only one way before the Salafis. If they accept this book of Ibn Qudamah (﵀), they must reject Imam Ash'ari (﵀). They should not come to knowledgeable people anymore with the dirty argument that Imam Ash'ari (﵀) is their man, that he repented and returned, and that it is his followers who persist in Ash'ariyyah and are misguided. Or they must reject this book. Both cannot happen.
An example of a quote, said to be from Imam Ibn Qudamah (﵀) against Imam Ash'ari (﵀) in Al-Munazara, is given below. There are many other quotes as well.
المناظرة في القرآن [ صفحة 47 ]
وعند الأشعري أنها مخلوقة فقوله قول المعتزلة لا محالة إلا أنه يريد التلبيس فيقول في الظاهر قولا يوافق أهل الحق ثم يفسره بقول المعتزلة فمن ذلك أنه يقول القرآن مقروء متلو محفوظ مكتوب مسموع ثم يقول القرآن في نفس الباري قائم به ليس هو سورا ولا آيات ولا حروفا ولا كلمات فكيف يتصور إذا قراءته وسماعه وكتابته ويقولون إن موسى سمع كلام الله من الله ثم يقولون ليس بصوت ويقولون إن القرآن مكتوب في المصاحف ثم يقولون ليس فيها إلا الحبر والورق
The Ash'ari scholar Imam Abu Shama al-Maqdisi (﵀) records about his esteemed teacher Imam Ibn Qudamah (﵀):
قال أبو شامة المقدسي الأشعري عن شيخه الإمام موفق الدين ابن قدامة رحمه الله :
( كان إماما من أئمة المسلمين علما من اعلام الدين في العلم و العمل صنف كتبا كثيرة حسانا في الفقه و غيره و لكن كلامه فيما يتعلق بالعقائد في مسائل الصفات و الكلام هو على الطريقة المشهورة عن اهل مذهبه فسبحان من لم يوضح الامر له فيها على جلالته في العلم و معرفته بمعاني الاخبار و الاثار و سمعت عليه مسند الشافعي .ألخ )اهـ عن تراجم القرنين السادس و السابع لأبي شامة المقدسي الاشعري
"He is an Imam among the Imams of the Muslims, a prominent figure of the religion in knowledge and action. He authored many excellent works in Fiqh and other subjects. However, his views on matters related to creed, in the issues of Sifat (Attributes) and Kalam, were contrary to the well-known path of the people of his madhhab. What can be done! It can be said that despite his eminence in knowledge and his special understanding of the meanings of Hadith and Athar, Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala did not clarify the matter for him in this issue. I heard Musnad ash-Shafi'i from him." (From 'Tarajim al-Qarnayn al-Sadis wa al-Sabi'' by Abu Shama al-Maqdisi al-Ash'ari)
We should not, in any way, disrespect Imam Ibn Qudamah (﵀) because of his stance regarding Imam Ash'ari (﵀). He is indeed a great leader of Ahlus Sunnah. He is the Imam who established and wrote about Istighatha in his world-famous Fiqh book, Al-Mughni. As Imam Abu Shama (﵀) said, he is indeed a reference for us in Fiqh and other matters. At the same time, just as our Imams disagreed with his stances on some issues of Aqeedah, we too respectfully disagree. This does not mean we reject the Imam. Differences of opinion among Imams are natural. Some differences of opinion may perhaps be severe. We respect and honor all Imams. Even if one of them made mistakes in some matters, other Imams would have corrected them. That is the karamah (miraculous grace/dignity) of Ahlus Sunnah. Our approach towards contemporary scholars should also be the same. Respect everyone equally – without looking at factions...
On that day, during the Battle of Jamal, when Talha ibn Ubaydillah (﵁), who was in the opposing camp, was struck by an arrow, fell, and passed away, did not Ali (﵁) jump down from his mount, place Talha's (﵁) body on his lap, wipe the dust that had clung to his beautiful face and beard (Talha (﵁) was very handsome) with his own hand, and lament... Oh, how much better it would have been if I had passed away twenty years ago.
