ًWhite Faces of Sunnis (Sura 3:106)

 بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

سبوحٌ قدوسٌ سبوحٌ قدوسٌ

Allah—Lord of Heaven and Earth—says:

یَّوۡمَ تَبۡیَضُّ وُجُوۡہٌ وَّ تَسۡوَدُّ وُجُوۡہٌ

On the Day when some faces shall be white and some faces shall be black

(Sura 3:106)

This Ayah has traditionally been understood as referring to an important division within the Umma itself, the division between the Saved Sect—the Sunnis—and the sects of misguidance and innovation. It is reported from sayyidina Ibn Abbas رضى الله عنهما that he explained that those whose faces will be white on Judgment Day are the ahl us-Sunna wal-Jama’a [Sunni Muslims] whereas those whose faces will be black are the ahl ul-Bid’ wal-Dalala or people of innovation and misguidance (Tafsir Ibn Abi Hatim; #3950, 3951)

This is highly significant as it traces the origin of the term ahl us-Sunnati wal-Jama’a back to an illustrious companion of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم namely, Ibn Abbas رضى الله عنهما

Likewise, Ibn Umar رضى الله عنهما is also reported to have explained that the white faces in this Ayah refers to the ahl us-Sunna wal-Jama’a and the black faces refers to the people of innovation (al-Firdaws lil-Daylami; v.5, p.529, #8986)

Many Muslims nowadays are falling for the so-called non-denominational or non-sectarian call of modernist preachers and teachers. They imagine that Sunnism is a manufactured term that has no basis in early Islam, or that the Muslims who are upon the Straight Path in following the Prophet and his Companions are not meant to form an actual denomination within the Umma.