Ibn Majah

Commentary:
(1)
This narration is weak in its chain of transmission; however, the existence of the sects "Murji'ah" and "Qadariyyah" is an established historical fact. Therefore, it seems appropriate to mention their beliefs below and to detail the differences and disagreements between them and Ahl al-Sunnah. The meaning of "Murji'ah" (al-Irja') is to postpone or to give hope. There may be several reasons why they are called "Murji'ah":

➊ The Murji'ah postpone action in favor of intention and belief.

➋ Their view is that sin does not harm alongside faith, just as obedience does not benefit alongside disbelief.

➌ To postpone the matter of a person who commits a major sin until the Day of Judgment; no ruling will be given in this world as to whether he is destined for Paradise or Hell.

➍ To postpone the position of Ali radi Allahu anhu in the caliphate from first to fourth place.

(2) Types of Murji'ah:
The following are the sects of the Murji'ah:

*Al-Jahmiyyah* *Al-Salihiyyah* *Al-Shamariyyah* *Al-Yunusiyyah* *Al-Yunaniyyah* *Al-Najjariyyah* *Al-Ghaylaniyyah* *Al-Hanafiyyah* *Al-Sabiyyah* *Al-Mu'adhiyyah* *Al-Murissah* *Al-Karramiyyah*

(3)
Some important beliefs of the Murji'ah are as follows:

➊ In their view, whoever has professed the kalimah tayyibah will never enter Hell, even if he becomes involved in every filth of disbelief and polytheism.

➋ According to them, faith (iman) is only the name of verbal affirmation; action is not included in it. Therefore, prostrating to the moon, sun, or idols is not disbelief itself, but only a sign of disbelief.

➌ There is no increase or decrease in faith; rather, the faith of a sinful and immoral person is equal to the faith of the Prophets and angels.

➍ They deny the attributes of Allah and also deny the beatific vision (ru'yah) of Allah on the Day of Judgment.

(4)
In contrast to the Murji'ah, the beliefs of Ahl al-Sunnah wa'l-Jama'ah:
In contrast to the Murji'ah and other sects, the creed of Ahl al-Sunnah wa'l-Jama'ah is based on justice and fairness, and its foundation is the clear texts of the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam. Therefore, there is no crookedness or contradiction in their creed; rather, their creed is clear, straightforward, and true.
Some important beliefs of Ahl al-Sunnah wa'l-Jama'ah are as follows:

➊ In their view, faith (iman) is the combination of verbal affirmation, heartfelt conviction, and actions. Actions are not excluded from faith. Faith increases with good deeds and decreases with sins. The evidence for this is found in numerous verses of the Noble Qur'an, among which is the statement of Allah Ta'ala:

﴿وَإِذَا مَا أُنزِلَتْ سُورَةٌ فَمِنْهُم مَّن يَقُولُ أَيُّكُمْ زَادَتْهُ هَـٰذِهِ إِيمَانًا ۚ فَأَمَّا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا فَزَادَتْهُمْ إِيمَانًا وَهُمْ يَسْتَبْشِرُونَ﴾ (al-Tawbah: 124)
"And when a surah is revealed, some of them say, 'Which of you has this increased in faith?' As for those who believe, it has increased them in faith, and they rejoice."

Imam al-Bukhari rahimahullah has discussed this issue under several headings in Sahih al-Bukhari, such as:
("Indeed, faith is action," "Prayer is part of faith," "Zakat is part of faith," "Following funerals is part of faith," "Increase and decrease of faith")
In the light of Qur'anic verses and authentic hadiths, he has clarified that actions are part of faith, and that obedience increases faith while disobedience decreases it.

