In the Name of Allaah, the Most Gracious, the Ever Merciful…

After warning his Ummah about the splitting and differing that will take place, the Messenger of Allaah (may Allaah raise his rank and grant him peace) clarified that the one single group of the 73 sects that will go to Paradise is known as “the Jamaa’ah”. [1]

This is further detailed in another narration (what means): “What I and my companions are upon.” [2]

These narrations are authentic by way of their numerous supporting chains. [3]

In another crucially important hadeeth, the Prophet (may Allaah raise his rank and grant him peace) said (what means): “Those of you who live long after me shall witness great differing. So upon you is (to follow) my Sunnah, and the Sunnah of the rightly-guided Caliphs, hold tightly to it and bite onto it with your molar teeth. And be warned of newly-invented matters (in the Religion), as every newly-invented matter is an innovation, and every innovation is misguidance.” [4]

Which group today remains firm upon this way? When you look to all the various groups and their foundations, you only find one group today that claims pure adherence to the way of the Prophet and his noble companions. They are Ahlus-Sunnah wal-Jamaa’ah, the people who cling tightly to the way of the Prophet (may Allaah raise his rank and grant him peace) and his companions. Whether you call them Sunnis, Salafees, Atharees, Ahlul-Hadeeth, Ahlul-Athar, or any other description, they are the only ones whose true allegiance is to the Book and the Sunnah, according to the understanding of the Companions. They are the Jamaa’ah described in the hadeeth. [5]

Is the Jamaa’ah the Majority of the Muslims?

Some people are confused by a common notion that the word “Jamaa’ah” refers to the majority of the Muslims. Based on this, a minority of the Muslims who cling the way of the Prophet (may Allaah raise his rank and grant him peace) and his Companions cannot be considered “the Jamaa’ah”. Let us examine this notion more closely from textual, historical, and logical standpoints.

Textually, the Companions – the very core of the Jamaa’ah themselves – did not understand this. Remember that the Jamaa’ah is what they were upon, as mentioned in the hadeeth of the 73 sects quoted earlier.

For example, ‘Abdullaah ibn Mas’ood (may Allaah be pleased with him) said, “The Jamaa’ah is what is in accordance to the truth, even if you were alone (in that).” [6]

He used to tell his students explicitly that the majority of the people have departed from the Jamaa’ah. That was still in the time of the leadership of the rightly guided Caliphs. [7]

Also, among the Prophets were those who only had a few followers. Quranic accounts of Nooh (Noah), for example, and how most of his people rejected his message, show how the Jamaa’ah upon the truth can be a small group of people, the minority. [8]

In our Ummah’s history, in fact, we find many documented cases of the Truth being supported by the minority of the Muslims, while the majority were upon misguidance. The clearest and most widely known case of this would be the trials of the Jahmiyyah and the Mu’tazilah of the early third century who tried to force the whole ummah to adopt the innovated belief that the Quran was created. While the correct beliefs (that the Quran is the Speech of Allaah, uncreated) were held by only a small band of people around the great imaam, Ahmad ibn Hanbal (d.241), most of the Muslims were on a belief opposing the Book and the Sunnah as the companions understood them. During these trials, this small minority were the actual “Jamaa’ah” spoken of in the hadeeth. [9]

The great imaam, Is-haaq ibn Raahawayh (d.238) stated:

If you ask the ignorant, ‘Who are the jamaa’ah?’ They will say, ‘All the people (together).’ But they do not know that the Jamaa’ah is a scholar who follows the footsteps of the Prophet – Allaah’s praise and peace be upon him – and his way. So whoever is with him and follows him is [one of] the Jamaa’ah.” [10]

The great scholar, Ibn Qayyim al-Jowziyyah (d.751) (may Allaah have Mercy upon him) said:

The Sawaad A’tham (i.e. the Jamaa’ah) [11] was mentioned to some of the imaams of Hadeeth, who said: Do you know who the Sawaad A’tham are? They are Muhammad ibn Aslam at-Toosee and his companions. Then, people differed and claimed that the Sawaad A’tham, the binding proof, and the Jamaa’ah is the majority (of the Muslims), making them the yardstick by which to judge the Sunnah, thus considering the (true) Sunnah to be innovation and good things to be evil, because of the small numbers of the minorities (of the people of the Truth) in each time and place. They would say: “Whoever contradicts (the majority), Allaah will cause him to contradict them by going to the Fire.” Such people, in their differing, do not even realize that the contradictory one (in reality) is the one who opposes the Truth, even if all of the people were upon it (that which opposes the Truth), except for one of them. In such a case, they (the majority) are the opposers (not the minority). [12]

Lastly, from a logical standpoint, how could the majority of the Muslims be the “Jamaa’ah” when the Prophet (may Allaah raise his rank and grant him peace) identified the saved sect, “the Jamaa’ah”, as a minority in the very hadeeth that people continue to quote without understanding its meaning. The hadeeth clearly states that the Muslims will split into 73 sects, and all of them will be in the Hellfire except one – “the Jamaa’ah”. So, the saved sect, the Jamaa’ah, is one group out of 73 groups, according to the Messenger of Allah (may Allaah raise his rank and grant him peace).

