WORDS OF THE SCHOLARS CONCERNING HIZBIYAH AND ITS RULINGS.  

Taking from the etiquettes of the scholars, that is, we do not issue a ruling about a matter or judge a case until we research the matter, or case, from the verdicts of the greater scholars. This is not a form of blind following, it is a form of etiquette and good manners and in order for the noble reader to know that I did not adopt in this book statements that were not preceded by a scholar or a school of thought which an Imam did not say, nay, because we are the most zealous of people in following the advice of Imam Ahmad Ibn Hanbal Ash-Shaybaanee, on him be the mercy of Allah, to his student Aboo Al-Hasan Al-Maymoonee when he said: “O Maymoonee! Do not speak on issues which you have no imam to support it, because the predecessors did not leave behind for the successors mere talk.

1 Imam Ibn Jareer Al-Tabaree  Said: in connection with the hadeeth of Hudayfah bn Yamaan, may Allah be pleased with him:”and in the hadeeth when there is no imam for the people and the people divide and become Ahzaab, then do not follow anyone in division, and withdraw from all of them if you are able, fearing that you fall into evil”. I say: “and this situation is what sets hizbiyyah aright for it is division and differences and furthermore, leaving the Muslim congregation to numerous types of partisanship.

2 Sheikh al- Islam Ibn Taymiyyah RAH said: “and it is not for the teachers that they should divide the people and stir up in them hatred and enmity between them, nay, they should be like brothers helping one another in goodness and piety as Allah says: “and help one another in goodness and piety and do not help one another in sin and transgression and fear Allah”. And he also said: “it is not for anyone to affiliate himself to a scholar, befriending and following him, and taking others as enemy, nay, upon him is to befriend every person from among the people of faith and eeman, and whoever is known for his piety from among the scholars and other than them, and do not specifically choose anyone, increasing love for him except it is clear that his eeman is more and so is his piety, and we give precedence to what Allah and His messenger give precedence to, and we prefer what Allah and His messenger prefer”. And he also said: “and it is not for anyone to take a covenant from anyone in agreeing to what he wants, and befriending who he befriends, and hating who he hates, nay, whoever does this is like Genghis Khan, his example is like one who takes those who agree with them, a truthful one and a friend, and those who disagree with them, an enemy and a transgressor, nay, upon them and those who follow them is the covenant of Allah and his messenger, that they obey Allah and his messenger and do what Allah and His messenger commanded…”

3 Imam Muhammad bn Alee bn Muhammad Ash-Shawkhaanee said: concerning Allah’s words: “Verily, those who split and divide their religion and they are factions, you have nothing to do with them, verily, their affair is with Allah, then He will inform them that which they used to do”. And it was said that this is a general verse for all the infidels and all those who innovate and bring to the religion what Allah did not command, and this is correct, because the statement implies all and sundry and groups among the people of the book (Jews and Christians) and the groups of polytheists, and other than them from those who innovate among the Muslims.

4 The verdict of Sheikh Abdul-Aziz bn Abdullahi bn Baaz and his deputy Sheikh Abd-Razaaq ‘Afeefee, may Allah have mercy on both of them: from the text of the verdict: “It is not permissible to divide the Muslims in their religion into groups and factions, some cursing others, and some striking the necks of others, because this division is from what Allah prohibited on those who invented it and follow their desires, and the person who does this act is promised a great punishment and Allah’s messenger is free of such a person. Allah, glorified is He said: “And hold on to the rope of Allah (the Qur’an, Islam, Sunnah etc) all together and do not divide”. Till the statement of Allah: “…and do not be like those who split and differed after what came to them of clear evidences and for those is a great punishment.”Also, Allah said: “Verily, those who split their religion and are sects, you(O Muhammad) have nothing to do with them in the least, verily, their affair is with Allah, then He will inform them of that which they used to do. Whoever comes with a good deed, for him is ten like it and whoever comes with an evil deed, he will be recompensed with that which is similar to it and they will not be wronged…”

