Shaykh
al-Islam Ahmad al-Sirhindi (d. 1034/1624; Rahimahullah)
who is regarded by many
people in the Indian sub-continent as a great renovator of the Tenth Islamic
Century (Mujaddid alf Thani) wrote in his Maktubat (Vol.
3, Letter 38):
"It
was declared in a Hadith that this Ummah would part into 73 groups, 72 of which
would go to Hell.
This Hadith informs us that the 72 groups will be tormented
in the Fire of Hell. It does not inform us that they will remain in torment
eternally. Remaining in the torment of Hell Fire eternally is for those who do
not have Iman. That is, it is for disbelievers.
The 72 groups, on account of their corrupt beliefs, will go to Hell and will
burn as much as the corruptness of their beliefs. One group, the 73rd, will be
saved from Hell Fire because their belief is not corrupt.
If among the members
of this one group there are those who committed evil deeds and if these evil
deeds of theirs have not been forgiven through repentance or intercession, it
is possible that these, too, will burn in Hell as much as their sins.
All of those who are in the 72 groups will go to Hell. But none of them will
remain in Hell eternally. Not all of those who are in this one group will go to
Hell. Of these only those who have committed evil deeds will go to Hell.
The 72 reported groups of bid'ah, which will go to Hell, should not be called
disbelievers, because they are Ahl al-Qibla (people of the Qibla in prayer).
But, of these, the ones who disbelieve those facts in the Deen that are
indispensably required to be believed, as well as those who deny the rules of
the Shari'ah which every Muslim has heard and knows, become disbelievers."
In
another letter
(vol. 1, letter 80) he said:
"There is
no doubt whatsoever that the sect that made conforming to the conduct of the
Prophet's Companions (may Allah be pleased with them all) necessary, that alone
is the Ahl as Sunnah wa'l Jama'ah."
---
Shaykh
Abdal Qadir al-Jilani (d.
561/1166; Rahimahullah) stated in his commentary to the above Hadith in Ghunyat
at-Talibin (pg. 90),
"The
Believer should adapt himself to the Sunnah and to the Jama'ah. The Sunnah is
the way shown by Rasulullah (Peace be upon him). 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 (rahimahullah), 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, Ahl as-Sunnah, which the innovators have expressed for
themselves is not appropriate for them."
---
Although Ibn Taymiyya was accused
of holding certain corrupt points in his aqid'ah, which
led so many scholars to denounce him for his heresy, he never the less
hit the right point when he described those who are the real Sunni's
in his Aqeedat-il-Wasitiyyah (pg. 154):
" Their creed is the religion of Islam which was sent to
the world by Allah through the Prophet (Peace be upon him). But the Prophet
(Peace be upon him) said, 'My Ummah will get divided into 73 sects and each one
will go to Hell save one and that one is the Jama'at.' Also in one Hadith he
said, 'They are those people who will follow this path which I and my Sahaba
follow today.' Therefore they have caught hold of Islam unalloyed from every
adulteration and these are the people of Ahl as-Sunnah Wa'l Jama'ah. This group
includes the truthful, the martyrs and the virtuous; it includes the minarets
of guidance, lamps in the darkness and owners of such superiorities and virtues
who have been already mentioned. It includes the saints and also those Imams on
whose guidance Muslims are unanimous. It is this successful group about which
the Prophet (Peace be upon him) has said: 'One group from my Ummah will always
remain dominant with truth; the opponents will never be able to harm its
members or afflict them upto the Doomsday.'"
---
Ahlus
Sunnah wal Jamaah (Majority Muslims)
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