Ibn Taymiyyah on the Mu’tazilites

Ibn Taymiyyah said:

ولهم كتب في تفسير القرآن ونصر الرسول ولهم محاسن كثيرة يترجحون على الخوارج والروافض وهم قصدهم إثبات توحيد الله ورحمته وحكمته وصدقه وطاعته وأصولهم الخمس عن هذه الصفات الخمس ; لكنهم غلطوا في بعض ما قالوه في كل واحد من أصولهم الخمس

“They have books in tafseer of the Qur’an and polemical works in support of the Messenger. They have many good features about them, which make them preferred to the Khawarij and Rawafidh. They intend to affirm the Tawheed of Allah and His Mercy, Wisdom, Truth, Obedience, and their Five Principles; however, they have erred in each of these five principles.”

He also said:

وإن كانت أقوالهم متضمنة لبدع منكرة فإن فيهم من العلم والدين والاستدلال بالأدلة الشرعية والعقلية والرد على ما هو أبعد عن الإسلام منهم من أهل الملل والملاحدة بل ومن الرد على الرافضة ما أوجب أن يدخل فيهم جماعات من أهل العلم والدين وإن انتسبوا إلى مذهب بعض الأئمة الأربعة كأبي حنيفة وغيره

“Even if their statements entail blameworthy innovation, they still have a respected capacity of knowledge and (understanding of) religion. They can base arguments on evidence from the Shariah and intellect and refute those farther away from Islam than themselves from the different religions and heretics and even the Rafidhis. All this made groups of people of knowledge and Islam to join their ranks, even if they ascribed themselves to some of the four Imams such as Abu Hanifah and others.”

You have to hand it to Ibn Taymiyyah for striving to be as balanced as possible when critiquing his opponents.