Ahl Al-Sunnah wa Al-Jama`ah : An Introduction 

Muhammad Khairul bin Mohamed

 

 

Introduction

Definition

Other names

Conclusion

 

Kandungan

 

 

 

Definition

 

Firstly, let us examine the two groups of words that collectively make up the very term Ahl Al-Sunnah wa Al-Jama`ah.

 

The first group Ahl Al-Sunnah (أهل السنة) from terminology point of view carries the meaning of the Islamic teaching profile as a whole. It can therefore be gathered that someone who is able to carry out the perfect teaching of Islam is referred to as Ahl Al-Sunnah. This is so as it is evident that Islam is very identical to the Sunnah[1]

    

 This is as illustrated by a hadith of the Rasulullah shallallahu 'alaihi wasallam as narrated by Irbah bin Sariyah radhiallahu 'anh[2]:

 

“…So hold fast to my sunnah and the examples of the Rightly Guided Caliphs who will come after me (Khulafa Al-Mahdiyin Al-Rashidin). Adhere to them and hold them fast. Beware of new things (in religion) because every heresy is a misguidance.”  (reported by Ahmad, Abu Daud, At-Tirmidhi, Ibn Majah, Al-Hakim and Ad-Darimi).

 

Imam Al-Barbahari rahimahullah mentioned in the book Syarh As-Sunnah

 

Know this, Islam is sunnah and sunnah is Islam. Both are interdependent in meaning and significance. It is part of the sunnah to be consistent in jama’ah, whomever is inclined towards other than jama’ah and abandon it has in effect let go the rope of Islam and is in clear misguidance. [3]

 

The second group of words, Al-Jama‘ah (الجماعة) is probably the most widely used term amongst the Muslims throughout history as it carries a strong sense of unity. The word Al-Jama’ah is originated from a hadith of Rasulullah sallallahu alaihi wassalam in defining the characteristic of the saved sect - Firqah Al-Najiah.

 

 Muawiyah bin Abu Sufyan radhiallahu 'anh reported that Rasulullah shallallahu 'alaihi wasallam said: “The people of the book split in their religion into seventy two sects and my ummah will split into seventy three sects. Seventy two will be in hell-fire except one (and that is the) jama’ah. And there will come out from my ummah people through which would run the vain desires, like hydrophobia which infects its victim through and through and leaves not a vein or a joint without its taint.” (reported by Ahmad and Abu Daud).[4]

 

 The connotation of Al-Jama’ah refers to none other than that the people of the Sunnah for they certainly are the true followers of Rasulullah shallallahu 'alaihi wasallam and his companions radhiallahu 'anhum.[5]  In Syarah Aqidah At-Thahawiyah, Imam Ibn Abi Al-Izz Al-Hanafi rahimahullah has mentioned, Al-Jama’ah is the group of Muslimin from the sahabah, tabi’in and those of the Muslims who are persistently following them until the Day of Judgment.”

 

Jama’ah, in this context specifically means the jama’ah of the sahabah since they were the pioneers through which the foundation and path of the deen were established. They radiallahu ‘anhum could have not agreed on matters of misguidance, although this may happened to the later generations as history has proven. This has been the opinion of Caliph Umar bin Abdul Aziz.

 

Sheikh Al-Islam Ibn Taimiyah rahimahullah in his Majmu’ al-Fatawa has summarized the term Ahl Al-Sunnah wa Al-Jama`ah in the following words,

 

“It is called Ahl Al-Sunnah wa Al-Jama`ah because they with the majority of the ummah stand on the truth and not with the separated group, people of innovations, followers of desires, who has deviated far from the firqah al-najiyah and wandered away from Al-Quran, Al-Sunnah and ijma’ of the ummah.” [6]


 

 


[1] Ar-Ruhaili, Dr. Ibrahim bin Amir, Mauqif Ahl Al-Sunnah wa Al-Jamaah min Ahl Ahwa’ wa Al-Bid’a (Indonesian translation, Pustaka Al-Kautsar, 2002) p. 13. 

[2] An-Nawawi, Abu Zakaria Yahya bin Sharaf, Riyad Us-Saliheen (Arabic-English edition, Dr. Muhammad Amin and Abu Usamah Al-Arabi, Darussalam, 1998) Vol. 1, pp. 166, no. 157.

[3] Mauqif Ahl Al-Sunnah wa Al-Jamaah min Ahl Ahwa’ wa Al-Bid’a  p. 14. 

[4] Al-Tabrizi, Waliuddin Muhammad bin Abdullah Al-Khatib al-Umari, Mishkat Al-Masabih (Arabic-English edition, Abdul Hameed Siddiqi, Kitab Bhavan, 2000) Vol. 1, Kitab Al-Qadar, p. 112, no. 172.

[5] Mauqif Ahl Al-Sunnah wa Al-Jamaah min Ahl Ahwa’ wa Al-Bid’a  p. 15. 

[6] Mauqif Ahl Al-Sunnah wa Al-Jamaah min Ahl Ahwa’ wa Al-Bid’a pp. 16-17. 

 

 

HIMPUNAN RISALAH DALAM BEBERAPA PERSOALAN UMMAH : BUKU 1

Penyusun : Hafiz Firdaus Abdullah