5 And the great Sheikh, Muhammad bn Saalih Al-Uhaymeen may Allah have mercy on him was asked: “Is there any text from the book of Allah or the Sunnah of His Prophet containing permissibility of numerous Islamic groups?” And the Sheikh answered: “There is nothing in the Book or Sunnah that permits numerous groups and parties, nay, verily, in the book of Allah and the Sunnah is that which dispraises such. Allah glorified and exalted be He said: “Verily, those who split their religion and are groups and sects, you (O Muhammad) have nothing to do with them in the least, verily, their affair is with Allah, then He will inform them that which they used to do”.(6;159). And He said: “…each group rejoicing with that which is with them” (30; 32). And there is no doubt that these sects negate that which Allah commanded. Nay, Allah urged against dividing in His statement: “…and verily, this your religion (of Islamic Monotheism) is one religion, and I am your Lord, so keep your duty to me” (23; 52). And especially, when we look into the traces of these divisions and groups, we see that all these groups and all these factions  slander each other, abuse each other and they declare each other wrongdoers, and perhaps even greater than that and I see these groups are in error”. And he also said: and the statement of some of them:”it is not possible to call to righteousness except under a group”.  We say: this is not correct, nay, verily the call to righteousness every time man is low-spirited is under the book of Allah and the Sunnah of his Messenger  following the path of the Prophet and the rightly guided Caliphs. And he also said, concerning deviation and splitting: “…there is no doubt that partisanship in the religion of Allah is forbidden and we should beware of it from the statement of Allah”: “…and be not like those who divided and differed amongst themselves after the clear proofs had come to them. It is they for whom there is an awful torment” (3: 105). And also the statement of Allah: “Verily, those who divide their religion and break up into sects (all kinds of religious sects), you (O Muhammad  SAW) have no concern in them in the least. Their affair is only with Allah, Who then will tell them what they used to do” (6:159). Then he said, “It is not permissible for the Muslim nation to split into groups, each group having a methodology strange and different from the methodology of others, nay, it is compulsory to unite on one religion and on one methodology”. And it is the guidance of the Prophet and his rightly guided Caliphs and the companions from the statement of the Prophet : “upon you is my Sunnah and the Sunnah of the rightly guided caliphs after me, hold on to it and bite it with your molars {that is, hold firmly to the Sunnah}, and beware of newly invented matters [in the religion], for every innovation is misguidance”. And it is not from the guidance of the Prophet  and the rightly guided Caliphs that the Muslim nation divide into groups and parties, each group having a leader and methodology.

6 Sheikh Saalih bn Fawzaan Al-Fawzaan said in his fatawa: “And these groups and this division happening today has nothing to do with Islam, nay, it is strongly forbidden in Islam. And Islam commands that we unite on the monotheistic belief, and the single methodology of Islam, and the single nation of Muslims just as Allah commands, glorified and exalted is He. And splitting into groups and factions is the plot of the shayateen of jinn and mankind of this nation. And the kuffaar and munaafiqeen do not cease to instill in the Muslim nation division. The Jews of old said: “Believe in the morning in that which is revealed to the believers, and reject it at the end of the day, so that they may turn back”. That is, that the Muslims turn back from their religion if they see you turn back there from. (Q3;72)

7 The great Sheikh, the Muhaddith of the era, the erudite scholar, Muhammad Naasir Al-Albaanee was asked, may Allah have mercy on him, about the numerous groups and sects and he answered: “Verily, there is a lot we have to say about this issue, but by Allah’s leave, I shall summarize it as follows: it is not permissible to have different groups in the Muslim congregation, each group having its own methodology and each group having its own leader, these leaderships enforcing their authority on its adherents, for this leads to increase in division and differences amongst the Muslims and making partisanship seem natural as Allah says: “Of those who split their religion (that is, who left the true Islamic Monotheism) and became sects, (that is, they invented new things into the religion {bid’ah}, and followed their vain desires), each sect rejoicing in that which is with it. (30:32).And there comes from the hadith of Hudhayfah bn Al-Yamaan in Saheeh Bukhaari and Saheeh Muslim, he said: “he people used to ask the Prophet about good and I used to ask him about evil out of fear of falling into it”, and he asked a lot of questions of great importance concerning the good they {the companions} were upon and if after that good there would be evil? The Prophet answered that there would be something of evil, and after that evil, there would be good, and I asked him also if there would be any evil after that good and he said “yes”. And I continued asking until the Prophet said that there would be groups and factions and upon you is to bite on the root of a tree, and not to be near any of these groups and factions, except there was a leader for all the Muslims, and if there was a leader, then it would be necessary to follow him, and if not, then go away from all those groups, even if you had to bite down on the roots of a tree. This is the meaning of this hadeeth found in Saheeh Bukharee and Muslim. And that means that one should not form alliance with groups and I say concerning that: it is necessary for the Muslim nation to co-operate, all of them; however, based on the solid foundation, from the Book and the Sunnah and the methodology of the Pious Predecessors.

8 The Sheikh, the erudite scholar, the Muhaddith of Yemen, Abu Abdillahi Muqbil Al-Haadee Al-Waadi’ee, may Allah have mercy on him said: “Verily, we do not call a group from the various groups, a sound group until it forsakes all its ideas and opinions to the book of Allah and the Sunnah of the Prophet SAW as Allah said: “And in whatsoever you differ, the decision thereof is with Allah (He is the ruling Judge) [42:10}. And He also said: “…And if you differ in anything amongst yourselves, refer it to Allah and His Messenger, if you believe in Allah and the last day. That is better and more suitable for final determination {4:59}.

Had I not feared talking at long length, I would have presented more verdicts of the great scholars. But for now, it would suffice to know without a doubt for every intelligent, seeker of truth, non-adherent to a person or society or group that partisanship is haraam totally, because it leads to fanaticism, and it is a path to disunity and a means of corruption of the heart, a destruction of the people and whoever refuses to acknowledge that, then he has rendered his intellect null and void, and he befools himself. And we shall clarify the matter and make mention of the harms and dangers of hizbiyyah if Allah wills. And verily, a poet spoke well when he said:

The intellect is not sound at all                

If it requires evidence that it is daytime.