Is the division of the People of the Sunnah into Ash'aris (Malikis and Shafi'is), Maturidis (Hanafis), and Salafis (Hanbalis) correct, and does this mean that all Shafi'is and Malikis are from among the people of Kalam (speculative theology)?

For Sunnis, there are two usages: general and specific. The general usage includes anyone who is not a Shiite, and accordingly, it is correct to divide Muslims into Sunnis and Shiites, and it includes Ash'aris and Maturidis. As for the specific usage, it only includes those who do not follow innovations, and it does not include Ash'aris and Maturidis.

Among the fundamental ways in which Ash'aris and Maturidis differ from the methodology of the Salaf: 1. Their source of reception is intellect, unlike the Salaf who prioritize revelation. 2. Their concept of Tawhid (Oneness of God) is the negation of multiplicity and fragmentation, not Tawhid and its opposite, shirk (polytheism). 3. Faith (Iman) for them is affirmation, unlike the Salaf who view faith as speech, belief, and action. 4. They differentiated between the wording of the Quran and its meaning, stating that its wording is created while its meaning is ancient, unlike the Salaf who view the Quran as the word of Allah both in wording and meaning. 5. They adopted the concept of kasb (acquisition) which leads to determinism (jabr). 6. They denied the causal 'ba' (باء السببية) in the Quran. 7. They denied that Allah's actions have a cause involving wisdom. 8. They interpreted the texts of faith, especially those related to its increase and decrease, and rendered the verses of attributes inoperative.

The categorization of Ash'aris and Malikis and Shafi'is, and Maturidis and Hanafis, and Salaf and Hanbalis, is not precise, as the early imams of the four madhhabs (schools of thought) were upon the creed of the Salaf.