Al-'Aqeedah / Who are Ahlus-Sunnah wal Jamaa'ah? / Sheikh Ibn Al-'Utheymeen

Who are Ahlus-Sunnah wal Jamaa'ah?


Question: "Who are Ahlus-Sunnah wal Jamaa'ah?"

Answer: "Ahlus-Sunnah wal Jamaa'ah are those who adhere to the Sunnah (i.e. the Prophetic Way) and gather together (or unite) upon it, and they do not turn to (or consider) anything else; not in the knowledge based matters of belief nor in the practical issues related to actions. This is why they are called Ahlus-Sunnah (i.e. the People of the Prophetic Way), because they hold fast to it. And they are called Ahlul-Jamaa'ah (i.e. the People of the Group) because they group together upon it (i.e. the Sunnah, the Prophetic Way). And if you were to contemplate the situation of Ahlul-Bid'ah (i.e. the People of Innovations and Novelties in the religion) you would find them differing in their methodologies concerning matters of belief and practical matters, this is from those things which indicate that they are far from the Sunnah (i.e. the Prophetic Way) according to the extent which they have brought innovation (into the religion)."

This answer was mentioned in a Collection of the Fataawaa (i.e. religous verdicts) of Sheikh Ibn Al-'Utheymeen concerning matters of belief.