Al-Bayhaqi was primarily a student of Hadith rather than a
speculative theologian, despite being recognised as an
Ash'arite theologian. This made his defence of Ash'arism extremely valuable because he was universally accepted as a prominent authority in Hadith. His 'Book of Names and Attributes' is largely made up of quotations from the
Quran,
Hadith, and Athar (the statements of the
pious predecessors) which provide as evidence for the different names and attributes attributed to God. He demonstrates through textual evidence that the Ash'ari creed is in line with the beliefs of the early Muslims. Despite the book largely being a compilation of narrations. Michel Allard's thorough analysis has demonstrated, his exposition is grounded in a number of rational premises, which elevates the book to the status of a theological work. In that he not only provides transmission but also clarification and elaboration on difficult points of certain narrations he presents. Al-Bayhaqi, in the Ash'arite tradition, acknowledged the difference between the essential and active attributes, but he primarily guided a middle path between sects who indulge in two extreme methodologies namely those who engage in extreme literalism that liken God with his creation (
tashbih) and those that engage in extreme figurativeness by distorting the meaning (
tahrif), negating the distinct attributes (
ta'til) and rejecting authentic prophetic traditions. To put it another way, the names of God that are duly attested in the sources signify real existing attributes, such as alim (knowing) and ilm (knowledge), but it is inappropriate to perceive them in a literal material sense or in an entirely metaphorical sense. All of this holds true when referring to God using terms like "Hand," "Face," and "Eye." Of the Ash'arites in this non-speculative line, Al-Bayhaqi stands out as the most significant representative. ==Divine attribute of laughter==