Ahl al-Sunna: The Ashʿaris

Ahl al-Sunna: The Ashʿaris, The Testimony & Proofs of the Scholars, By Shaykh Hamad al-Sinan and Shaykh Fawzi al-ʿAnjari, Forewords by Shaykh Wahba al-Zuhayli and Shaykh Muhammad Saʿid Ramadan al-Buti, Translated by Abdul Aziz Suraqah.

Ahl al-Sunna: The Ashʿaris is a detailed study of the origins, beliefs, development and scholarly legacy of the Ashʿari school of theology.

Drawing extensively on the writings and testimonies of major Muslim scholars across the centuries, Shaykh Hamad al-Sinan and Shaykh Fawzi al-ʿAnjari examine the place of the Ashʿari school within the broader Sunni scholarly tradition.

The book addresses a number of common questions and misconceptions surrounding Ashʿari theology and presents the authors’ case that the school is deeply rooted in the Qurʾan, the Sunna, the way of the Companions and the intellectual heritage of Sunni scholarship.

The Ashʿari school in the Sunni scholarly tradition.

A central concern of the book is the position of Imam Abu al-Hasan al-Ashʿari رحمه الله and the development of the theological school associated with him.

The authors draw on the testimony of scholars from different periods and disciplines, including jurists, hadith scholars and theologians, to show how Ashʿari theology became one of the major theological traditions within Sunni Islam.

The work discusses both the historical emergence of the school and its theological principles, while also engaging with later debates and criticisms.

Addressing common misconceptions.

The book gives particular attention to questions frequently raised about the Ashʿaris, including discussions concerning:

the relationship between the Ashʿari school and the Salaf, the methodology of Imam Abu al-Hasan al-Ashʿari, the Divine Attributes, taʾwīl and tafwīḍ, the use of reason in theology, the relationship between revelation and rational argumentation, the testimony of major Sunni scholars regarding the Ashʿari school, historical criticisms directed at Ashʿari theology.

Rather than presenting the subject only as a modern polemic, the authors draw extensively on the classical scholarly tradition and historical source material.

Contributions from major contemporary scholars.

The English edition includes forewords by two highly influential twentieth-century Sunni scholars: