أشعرية
Ashʿarī
Group
The theological school of Abu al-Hasan al-Ash‘ari (d. 936) that became the most widely followed creed among Sunnis.
What it means
Al-Ash‘ari, once a Mu‘tazili, took a middle path between rationalists and literalists. He held that God’s attributes are real and eternal, that the Quran is God’s uncreated speech, and that God creates human acts while humans “acquire” them and are responsible for them. Scholars such as al-Baqillani and al-Ghazali developed the school, which is widely taught in Muslim universities, notably al-Azhar.
What the sources say
Another large school, the Maturidi, is close to it, and the Athari or traditionalist school holds to the texts without interpretation. All three are accepted as within Sunni orthodoxy.