Abul-Hasan al-Ashari

Ali ibn Ismail al-Ashari (260-324 AH / 874-936 CE) was the founder of the Ashari school of Islamic theology, one of the most influential creedal schools within Sunni Islam. Born in Basra, he was initially a student and adherent of the Mutazili school of theology, studying under the Mutazili leader Abu Ali al-Jubbai for approximately forty years. At around the age of forty, he publicly renounced Mutazilism and declared his return to the creed of the Salaf and the methodology of Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal.

Al-Ashari's great contribution was developing a systematic rational defense of Sunni orthodox beliefs against the Mutazilah and other theological opponents, using the very tools of dialectical theology (kalam) that the Mutazilah had employed. His major works include al-Ibanah an Usul ad-Diyanah (Clarification of the Foundations of Religion), in which he affirmed his adherence to the creed of Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal, and Maqalat al-Islamiyyin (Theological Opinions of the Muslims), a comprehensive survey of the various theological positions within the Muslim community.

The Ashari school he founded became the dominant theological orientation among Shafii and Maliki scholars, and its influence spread throughout the Muslim world. Major Ashari theologians who followed him include al-Baqillani, al-Juwayni, and al-Ghazali. He died in Baghdad in 324 AH (936 CE). Scholars differ on whether his final theological position was closer to the Athari or the later Ashari methodology, but his impact on Sunni theological discourse is undeniable.