In The Name of Allaah, The Most Merciful, The Bestower of Mercy.

Imaam Ibnul Jawzi [may Allaah have mercy upon him] said,

“The Command to Adhere to The Sunnah and The Jamaa’ah”:

Ibn Umar narrated that Umar Ibn Al-Khattaab [may Allaah b pleased with both of them] gave a speech in the city of Jaabiyah and said, “Once Allaah’s Messenger [peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him] stood amongst us and said, ‘Whoever amongst you wishes for the best of Paradise, then let him adhere to Jamaa’ah (F1), for indeed shaytaan is with a person who is on his own and he is more distant from two people”’. [Reported by Imaam At-Tirmidhee 2165. Declared Saheeh by Imaam Albaanee in Saheeh al-Jaami 2546]

Jaabir Bin Samrah [may Allaah be pleased with him] said, “Umar addressed the people at Jaabiyah and said, ‘Indeed, Allaah’s Messenger stood in the manner I am standing and then said, ‘Whoever wants to attain the best of paradise, then let him adhere to the Jamaa’ah (F2), for indeed shaytaan is with one who is alone and he is more distant from two people”’.  [Imaam At-Tirmidhee said, “This hadeeth is Hasan Saheeh]

Umar Ibnul Khattaab said, “Allaah’s Messenger said, ‘Whoever wants the best of paradise, then let him adhere to the Jamaa’ah (F3), for indeed shaytaan is with one who is alone and more distant from two people’”.

Abdullaah Bin Deenaar [may Allaah have mercy upon him] reported from Umar who said, “Allaah’s Messenger said, ‘Whoever is pleased that he should dwell in the best of paradise, then let him adhere to the Jamaa’ah (F4), for indeed shaytaan is with one who is alone and more distant from two people’”. [Silsilah As-Saheehah 430]

Arfajah [may Allaah be pleased with him] said, “I heard Allaah’s Messenger [peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him] say, ‘Allaah’s Hand is with the Jamaa’ah (F5) and shaytaan is with the one who opposes the Jamaa’ah’” [Reported by Imaam An-Nasaa’ee 4020. Declared Saheeh by Imaam Albaanee in Saheeh Al-Jaami 3621]

Usaamah Bin Shareek [may Allaah be pleased with him] said, “I heard Allaah’s Messenger [peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him] say, ‘Allaah’s Hand is with the Jamaa’ah (F6), and if a person isolates them, then shaytaan seizes him just as a wolf seizes a sheep from a flock”. [Reported by Al-Laalikaa’ee in I’tiqaad Ahlis Sunnah 1/99. See Majmah Az-Zawaa’id 5/218]

Abdullaah Ibn Mas’ood [may Allaah be pleased with him] said, “Allaah’s Messenger [peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him] drew a line with his hand, then said, ‘This is Allah’s Straight Path’; then he drew lines to its right and left and said, ‘These are the [other] paths, and there is not a path from them, except that there is a shaytaan calling to it’; then he recited: [وَأَنَّ هَذَا صِرَاطِي مُسْتَقِيمًا فَاتَّبِعُوهُ وَلا تَتَّبِعُوا السُّبُلَ – And this is my straight path, so follow it, and do not follow the (other) paths] [Surah Al-An’aam. Aayah 53] [Reported by Imaam Ahmad 4423. Declared Saheeh by Imaam Albaanee in at-Tawassul. Page 125]

Ibn Umar said, “Allaah’s Messenger said, ‘That which happened to Bani Israa’eel will happen to my Ummah foot step by foot step, to the extent that if one of them engaged in sexual intercourse with his mother openly, there will be one from my Ummah who will do that. And indeed, Bani Israa’eel split into seventy-two sects and my Ummah will split into seventy-three sects, all of which will be in the Hellfire, except one’; so they said, ‘O Messenger of Allaah! Which one is it?’ He said, ‘The one upon that which I and my Companions are upon’”. [Reported by Imaam At-Tirmidhee 2641 and declared ‘Hasan’ by Imaam Albaanee in Saheeh Al-Jaami 5343]

Mu’awiyah Ibn Abee Sufyaan [may Allaah be pleased with him and his father] stood and said, “Indeed, Allaah’s Messenger [peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him] stood amongst us and said, ‘Indeed, the people of the Scripture before you split into seventy-two sects and indeed this Ummah will split into seventy-three sects; seventy two are in the Hellfire and one in paradise, and it is the Jamaa’ah. And indeed there will appear a people from my Ummah in whom desires will run through them just as rabbis runs through the one afflicted by it”. [Reported by Imaam Abu Daawud 4597. Declared Saheeh by Imaam Albaanee in Saheeh Al-Jaami 2641] [I]