➋ The belief of Ahl al-Sunnah is that a believer may enter Hell due to some of his sins, but because of his faith, he will eventually be taken out of Hell; he will not remain in Hell forever.
The evidence for this is the hadith of Anas radi Allahu anhu, in which the Messenger of Allah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said:
"Whoever professed 'La ilaha illallah' and had faith in his heart equal to the weight of a barley grain will be taken out of Hell; whoever professed 'La ilaha illallah' and had faith in his heart equal to the weight of a wheat grain will be taken out of Hell; whoever affirmed 'La ilaha illallah' and had faith in his heart equal to the weight of a mustard seed will also be saved from the Fire." (Sahih al-Bukhari, al-Iman, Chapter: Increase and decrease of faith, Hadith: 44)
Also, his noble statement:
(مَنْ قَالَ لَا إِلـٰه إلاَّ الله اَنْجَتْهُ يَوماً مِّنْ دَهْرِهِ أصَابَهُ قَبْلَ ذَالِكَ مَا اَصَابَهُ)
"Whoever professed 'La ilaha illallah', this kalimah tayyibah will save him from Hell one day, even if he had suffered some punishment before that." (Hilyat al-Awliya: 5/46)
('Wa Sharbu al-Iman, Chapter: Faith in Allah the Mighty and Majestic, Hadith: 97, 96)
This ruling applies to the one who professed 'La ilaha illallah', observed all its obligations and conditions, and protected himself from disbelief and polytheism.
And Allah knows best.

➌ Ahl al-Sunnah wa'l-Jama'ah believe in all the Names and Attributes of Allah Ta'ala, and they believe in them without likening, anthropomorphism, modality, or figurative interpretation (bi-la kayf, without asking how).
Their belief regarding the attributes of Allah Ta'ala is that these attributes are befitting to the majesty and high status of Allah Ta'ala.
There is no resemblance to the attributes of any created being, because Allah Ta'ala says:
(Laysa kamithlihi shay')
"There is nothing like unto Him."
Furthermore, Ahl al-Sunnah wa'l-Jama'ah affirm that the believers will see Allah on the Day of Judgment. As evidence, they present the following narration from the two Sahihs:
The Companions asked the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam:
"O Messenger of Allah! Will we see our Lord on the Day of Judgment?" He replied:
"Do you have any difficulty in seeing the moon on the night when it is full?" The Companions said:
"No, O Messenger of Allah!" He said:
"Do you have any difficulty in seeing the sun when there are no clouds before it?" The Companions said:
"No, O Messenger of Allah!" So he said:
"You will see your Lord in the same way, without any hardship or obstruction..." (Sahih al-Bukhari, al-Tawhid, Chapter: The statement of Allah Ta'ala (Some faces that Day will be radiant, looking at their Lord) [Qur'an 75:22-23], Hadith: 7437; and Sahih Muslim, al-Iman, Chapter: Knowing the way of seeing [Allah], Hadith: 182)

Explanation:
1:
Murji’ah:
This is one of the false and misguided sects which holds the belief that a servant has no choice whatsoever regarding his actions; he is completely compelled, like inanimate objects. They also believe that just as obedience and compliance are of no benefit alongside disbelief, similarly, sin is not harmful in the least alongside faith.

Qadariyyah:
This is the sect which believes that the servant himself is the creator of his actions, and that Allah’s will and decree have no involvement in them whatsoever. This sect completely denies predestination (qadar). It is true that both of these sects are victims of excess and negligence (ifrat wa tafrit), but all the aforementioned marfu‘ narrations are of weak status. If they are accepted as mawquf up to Abdullah ibn Abbas (radi Allahu anhuma), then that is correct.

Note:

(In the chain, “Salam ibn Abi ‘Umrah” is weak.)

Takhrij:
[سنن ترمذي 2149],
[سنن ابن ماجه 62]

Hadith Authentication:
The chain of narration for this report is weak.
Besides al-Tirmidhi, it has also been narrated by Ibn Majah [62].
● Its narrator, Nazzar ibn Hayyan al-Asadi, is weak. See: [تقريب التهذيب : 7104، انوار الصحيفة ص612، اور كتاب المجروحين لابن حبان 56/3]
● There are many weak supporting narrations for this report, but even with them, this narration remains weak.

Note:
In the old manuscript copies of Sunan al-Tirmidhi, after this hadith, the statement of Imam al-Tirmidhi is written: «هذا حديث حسن غريب» [ص141ب]
● Whether a hadith scholar is lenient or moderate, only that authentication or criticism, and declaration of authenticity or weakness, is valid which does not go against the majority of hadith scholars. Remember, any narration whose chain is not sahih (authentic) or hasan li-dhatih (good in itself) is not a proof in matters of religion; therefore, there is no need to write its benefits or jurisprudential points.