your companions 'the people of Monotheism (Tawhid) and transcendence' is something in which you followed the Mu'tazilites, the deniers of the Attributes. For they explained Monotheism (Tawhid) with an explanation not indicated by the Book and the Sunna, nor stated by any of the Predecessors (Salaf) of the Umma and its Imams... They claimed that whoever affirms the Attributes is not a monotheist, because the 'One' according to them—which cannot be conceived—is that in which nothing is distinguished from anything else at all, and the affirmation of Attributes necessitates multiplicity. Yet what they have made 'One' applies only to an impossible non-existent... As for explaining Monotheism (Tawhid) with what necessitates the negation of the Attributes, or the negation of His elevation above the Throne; rather, with what necessitates the negation of what is more general than that, it is something the Jahmiyya innovated, which no Book, Sunna, or Imam ever spoke of. Likewise, making anthropomorphism the opposite of Monotheism (Tawhid), and explaining anthropomorphism as that which contains the affirmation of the Attributes, is also false..." etc.

I say: Thus, passing the Attributes according to their reality and apparent meaning is among the nullifiers of Monotheism (Tawhid) according to them!

Furthermore, they explain the Monotheism (Tawhid) of Divinity as the Monotheism (Tawhid) of Lordship, and there is no mention of the Monotheism (Tawhid) of Divinity brought by the messengers—which is singling out God in worship—in their books. Here is al-Bayhaqī saying in his book al-Iʿtiqād wa al-Hidāya ilā Sabīl al-Rashād (p. 49): "Allah means the One who possesses Divinity, which is the ability to invent entities, and this is an attribute He deserves by His Essence." End quote.

Moreover, their stance on the word of Monotheism (Tawhid) (Lā ilāha illā Allāh) is that it is not the first obligation upon the servants; rather, the first of the obligations is proving the existence of God Almighty through rational inquiry and intending it!!

By this, they contradicted the call of all the messengers, peace and blessings of God be upon them!!

Al-Bāqillānī, who is among the senior Imams of the Ash'arites, said: "And he must know that the first thing God obligated upon all servants is: reflecting upon His signs, taking lessons from His decreed matters, and inferring Him through the traces of His power and the witnesses of His Lordship; because God is not known by necessity." End quote.

And their stance on Faith, which is one of the levels of the religion as will come, is that mere inward affirmation of the heart suffices for it, even if one never speaks the word of Monotheism (Tawhid) and never acts with his limbs at all.

Thus, they agreed with the Jahmiyya in defining Faith as: affirmation alone, without speech and action.

Ibn Taymiyya, may Allah have mercy on him, said in Darʾ al-Taʿāruḍ (1/224): "So they intend by the term