The Obligation to Adhere to the Sunnah and the Jamāʿah
Al-ʿAllāmah Sālih al-Fawzān (may Allāh preserve him) said: Al-Imām al-Barbahārī (Allah’s mercy be upon him) stated:
«فَمِنَ السُّنَّةِ لُزُومُ الْجَمَاعَةِ، فَمَنْ رَغِبَ غَيْرَ الْجَمَاعَةِ وَفَارَقَهَا، فَقَدْ خَلَعَ رِبْقَةَ الْإِسْلَامِ مِنْ عُنُقِهِ، وَكَانَ ضَالًّا مُضِلًّا».
“From the Sunnah is to cling to the Jamāʿah; so whosoever desires other than the Jamāʿah and separates from it has cast off the rope of Islam from around his neck — he is astray, leading others astray.”
“From the Sunnah is to cling to the Jamāʿah” — this affair has not ceased to be the case. Islām is the Sunnah, and the Sunnah is Islam—and the Sunnah is of types: So, from the Sunnah is to cling to the Jamāʿah. This means clinging to the Jamāʿah of the Muslims who are upon the truth. As for the groups (jamāʿāt) that are not upon the truth, they are not given the title that is deserving of the true Jamāʿah. Every jamāʿah that gathers upon misguidance, or upon a methodology that opposes Islam, or upon a path that is contrary to Islam, is not to be called the true Jamāʿah that is required, praised and extolled in the revealed texts.
The Jamāʿah intended here are the People of Truth. It is not a condition that they be numerous. Rather, even if there is only one person upon the truth, he is called the Jamāʿah.
The Jamāʿah, therefore, is whoever is upon the truth, whether they are few or many. So cling to the one who is upon the Truth, and do not oppose the Jamāʿah that is upon the Truth—rather be alongside them upon the Truth. We shall mention in what follows regarding the one who separates from this Jamāʿah.
Cling to the Jamāʿah: meaning not leaving it or opposing it.
Al-Barbahārī’s saying, “Whoever desires other than the Jamāʿah and separates from it has cast off the rope of Islam from his neck,” refers to the hadīth:
«مَنْ فَارَقَ الْجَمَاعَةَ قِيدَ شِبْرٍ، فَقَدْ خَلَعَ رِبْقَةَ الْإِسْلَامِ مِنْ عُنُقِهِ».
“Whoever separates from the Jamāʿah by a handspan has cast off the rope of Islam from his neck.” [1]
This is a severe threat and a stern warning. If separating from the Jamāʿah involves a separation from the ʿaqeedah (belief), such that a person worships other than Allāh, then this seperation is disbelief (kufr). If the separation is of a lesser degree than that, then it is misguidance. Thus, separating from the Jamāʿah has no good in it.
In another hadith, the Prophet, sallallāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallam, said:
«عَلَيْكُمْ بِالْجَمَاعَةِ، فَإِنَّ يَدَ اللَّهِ عَلَى الْجَمَاعَةِ».
“Adhere to the Jamāʿah, for the Hand of Allah is over the Jamāʿah.” [2]
When the Prophet (sallallāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallam) informed Hudhayfah ibn al-Yamān (radiyallāhu ʿanhu) about the tribulations (fitan) and divisions that would occur, Hudhayfah said to him:
فَمَا تَأْمُرُنِي إِنْ أَدْرَكَنِي ذَلِكَ؟
“What do you command me to do if I live to see that?” So, the Prophet of Allāh (sallallāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallam) replied:
تَلْزَمُ جَمَاعَةَ الْمُسْلِمِينَ وَإِمَامَهُمْ
“Cling to the Jamāʿah of the Muslims and their ruler.”
The Jamāʿah cannot be established except through two affairs:
The first affair: Their methodology must be the Book and the Sunnah. Their methodology is not the school of thought (madhhab) of so-and-so, nor the saying of so-and-so. Rather, it is the Book and the Sunnah.
The second affair: They must have a Muslim ruler who leads them and to whom they refer their affairs. A Jamāʿah cannot come together without a ruler of a nation to whom their affairs are referred. For this reason, the Prophet (sallallāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallam) said to Hudhayfah (radiyallāhu ʿanhu):
«تَلْزَمُ جَمَاعَةَ الْمُسْلِمِينَ وَإِمَامَهُمْ»
“Cling to the Jamāʿah of the Muslims and their ruler.”
Hudhayfah asked:
فَإِنْ لَمْ يَكُنْ لَهُمْ جَمَاعَةٌ وَلَا إِمَامٌ؟
“What if they have no Jamāʿah and no ruler?” He replied:
«فَاعْتَزِلْ تِلْكَ الْفِرَقَ كُلَّهَا، وَلَوْ أَنْ تَعَضَّ بِأَصْلِ شَجَرَةٍ حَتَّى يُدْرِكَكَ الْمَوْتُ وَأَنْتَ عَلَى ذَلِكَ»
“Then keep away from all those sects, even if you have to bite onto the root of a tree until death comes to you whilst you are in that state.” [3]
He commanded him to leave all of the sects, and not to be alongside any group except the Jamāʿah of the Muslims [who are upon the Truth] — and not to be with any of the jamāʿahs other than that one. And if there is no such Jamāʿah, then he remains by himself upon the Truth until death comes to him while he is in that state. This contains proof that a person is not to align himself with these jamāʿahs that oppose the methodology of the truth.