Question to Imaam Abdul Azeez Bin Baaz [may Allaah have mercy upon him]: What is the intent behind the Messenger’s ﷺ statement when he spoke about the Ummah in the hadith: “All of them (the sects) are in the fire except one” and what is that one?. Also, will all the other 72 (deviant) sects be in the fire for eternity? Benefit us.
The answer: The prophet ﷺ said, “The Jews split into 71 sects, meaning all of them are astray and their affair ruined, except one. The Christians split into 72 sects, meaning all of them are astray and their affair ruined, except one. And this Ummah will split into 73 sects- all of them in the fire, except one. This one group is Ahlus Sunnah Wal Jamaa’a [those who firmly adhere to the authentic Prophetic Sunnah and are united upon that] – the companions of the Prophet and those who follow them exactly in faith, the adherents to pure Islamic monotheism and sound faith.

As for the other 72 sects that have been threatened with the fire, among them is one who is a disbeliever (ref a), among them is one who is a sinner and among them is one about whom it is established with clear evidence that he is an innovator in religious affairs. So, the one – among them – that dies in a state of disbelief (ref b) will be in the fire for eternity, the one that dies in a state of adherence to religious innovation that is lesser than major disbelief (ref c) or sins is under the will of Allah, while still threatened with the fire. So, based on this it is known that not all of them are disbelievers, but rather among them is a disbeliever and other than him among the sinners and the innovators in religious affairs. [II]

F1, F2, F3, F4, F5 & F6: Jamaa’ah: What is the Jama’ah by Shaikh Abu Khadeejah [may Allaah preserve him]: https://soundcloud.com/salafi-publications/what-is-the-jamaah-by-abu-khadeejah-21062019

[Refs a and b]: NB: Takfeer – declaring that a Muslim left the fold of Islaam is a judgement that can only be given by the upright scholars and none else. https://www.manhaj.com/manhaj/articles/obkwf-takfir-and-the-excuse-of-ignorance-shaykh-saalih-al-fawzaan.cfm

[Ref c]: NB: All religious innovations are evil, but there are those that will exit a person from the fold of Islaam (Bida’atul Mukaffirah) and those that do not exit a person from the fold of Islaam (Bida’atul Mufassiqah). Al-Allaamah Rabee Bin Haadee Al-Madkhalee [may Allaah preserve him] was asked whether there is a difference between Bidah Al-Mukaffirah and Bidah Al-Mufassiqah; so he replied that there is Bidah Mukaffirah, such as rejecting the Ruyah (i.e. denying that the believers will see Allaah in the afterlife); rejecting Allaah’s Uluww [i.e. denying that Allaah is above his creation –Allaah ascended over the Throne in a way that benefits his majesty)]; invoking other than Allaah; offering slaughtered sacrifice (i.e. animals) to other than Allaah etc. These are affairs of Bidah Al-Mukaffirah (the bidah that is tantamount to disbelief). But we do not make Takfeer of the people who commit this type of Bidah until we establish the proofs against them. That is because some of them (i.e. the people who fall into these affairs) carry doubts and are far away from the era of Prophethood and its light (i.e. guidance). So they fall into the likes these innovations. Rejecting the Ruyah is disbelief; rejecting Allaah’s Uluww is disbelief; the saying that the Qur’aan is created is disbelief-major disbelief. But this person, -[who testifies that none has the right to be worshipped except Allaah and that Muhammad is the messenger of Allaah, and he prays, observes fasting, wants paradise and believes in that] -received the doubts of the people of falsehood, so he falls into the likes of these affairs (i.e. these innovations that are tantamount to disbelief). So we say to him: You have fallen into disbelief and the evidence is this and this, and we clarify for him. So if Allaah grants him Tawfeeq and he returns to the truth, then all praise is due to Allaah. But if not, we declare him a disbeliever after establishing the proofs against him. As for Bidah Al-Mufassiqah it is other than this (i.e. it is not at the level of that which is tantamount to disbelief)… [A paraphrased excerpt. see http://www.rabee.net/ar/questions.php?cat=26&id=484 ]

[I]: [An Excerpt from Talbees Iblees with the checking of Shaikh Zayd Bin Haadee [rahiahullaah]. pages 10-15]

[II]:[https://binbaz.org.sa/fatwas/17308/%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%85%D8%B1%D8%A7%D8%AF-%D8%A8%D9%82%D9%88%D9%84%D9%87-%EF%B7%BA-%D9%83%D9%84%D9%87%D9%85-%D9%81%D9%8A-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%86%D8%A7%D8%B1-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A7-%D9%88%D8%A7%D8%AD%D8%AF%D8%A9 ]