The Concept Of “Ahl Al-Sunnah Wa Al-Jamā‘Ah” Revisited

Understanding about the meaning of “Ahl al-Sunnah wa al-Jamā‘ah” in the hadith which reads: "sa-Taftariqu 'Ummatī' alā Tsalātsatin wa Sab'īna Firqatin al-Nājiyatun Minhā Wāhidatan wa al-Bāqūna halkā," Qāla wa Man al-Nājiyah? Qāla: "Ahl al-Sunnah wa al-Jamā‘ah," Qīla wa Mā al-Sunnah wa al-Jamā‘ah ,? Qāla: "Mā Anā 'Alayhi wa Ashhābī" caused a polemic among Muslim scholars, not only among hadits scholars, but also among the kalām scholars. Using semantic analysis, this study found that the expression “ahl al-sunnah wa al-jamā‘ah” no longer refers to one of the groups of the kalām sect, it refers to those who follow the institutions of the prophet Muḥammad(may peace be upon him) and his shaḥābah. The breakers and heretics, they are no longer considered ahl al-sunnah wa al-jamā‘ah and gain salvation. Abstrak Pemahaman seputar arti al-Jamā‘ah


Introduction
It is foretold that the Muslim community will be torn asunder into 73 factions, only one of which, the al-Jamā 'ah, or al-Ṣawādd al-A'ẓam, or Ahl al-Sunnah wa al-Jamā'ah, will eventually attain salvation, the 72 other factions ending up in the Hell. This prophetic tradition (ḥadīts), which is hereinafter referrred to as sa-taftariqu tradition, is subsenquently proclaimed loudly as reliable and thereby it's authenticity permits no doubt, since it is hardly escaped from the notice of the majority of ḥadīts transmitters, and further procured in their survived works. This affirmation, that only ahl al-sunnah wa al-Jamā'ah (lit. The people of the sunnah and of the community) will eventually attain salvation, in that sa-taftariqu tradition, has long been a matter of debate, formulated in the question of whether it is addressed to an inevitably established school to which the name ahl al-sunnah wa al-2 Jamā'ah is set, i.e., Sunnites, or to the adherents of sunnah (ahl al-sunnah, or ṣāḥib alsunnah, or ṣāḥib al-ḥadīts, or simply muḥaddith which are mutually interchangeable). If it is referred to the former, then the Shī'ites, if not all factions, would say that the salvation is also meant for them. If, however, the Prophet's (may Allah bless and give him peace!) wording is directed toward the ṣāḥib al-sunnah in its strict sense, one should demonstrate the falsity of the fuqahā ', nuqąt, mufassirūn, ṣūfiyyūn (lit. Jurists, grammarians, interpreters, sufists respectively) etc.
The only way of getting rid of such a dilemma, without questioning the authenticity of the ḥadīts as one may suppose, is to give a fresh and broader meaning of the ṣāḥib alsunnah or ahl al-sunnah. In this regard, the question, as to whose faction is really meant by this Prophet's affirmation, is not so much related. Rather, wisely, what are the criteria that make a faction or one eligible or accounted for ahl al-sunnah wa al-jamā'ah? -a question which will be taken seriously in the present analysis. In doing so, our study will be divided into mainly four parts. While part 1 serves as an introduction, part II is an elaboration of the meaning of the term ahl al-sunnah and ahl al-Jamā'ah. I shall set forth some criteria that would make one entitled to being a member of ahl al-sunnah wa al-Jamā'ah. I shall conclude the discussion with some remarks.