You do the math – Is ONE SECT out of 73 the majority or the minority? [13]

Al-Munaawee (d.1031) said in his famous explanation of aSuyootee’s al-Jaami’ as-Sagheer, explaining the hadeeth of the 73 sects:

فيه كثرة أهل الضلال وقلة أهل الكمال

“In it (the hadeeth) is that the people of misguidance are many, and the people of completeness (proper adherance) are few.” [14]

Once you have understood this – may Allaah bless me and you with understanding – it should be crystal clear that the Prophetic solution to the problem of disunity is not to simply follow what the majority of the Muslims are upon, or to focus on the name or label of a group, while ignoring the reality of what they are upon.

The only way to be saved from the Hellfire in the face of the widespread splitting and differing of the Muslims today is by standing with the Jamaa’ah who cling devoutly to the Book and the Sunnah as understood by the Companions.

Written by: Moosaa Richardson (updated 1434-11-25, 1436-11-6)

rev.JF.OH

FOOTNOTES:

[1] An authentic hadeeth collected by Imaam Ibn Maajah in his Sunan (#3992).

[2] An authentic hadeeth collected by Imaam at-Tirmithee in his Jaami’ (#2641).

[3] Shaykh Saalih al-Fowzaan said, “The hadeeth is authentic by way of its numerous (supporting) routes. The scholars have authenticated it and used it as a proof.” (As-Salafiyyah: Haqeeqatuhaa wa Seemaa’uhaa, p.47)

[4] An authentic hadeeth collected by Imaam Aboo Daawood in his Sunan (#4607).

[5] For a response to some of today’s confused preachers who seem to think that the Jamaa’ah is the group of Muslims that only calls themselves “the Muslims” and nothing else, read this.

[6] Collected by Imaam al-Laalakaa’ee in Sharh Usool Ali’tiqaad (#160).

[7] The great Companion Ibn Mas’ood died in the year 32, during the Caliphate of ‘Uthmaan ibn ‘Affaan (may Allaah be pleased with both of them). He told his student, ‘Amr ibn Maymoon, “Verily, the majority of the people are the ones splitting away from the Jamaa’ah! Verily, the Jamaa’ah is what is in accordance with the Truth, even if you were alone (i.e. the only one upon the Truth).” It was reported by al-Laalakaa’ee in Sharh Usool Ali’tiqaad (no.160), and Ibn al-Qayyim quoted it in I’laam al-Muwaqqi’een (5/388).

[8] For examples, review Soorah Hood (11:25-49) and Soorah Nooh (71:1-28).

[9] The Sawaad A’tham (السواد الأعظم) is a phrase that means “the main body” or “the huge gathering”. It is used by the scholars as a synonym for the Jamaa’ah.

[10] Hilyat al-Owliyaa’ (9/239)

[11] Imaam Ibn al-Qayyim said in I’laam al-Muwaqqi’een (5/389): “All of the people were in contradiction (to the Truth) in the time of Ahmad ibn Hanbal, except for a small group. They were the Jamaa’ah themselves (of that time). The judges, the muftees, and the Caliph of that time and his followers were all in opposition (to the Truth). It was Imaam Ahmad by himself who was the Jamaa’ah!”

[12] I’laam al-Muwaqqi’een (5/389)

[13] Note: This does not necessitate that Ahlus-Sunnah wal-Jamaa’ah must always be a minority. They have had strong points in history, and the very Sunnah of Allaah within the creation is that the level of guidance among His servants fluxuates, due to the Wisdom He chooses to test His servants with. People revive and renew Islamic beliefs and practices periodically (at the head of every century, for example, as established in authentic narrations).

In the reality that we live in, consider the condition of the Muslims today, and how the Ash’arees alone claim – for example – to make up the vast majority of today’s Muslims. (This claim is not established in reality.) Consider the reality of the spread of innovation and how many Muslims attach themselves to it, whether it be Khurooj, Shiasm, Soofism, Ikhwanism, Ash’arism, etc., and this is while many of them make claims that they are from Ahlus-Sunnah wal-Jamaa’ah. The reality of their beliefs and practices is so commonly in contrast to the claims and the labels.

[14] Faydh al-Qadeer (2/21)