Source: Fatāwā ʿIlmiyyah (Tawḍīḥ al-Aḥkām), Vol. 2, p. 27
Is the title “Ahl al-Ḥadīth” correct? Why do we call ourselves “Ahl al-Ḥadīth” instead of just “Muslim”? Did any Ṣaḥābī call himself “Ahl al-Ḥadīth”? The group Jamāʿat al-Muslimīn (Masʿūdiyyah) argues from the ḥadīth: “Stick to the Jamāʿat al-Muslimīn and their Imām.”
Authentic ḥadīth evidence:
“Call with the call of Allah — the One who named you Muslims, believers, servants of Allah.”
(Tirmidhī 2863; Ibn Ḥibbān, al-Ḥākim – ṣaḥīḥ)
“Call Muslims by the names Allah has given them: Muslims, believers, servants of Allah.”
(Musnad Aḥmad 4/130, 4/202 – ḥasan li-dhātihi)
Conclusion: The claim that we can only call ourselves “Muslim” and no other name is false.
“Allah will never unite my Ummah upon misguidance. Allah’s hand is over the Jamāʿah.”
(al-Mustadrak 1/116 – ṣaḥīḥ)
The Ummah’s consensus is proof; the approval of the scholars for centuries affirms the legitimacy of “Ahl al-Ḥadīth.”
Two applications:
ھٰذا ما عندي، والله أعلم بالصواب
The Question
Is the title “Ahl al-Ḥadīth” correct? Why do we call ourselves “Ahl al-Ḥadīth” instead of just “Muslim”? Did any Ṣaḥābī call himself “Ahl al-Ḥadīth”? The group Jamāʿat al-Muslimīn (Masʿūdiyyah) argues from the ḥadīth: “Stick to the Jamāʿat al-Muslimīn and their Imām.”
1. Qur’ānic and Prophetic Approval of Multiple Legitimate Names
- “Muslimīn” (Muslims) means submissive to Allah’s will.
- Qur’ān and Sunnah also use other valid titles: Muʾminīn (believers), ʿIbād Allāh (servants of Allah), Muhājirūn, Anṣār, Ṣaḥābah, Tābiʿīn.
Authentic ḥadīth evidence:
“Call with the call of Allah — the One who named you Muslims, believers, servants of Allah.”
(Tirmidhī 2863; Ibn Ḥibbān, al-Ḥākim – ṣaḥīḥ)
“Call Muslims by the names Allah has given them: Muslims, believers, servants of Allah.”
(Musnad Aḥmad 4/130, 4/202 – ḥasan li-dhātihi)
Conclusion: The claim that we can only call ourselves “Muslim” and no other name is false.
2. Historical Use of Ahl al-Sunnah and Ahl al-Ḥadīth
- Muḥammad ibn Sīrīn (tābiʿī): “They would look to Ahl al-Sunnah and take their ḥadīth.” (Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim, Introduction)
- Imām al-Bukhārī explaining the Ṭāʾifah Manṣūrah (Victorious Group): “They are Ahl al-Ḥadīth.”
- Imām Aḥmad: “If the Victorious Group is not Ahl al-Ḥadīth, I don’t know who they are.”
- Imām al-Shāfiʿī: “When I see a man from Ahl al-Ḥadīth, it is as though I see the Prophet ﷺ alive.”
- Numerous other imāms praised and legitimized the title “Ahl al-Ḥadīth.”
3. The Ijmāʿ Principle
“Allah will never unite my Ummah upon misguidance. Allah’s hand is over the Jamāʿah.”
(al-Mustadrak 1/116 – ṣaḥīḥ)
The Ummah’s consensus is proof; the approval of the scholars for centuries affirms the legitimacy of “Ahl al-Ḥadīth.”
4. Definition of Ahl al-Ḥadīth
Two applications:
- The expert ḥadīth scholars upon correct ʿaqīdah.
- The laypeople who follow their manhaj based on evidence.
5. On the Ḥadīth “Stick to the Jamāʿat al-Muslimīn and their Imām”
- Classical commentators explain “Jamāʿat” here as the unified Muslim Ummah under a legitimate Khalīfah with authority and ability to implement Sharīʿah.
- It does not mean a paper-based “amīr” of a sect.
6. Conditions of a Legitimate Imām/Khalīfah
- Must have Muslim consensus (ijmāʿ).
- Must have real power to govern, judge, prevent injustice, implement ḥudūd, and defend the Ummah.
- A self-appointed leader of a small group does not qualify.
7. Why Some Object to the Name Ahl al-Ḥadīth
- Ignorance of the historical and scholarly basis.
- Misunderstanding it as a sectarian label.
- In reality, it is a manhaj-based title rooted in Qur’ān, Sunnah, ijmāʿ, and the practice of the Salaf.
Conclusion
- The title Ahl al-Ḥadīth is valid, authentic, and praiseworthy, approved by centuries of scholars.
- It aligns with Qur’ān and Sunnah, much like other descriptive names (Muslimīn, Muʾminīn, Ahl al-Sunnah).
- It represents the methodology of following authentic narrations and the understanding of the Salaf — the very definition of the Victorious Group in the Prophet’s ﷺ ḥadīth.
ھٰذا ما عندي، والله أعلم بالصواب