A group can only constitute the Jamāʿah if it fulfils two conditions: (i) its methodology must be the Book, the Sunnah and the methodology of the Righteous Salaf; and (ii) it must have a Muslim ruler who leads it and to whom its affairs are referred.
So, there is no establishing of the religion except with a Jamāʿah [upon the Truth]; and there is no Jamāʿah except that they are alongside their ruler; and there is no ruler except with hearing and obeying him. This is the methodology of the Muslims and the Sunnah that al-Barbahārī (rahimahullāh) has explained.
It also contains a prohibition against contradicting with irregular views and opposing opinions; and that a person must adhere to the Jamāʿah so long as it is not upon misguidance.
The saying of the Prophet (sallallāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallam)
«مَنْ فَارَقَ الْجَمَاعَةَ قِيدَ شِبْرٍ، فَقَدْ خَلَعَ رِبْقَةَ الْإِسْلَامِ مِنْ عُنُقِهِ».
“Whoever separates from the Jamāʿah by a handspan has cast off the rope of Islam from his neck.” It was customary among the Arabs to place bindings of rope around the necks of sheep so that they would remain together and not scatter or become lost, or be eaten by a wolf. These bindings were connected to a single rope that gathered them together and helped protect them.
The Prophet (sallallāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallam) likened adherence to the Jamāʿah to this arrangement. The Jamāʿah is a protective bond that safeguards from destruction, just as the binding around the necks of sheep helps protect them from the wolf and from becoming lost.
End
— (Abu Khadeejah)
Hadith References
(1) Reported by Imam Ahmad in al-Musnad (4/130); at-Tirmidhī (no. 2863); Ibn Khuzaymah (3/195, no. 1895); Ibn Hibbān in his Sahīh (14/124, no. 6233); al-Hākim (1/204), and others, from the hadith of al-Hārith al-Ashʿarī (radiyallāhu ʿanhu). At-Tirmidhī declared it authentic, and Ibn Khuzaymah, Ibn Hibbān, al-Hākim and others also authenticated it.
(2) Reported by Imam Ahmad in al-Musnad (1/18); al-Humaydī in al-Musnad (1/18); at-Tirmidhī (no. 2165); an-Nasāʾī in as-Sunan al-Kubrā (5/388, no. 9225); Ibn Hibbān in his Sahīh (16/240, no. 7254); al-Hākim (1/114), and others, with similar wordings, from the hadīth of ʿUmar (radiyallāhu ʿanhu). At-Tirmidhī said: “A hasan sahīh gharīb hadith through this route.” Ibn Hibbān and al-Hākim also authenticated it, and adh-Dhahabī agreed with al-Hākim.
(3) Reported by al-Bukhārī in his Sahīh (no. 3411) and Muslim in his Sahīh (no. 1847). The Arabic text of the hadeeth:
عَنْ حُذَيْفَةَ بْنِ الْيَمَانِ، رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ، قَالَ: كَانَ النَّاسُ يَسْأَلُونَ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ عَنِ الْخَيْرِ، وَكُنْتُ أَسْأَلُهُ عَنِ الشَّرِّ مَخَافَةَ أَنْ يُدْرِكَنِي.
قُلْتُ: يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ، إِنَّا كُنَّا فِي جَاهِلِيَّةٍ وَشَرٍّ، فَجَاءَنَا اللَّهُ بِهَذَا الْخَيْرِ، فَهَلْ بَعْدَ هَذَا الْخَيْرِ مِنْ شَرٍّ؟
قَالَ: «نَعَمْ».
قُلْتُ: وَهَلْ بَعْدَ ذَلِكَ الشَّرِّ مِنْ خَيْرٍ؟
قَالَ: «نَعَمْ، وَفِيهِ دَخَنٌ».
قُلْتُ: وَمَا دَخَنُهُ؟
قَالَ: «قَوْمٌ يَهْدُونَ بِغَيْرِ هَدْيِي، تَعْرِفُ مِنْهُمْ وَتُنْكِرُ».
قُلْتُ: فَهَلْ بَعْدَ ذَلِكَ الْخَيْرِ مِنْ شَرٍّ؟
قَالَ: «نَعَمْ، دُعَاةٌ عَلَى أَبْوَابِ جَهَنَّمَ، مَنْ أَجَابَهُمْ إِلَيْهَا قَذَفُوهُ فِيهَا».
قُلْتُ: يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ، صِفْهُمْ لَنَا.
قَالَ: «هُمْ مِنْ جِلْدَتِنَا، وَيَتَكَلَّمُونَ بِأَلْسِنَتِنَا».
قُلْتُ: فَمَا تَأْمُرُنِي إِنْ أَدْرَكَنِي ذَلِكَ؟
قَالَ: «تَلْزَمُ جَمَاعَةَ الْمُسْلِمِينَ وَإِمَامَهُمْ».
قُلْتُ: فَإِنْ لَمْ يَكُنْ لَهُمْ جَمَاعَةٌ وَلَا إِمَامٌ؟
قَالَ: «فَاعْتَزِلْ تِلْكَ الْفِرَقَ كُلَّهَا، وَلَوْ أَنْ تَعَضَّ بِأَصْلِ شَجَرَةٍ حَتَّى يُدْرِكَكَ الْمَوْتُ وَأَنْتَ عَلَى ذَلِكَ»
