Stick to the Jama'ah of the Muslims and their Imam

 

بِسۡمِ اللّٰہِ الرَّحۡمٰنِ الرَّحِیۡمِ

اَلۡحَمۡدُ لِلّٰہِ رَبِّ الۡعٰلَمِیۡنَ

‌السَّلَامُ ‌عَلَيْكَ ‌أَيُّهَا ‌النَّبِيُّ ‌وَرَحْمَةُ ‌اللهِ ‌وَبَرَكَاتُهُ

In the Name of Allah, the Rahman, the Merciful

All praise belongs to Allah, Lord of the worlds

Peace be upon you, you who are the Prophet, and the mercy of Allah and His blessing

Previously, I mentioned the violent tendency of Quran-only or more fittingly Hadith-rejecting sects like the Yan Tatsine cult in Nigeria. The Yan Tatsine have now evolved into what is referred to as the Kala Kato movement. In December 2009, in Bauchi, Kala Kato members went on a rampage of killing. Their leader, Badamasi, was killed during these riots in which at least 38 people also lost their lives. We mainstream and orthodox Sunni Muslims must beware of the Quran-only movement in particular. It is an extreme heresy that has much potential for violence directed at the Ummah. The various Muslim states and governments of the world should proscribe any organization or group that has left Sunni orthodoxy and calls toward “Quranism”. These groups tend to view mainstream Sunni Muslims as polytheists and apostates and engage in much antisocial behavior. Although the original Kharijites were technically not a Quran-only movement, they rejected many established practices and doctrines from the Sunnah and so in a sense are the forebears of today's Hadith-rejecting sects. Likewise, the Wahhabis of Ibn Abd al-Wahhab may be characterized as a neo-Kharijite tendency. They share a disdain for mainstream Sunni Islam and Sunni Muslims with Quranists. And like the extreme Quranists (Yan Tatsine and Kala Kato), the Wahhabis have a history of violence and bloodshed directly inwardly to the Ummah. Terrorist factions like Al-Qaeda and ISIS are heavily influenced by the original Wahhabism of Ibn Abd al-Wahhab and his followers, whereas that ideology was somewhat watered down by the present Saudi Kingdom under King Abd al-Aziz (d. 1953).

During Algeria's civil war in the 1990s, an extremely violent and brutal neo-Kharijite faction called the Armed Islamic Group or GIA, made mass-Takfir of Algerian society and on the basis carried out horrific massacres of ordinary civilians. Antar Zouabri was the leader of this faction from 1996 until he was killed in a shootout in 2002. The GIA had gone on a rampage in Algeria to such an extent that rival Salafi Jihadist groups accused it of being infiltrated by Algerian security and intelligence forces so as to destroy the credibility of the rebellion in general.

Another tendency that began in the late 20^th century was the establishment of organizations under the name Jama'at al-Muslimin, apparently with reference to the Hadith:

تَلْزَمُ جَمَاعَةَ الْمُسْلِمِينَ وَإِمَامَهُمْ

Stick to the Jama'ah [congregation] of the Muslims and their Imam

(Sahih al-Bukhari)

A former Salafi in Pakistan, Mas'ud Ahmad, BSc., founded a sect which he named Jama'at al-Muslimin in Karachi in 1962. He declared himself the Imam and Amir of this group, which views all other Muslims outside of it to be unbelievers. Although the group is non-violent (for the moment) its takfiri ideology and separation from the main body of the Muslims is concerning. Another group that was based in London, UK, also called itself Jama'at al-Muslimin and was led by an individual known as Muhammad al-Rifa'i. A third group branding itself Jama'at al-Muslimin was led by one Yasin Abu Bakr, based in Trinidad. This sect attempted to violently overthrow the Trinidadian government in 1990. But we shall see how merely naming one's organization Jama'at al-Muslimin does not make it the one intended in the Hadith quoted above. The true meaning of the Hadith is to stick with the main body of the Muslims and not to separate from it by joining schismatic sects and offshoots. Therefore, the real Jama'at al-Muslimin is not a registered organization but the worldwide community of mainstream Sunni Muslims, known as Ahl al-Sunnah wal-Jama'ah. As for the Imam of this Jama'ah, after the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم passed away it was Abu Bakr, then Umar, then Uthman, then Ali رضى الله عنهم

During the Caliphate of Mawla Ali كرم الله وجهه there was a tragically division and civil war within the Ummah. According to this Hadith the Muslims were instructed to stick to the main body of the Muslims and their Imam, which was Mawla Ali رضى الله عنه

Mawla Ali رضى الله عنه was martyred and succeeded to the Imamate by his son al-Hasan رضى الله عنه who reconciled with the opposing party of Mu'awiyah رضى الله عنه

As part of that reconciliation, Imam Hasan رضى الله عنه surrendered his claim to the Caliphate and Mu'awiyah became the ruler of all the Muslims.

Hudayfah bin al-Yaman رضى الله عنه asked the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم what the Muslims should do in the event there is no Jama'ah or Imam, to which he عليه السلام replied:

فَاعْتَزِلْ تِلْكَ الْفِرَقَ كُلَّهَا وَلَوْ أَنْ تَعَضَّ بِأَصْلِ شَجَرَةٍ حَتَّى يُدْرِكَكَ الْمَوْتُ وَأَنْتَ عَلَى ذَلِكَ

Then withdraw from all those sects, even if you have to bite on to the root of a tree and death overtakes you while you are in that state (Sahih al-Bukhari)

This Hadith has been woefully misinterpreted and wrongly applied by the non-Sunni schismatics especially the Qadianis, Isma'ilis and those groups branding themselves Jama'at al-Muslimin.

While the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم used the word Imam when he said “Stick to the Jama'ah of the Muslims and their Imam” the meaning is to remain in obedience to whoever the Muslim ruler is in the land one resides in. The title of Imam may not be applied to every Muslim ruler, for it may only apply to a ruler who is just and righteous. But the Prophet عليه السلام used the word Imam because the immediate Muslim rulers who succeeded him were certainly Imams. Thus when Hudayfah رضى الله عنه asked about a scenario in which there is no Imam what he intended was a scenario of anarchy due to civil wars and chaos when it is unclear who the ruler is or when the State has collapsed. In such a frightening scenario the Muslims are instructed to avoid joining any of the various armed factions that are vying for power even if it means they have to flee to the wilderness. In this Hadith the term Jama'ah does not refer to an organization but the Muslim community whose majority naturally recognizes the authority of the State and the ruler. The non-Sunni schismatics wrongly teach that the Hadith means Muslims must join one of their many fringe organizations because the Ummah as a whole does not have a single Imam ruling them today.