All perfect praise be to Allah the Lord of the Worlds. May His peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Mohammad and upon all his family and companions.
Ahl al-Sunnah wa al-Jama'ah is a term applied to the vast majority of the Islamic Ummah (collective community of Muslims worldwide who are united by their belief in Islam, the final message revealed to the Prophet Muhammad). They are all those whose statements concerning the fundamentals of religion (Usul al-Din) are free from various types of innovations (bid'ah), such as: the belief in the eternity of the world (qidam al-alam), the denial of physical resurrection (nafy al-ma'ad al-jismani), Jabr (Determinism), which negates the free will of people in their actions, Qadar, which negates Allah's knowledge of future events, the belief that servants create their own actions, Rafd, which is hatred for Abu Bakr, Umar, and the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them), Nasb, which is hatred for Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) and the family of the Prophet (peace be upon him), Tajseem and Tashbeeh (Anthropomorphism and Resemblance), and describing Allah the Almighty with the attributes of creation and the impossible and deficient implications of that, Ta'teel (Negation of Attributes), which denies Allah's attributes that Ahl al-Sunnah have agreed upon as obligatory to affirm for Allah the Almighty, and Khurooj (Rebellion), which is separating from the Muslim community, declaring them disbelievers, and fighting them. Ibn Nujaym (may Allah have mercy on him) said: "The origins of whims (deviant inclinations) are six: Jabr and Qadar, Rafd and Khurooj, Tashbeeh and Ta'teel." [Al-Bahr al-Ra'iq, Vol.18/P.307].
Similarly, the adherents of the recognized schools of thought (Madhahib Mu'tabarah) in the branches of religion (Furu' al-Din) are those who adhere to the principles of Ijtihad (independent reasoning) and Istidlal (derivation of rulings) based on recognized evidences such as the Quran, Sunnah, Ijma' (consensus), Qiyas (analogy), Istihsan (juristic preference), Istishab (presumption of continuity), and Masalih Mursalah (unrestricted public interests). Their madhahib are free from any oddities or contradictions to the sacred texts (Quran and Sunnah), such as the four Imams: Abu Hanifah, Malik, Ash-Shafi'i, and Ahmad, and their followers among the scholars renowned for their knowledge and adherence to the texts of the Quran and Sunnah and what the scholars have agreed upon in understanding and practice.
The scholars have reached a consensus that the Ash'aris, the Maturidis, and the distinguished Hanbalis represent the school of Ahl al-Sunnah wa al-Jama'ah. Taj al-Din al-Subki (may Allah have mercy on him) said: "And these Hanafis, Shafi'is, Malikis, and the distinguished Hanbalis – and to Allah be the praise – are united in matters of creed. All of them are upon the opinion of Ahl al-Sunnah wa al-Jama'ah, worshipping Allah the Almighty according to the way of the Shaykh of Sunnah, Abu al-Hasan al-Ash'ari (may Allah have mercy on him)." [Mu'eed al-Ni'am wa Mubeed al-Niqam / p. 62].
Scholars have praised Abu al-Hasan al-Ash'ari and excelled in his expositions, as he was a man of Sunnah and a moderate methodology, derived from the Quran, Sunnah, and the sayings of the noble Companions (may Allah be pleased with them). He lived during a time when the influence of the Mu'tazilah and philosophers, who prioritized the dictates of their intellect over the texts of the Quran and Sunnah, had intensified. He confronted them and refuted their arguments. Imam Taj al-Din al-Subki (may Allah have mercy on him) said: "Know that Abu al-Hasan did not invent an opinion or originate a madhhab. Rather, he was an affirmer of the madhahib of the pious predecessors (Salaf), defending what the Companions of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) were upon. So, the attribution to him is only by virtue of him having established a firm framework for the path of the Salaf, adhering to it, and establishing arguments and proofs for it. Thus, whoever follows his path in demonstrating proofs is called an Ash'ari." [Tabaqat al-Shafi'iyyah al-Kubra, Vol. 3/P.365].
In conclusion, anyone who adheres to this creed is from Ahl al-Sunnah wa al-Jama'ah. Moreover, the remaining Islamic sects are included under the umbrella of Islam; thus, it is not permissible to criticize or diminish them, nor to declare them disbelievers. It is more appropriate for a Muslim to leave the discussion of scholarly issues between Islamic sects to the specialized scholars, not to the general public. And Allah the Almighty knows best.
