Except for the Ahlus Sunnah wal Jamaah, all other groups are people of Hell (Part 1)

Concept of Unity in Islam

Unity is one of the strongest values of Islam, proven by both the Holy Quran and the teaching of the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم. However, there are some who don’t understand this concept and say in their ignorance that all people who read the Kalima are part of the Muslim Ummah and are brothers in Islam. How can this be?

The Messenger of Allah صلى الله عليه وسلم said:

“Stay away from those astray from the deen and keep them away lest they put you in fitna and make you astray as well.” — Muslim, Vol. 1, Pg. 10; Mishkaat, Vol. 1, Pg. 20

Didn’t Musailma Kazzab read the Kalima but also claim to be a prophet after our beloved master, Muhammad Mustapha صلى الله عليه وسلم ? Didn’t Ghulam Ahmed Qadiyani (another reciter of the Kalima) say the same a few years back? Is he our Mu’min brother too? Shias profess the Kalima but say that the Quran is incomplete. Do we embrace them with open arms as believers? When the answer to these questions is “No, they are not Muslims”, why is reciting the Kalima made to be the criteria of unity? Mere lip-service of the Kalima doesn’t suffice for unity. Rather, having faith and conviction on all the dimensions of Tauheed (the Oneness of Allah Almighty) and Risaalat (Prophethood of the Beloved Messenger صلى الله عليه وسلم) is its foundation.

Except for the Ahlus Sunnah wal Jamaah, all other groups are people of Hell (Part 2)

This is My Straight Path, so follow it.

[Surah Al-An’aam 6, Verse 153] “And that, ‘This is My Straight Path, so follow it; and do not follow other ways for they will sever you from His way; this is commanded to you, so that you may attain piety.’ ”

Mufassireen say in the commentary of this verse on the accord of the following Hadith narrated by the great Sahabi Hazrat Abdullah Ibn Mas’ood رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ :

(Ibn Hibbaan in His Sahih Vol. 1, p. 181, Hadeeth No. 6; Imam Nasaai in his Sunan Kubra Vol. 6, p. 343, Hadeeth No. 11174; Imam Baghwi in his Sharhus Sunnah, Baab al-I’tisaam; Imam Bazzaar in his Musnad, Hadeeth No. 1694; Imam Ahmad Ibn Hanbal in his Musnad Hadeeth No. 4142; Daarimi in his Sunan Vol. 1, p. 78, Hadeeth No. 202; Imam Abu Dawood Tiyalisi in his Musnad Vol. 1, p. 33, Hadeeth No. 244; Marwazi in his Sunnah; Imam Hakim in his Mustadrak ‘Alas Saheehain. He said this is a Sahih chained Hadeeth Vol. 2, p. 349, Hadeeth No. 3241; Imam Dhahbi in its annotations agrees that it is a Sahih Hadeeth; Ibn ‘Aasim in his book Al-Sunnah; Ibn Batta in his book Al-Ibaanatul Kubra and also in his book Al-Sughra; Al-Ajurri in his book al-Shariah; Imam Al-La’lakaai in his book Sharhus Sunnah and even nasiruddeen albaani authenticated this Hadeeth.)

Hazrat Abdullah Ibn Mas’ood رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ narrated:

Except for the Ahlus Sunnah wal Jamaah, all other groups are people of Hell (Part 3)

Opinions of the Salf-e-Saliheen (our great pious predecessors) on Ahlus Sunnah Wal Jamaah

Hadrat Sayyiduna Shaykh Abd’al-Qadir al-Jilani عليه الرحمة says in his famous book Ghuniyya-t at-Talibeen “There are 73 groups as foretold by Sayyadina Rasulullah صلى الله عليه وسلم. The group which will be saved from the fire of Hell is the Ahlus Sunnah Wal Jamaah.”

“The Believer should adapt himself to the Sunnah and to the Jama’ah. The Sunnah is the way shown by Rasulullah صلى الله عليه وسلم. The Jama’ah is composed of the things done unanimously by the Sahaba al-Kiram who lived in the time of the four caliphs called Khulafa’ ar-Rashidin (and others in their path). A Muslim must prevent the multiplication of the men of bid’ah and keep away from them, and should not greet them (as given in many Hadith on this issue). Ahmad ibn Hanbal (Radi Allahu ta’ala anhu), the Imam of our Madhhab, said that greeting a man of bid’ah meant loving him since it had been declared in a Hadith, ‘Disseminate (your) greeting (salaam)! Love one another in this way!” He also said (pg. 143): “The title, Ahlus-Sunnah, which the innovators have expressed for themselves is not appropriate for them”.

Imam Ghazzali عليه الرحمة writes: