Do We Have to Be Ashʿarī or Māturīdī?

Anyone for whom this is not yet clear should feel no shyness and no embarrassment about it. That is fine; it is not a problem. It is worth going over again afterwards, inshāʾAllāh.

A question that arises here is whether one has to be Ashʿarī or Māturīdī. Behind it seems to lie another question: does one have to know these things in such a complex way? One does not. This is not something that people are going to be asked about, and neither does one have to be Ashʿarī or Māturīdī. The main thing is that one should not have any different beliefs, and should have the beliefs of Ahl al-Sunnah wa al-Jamāʿah that are necessary for everybody to have: those things which are popularly known to be from Ahl al-Sunnah wa al-Jamāʿah, and are essential points that have been passed down generation after generation, the big saving points. That is what is necessary for people to know.

But as soon as a doubt comes, or a question arises, or some discussion comes up, then it becomes necessary for each individual to find out about that topic, and to clarify for themselves what the position of Ahl al-Sunnah wa al-Jamāʿah is. Until they find out, they should hold this thought in their minds: that they believe in this the way Allah (swt) wants them to believe in it. And then, as soon as they clarify… they need to clarify. Delaying clarifying can take a person out of the fold of Islam, that is, delaying without excuse.

And that is why we need ʿulamāʾ of theology and ʿaqīdah in our midst, so that we have access to them, because these questions are coming about a lot more than before. It is actually not very difficult; but for anyone hearing about these relationships for the first time, it gets a bit complicated.