ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz ibn Bāz was directly asked whether the Ashʿarīs belonged to Ahl al-Sunnah wa-l-Jamāʿah and whether they should be regarded as members of another sect or as disbelievers.
His answer was explicit:
“The Ashʿarīs are from Ahl al-Sunnah in most matters … and they are not disbelievers. Rather, among them are imams, scholars, and righteous people.”
Furthermore, during the time when Shaykh Ibn Baz was a member, the al-Lajnah al-Daimah explicitly stated that the Asharis should not be considered disbelievers. (Vol. 3, p. 220)
Question Seven of Fatwa No. (6606)
Q7: What is the ruling regarding someone who dies upon the Ashʿari understanding of Tawhid before the concept of Tawhid al-Asmaʾ wa’l-Sifat reaches him? Suppose he never heard it from anyone, did not understand it, and no one explained it to him, while he affirmed Tawhid al-Rububiyyah (the Oneness of Allah’s Lordship) and Tawhid al-Uluhiyyah (the Oneness of Allah’s Worship), and had no one drawn his attention to the matter for him to reject it. Is he excused or not?
A7: His affair is with Allah, because the Ashʿaris are not disbelievers. Rather, they made mistakes in their interpretation of some of the Attributes.
And with Allah lies all success. May Allah send peace and blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad, and upon his family and Companions.
The Permanent Committee for Scholarly Research and Ifta
Member: ʿAbdullah ibn Quʿud
Member: ʿAbdullah ibn Ghaydayan
Deputy Chairman: ʿAbd al-Razzaq ʿAfifi
Chairman: ʿAbd al-ʿAziz ibn ʿAbdullah ibn Baz
Read here to learn more about the many kufr of the Asharis and how the real scholars made takfir on them.