Rida had as much trouble portraying his late mentor as a champion of Salafi theology. In 1928, Rida declared that Abduh was Salafi in creed despite the fact that he interpreted some divine attributes like an Ashari—a statement that only reinforced the impression that Abduh was something of an Islamic freethinker rather than an exponent of madhhab al-salaf. The comments Rida wrote in his re-editions of Abduh’s famous theological treatise, "Risalat al-tawheed", reveal a similar discomfort. Disturbed by a passage in which Abduh praised Abu al-Hasan al-Ashari (d. 936) for striking a balance between the position of the "salaf" and that of the "khalaf", Rida added a footnote to remind readers that al-Ashari recanted his own views and fully embraced Hanbali theology at the end of his life. Rida also noted the historical significance of Ibn Taymiyya and his role in proving the superiority of madhhab al-salaf over kalam, an essential element of Salafi theology that Abduh had failed to mention. No doubt Abduh’s Salafi associates and admirers considered him to be a great reformer, but they had obvious reservations about his theological views. Claiming him as one of their own was always an uphill battle.