The Trem Ahl al-Sunnah and Ahl al-Jamā'ah
In the pre-Islamic (Jāhiliyyah) era, the concept sunnah had a broader sense. It stood for a way or manner of acting, whether good or bad, hence the (dis)approved custom or norm of previous generation (al-awwalūn). Subsuquently, some time after the preaching of Islam had begun, the term sunnah came to assume its own new character. It stood for the generally approved standard or practice introduced by the prophet (may Allah bless and give him peace!) as generally understood as sunnah al-nabī as well as the imām or companions of right guidance. Indeed, it is not without good reason why the majority of muḥaddithūn bear the definition of sunnah as comprising Muḥammad's (may Allah bless and give him peace!) deeds, utterances and his unspoken approval (fi 'l, qaul, taqrīr).
As to sunnah of which companion the community should refer in search for a model after the Prophet (may Allah bless and give him peace!) is a question which calls for a more elaborate analysis. But before that, it may be interesting in the present context to study how the Prophet's sunnah gradually became establish as the second foundation of Islam after the Holy Qur'ān. 3 Basing themselves on the verse that comes to mind most readily as offering a good opportunity for tracing the concept sunnah of the blessed Prophet in the Qur'ān,33:21), "la qad kāna lakum fī rasūl Allāh uswatun ḥasanah, etc." "You had in the Messenger of Allāh a perfect example, etc." and by virtue of a frequent Qur'ānic injunction "aṭī'u Allāh wa aṭī 'u al-rasūl." "Obey Allāh and His messenger!" (Sūrat al- Nisā',4:59) early Muslim scholars (may peace be upon them), such as chiefly Abū Ḥanīfah (d. In this way one could go on. Of course, there are many other outstanding figures, other than those named. But the foregoing may be deemed sufficient to permit the tentative conclusion that by their time of al-Syafi'ī onward, or even earlier, the sunnat al-nabī subsequently became more authoritative. As such is attested by the fact that it has significance not only in legal and theological writings but also in the philosophical and spiritual sense (sūfism). This phenomenon certainly deserves to be examined in depth, but it is something for which this is not the proper occasion.
Of course we do not here mean to imply that the sunnat al-nabī was rapidly  Khulafā' al-Arba'ah) and, to some extent, includes the sunnah of some others from among the most influential companions (may peace be upon them). However, it is worthwhile in the present context to remark some of the Prophet's (may Allāh bless and give him peace!) aḥādīth as well as the prominent scholar's sayings in order to see whether or not they can bring us out of the puzzle.
If we are to trace the Prophet's aḥādīth on the companions concerned, we read: However, the foregoing remarks may sufficiently permit the conclusion that immediately after the preaching of Islam had begun, the sunnah gradually became associated with the Prophet (may Allāh bless and give him peace!) as well as his most influential companions of right guidance. The term sunnah has therefore assumed its new character as "commended, approved and right way of acting." Thus the saying 'fulān min ahl al-sunah' (i.e. that one is of the people of the commended, approved and right way of acting) signifies and refers to those who follow the institutes, or ways of the blessed Prophet and his rightly guided companions.
The inclusion of the ṣaḥābī's sunnah for the Muslims community in their search for an exemplary life also rendered by the meaning of ahl al-Jamā 'ah. This is what the majority of early scholar's interpretations seem to Imply. Nevertheless, for the clarity's sake. It seems necessary first to present a concise explanation of the meaning of the term al-Jamā'ah to see whether it perhaps supports, or possibly invalidates, the supposition presented above.
The word al-Jamā'ah (syn. Jam'un ---a noun derived from the verb ja-ma-'a.) signifies a collection; a number together; a collective body of men. Also, jamī'un (syn. Of mujtami 'un contr. Of mutafarriqun) is used as signifying in a state of collection, congregation, or union; being together; met together. Contrariwise, furqān ---a derivaties of the verb fa-ra-qa [as 6 also fa-rra-qa with intersification] conveys distinction, separation, difference, division, disunity, splitting. The saying "fulān min ahl-al-Jamā'ah or laysa min ahl al-Jamā 'ah" would therefore imply one's own condition. That is the condition of being in a state of collection, union or being together, or being in the jamā'ah rather than in a a state of separation, distinction or division so as to split oneself from union and to break up into faction.
Thus we have reached the very meaning of the term jamā'ah as binding the people together rather than leading them into disunity, that is mufarriqah. In this way, it is virtually synonymous with ummah (lit. community) or to be more precise al-ummah al-Islāmiyah.
Nevertheless, we also can retrieve the explication of the Prophet in which jamā'ah is expressed as parallel to: mā anā 'alaihi wa aṣḥābī i.e. the approved-practices or the institution of the Prophet of Allāh as well as his righteous companions. Therefore, by the term jamā'ah above actually the community is meant as well as the Prophet's and his

companion's institution which by all means constitute what is technically called dīn al-Islām.
Consequently, Every believer has to take the conduct of the Prophet and his companions as a model for himself in all affairs of life, for otherwise he may hardly be weighed as being a member of Ahl al-sunnah wa al-Jamā'ah.

The Criteria of being a Member of Ahl al-Sunnah wa al-Jamā'ah
As noted earlier, the sunnah gradually acquired a new meaning of the received, recognized, normative practice of the prophet Muḥammad and, to an extent, his companions as expressed in the term jamā'ah, and this, as just previously mentioned, constitutes the Religion of Islām (dīn al-Islām). To reject or discard the above-stated sunnah would therefore disqualifying from being ahl al-sunnah wa al-Jamā'ah and lead one away from Islam. But in order to understand what we mean by the 'criteria' of ahl al-sunnah wa al-Jamā'ah, it seems necessary to present a concise explanation of the meaning of the exact opposites of both the term jamā'ah and sunnah.
Because jamā 'ah (syn. jam'un) in its wider meaning is equivalent to that of alummah al-islāmiyyah, its opposite term came to be represented by the word farqun ---a derivative of fa-ra-qa which has the same meaning as fa-rra-qa. In the Qur'ān (Sūrat al- An'ām,6: 159)  Commenting on these verses, both 'Alī al-Ṣābūnī and 'Abdullāh Yūsuf 'Alī assure that the expression "farraqū dīnahum" (lit. divide their religion) could be understood as (1) make a distinction between one part of it and another, take the part which suits them and reject the rest; or (2) make modifications or changes in it; or (3) show a sectarian bias, seek differences in views, so as to break the unity of Islam.
From the preceding interpretations of the term farqun, it may be argued that as Islām is perfect and conscious of its own identity from the time of revelation, it includes the whole life, thoughts and desires of man, and therefore perceives no process of 'growing up' to maturity. Any changes, modifications, resulted from the various human system for the pursuit of man ---say of his sect---of this already 'mature' religion would only to conflict it.
Ultimately, a man of such a state, namely being splitting himselt from this already established religion and calling for sect, must not be bracketed with the 'people of salvation' (firqah nājiyah). We do considered him so plainly because of the injuction of the consecutive expression in the verse "you [Muḥammad] have no part in them in the least" (lasta minhum fī syai'in); and of the Prophet's (may Allāh bless and give him peace!) ḥadīts: "....fa-'innahū laisa aḥadun yufāriq al-Jamā'ah syibran fa yamut illā māta maitatan jāhiliyyatan." "... anyone being separated himself from the community, and dies in such a condition, the dies as the jāhiliyyah (lit. pagan).
Another term remains to be considered which represents the exact opposite of sunnah is bid'ah. Bid'ah literally means 'starting the new' or 'innovation' but it gradually became translated as 'heresy.' Thus, the use of ahl followed by the genitive bid'ah (iḍāfāh) means the 'people of heresy' or the people of whose idea(s) was not accepted in the course of time Nonetheless, these scholars, while the former appears to have recourse his argument from the Prophet's (may Allāh bless and give him peace!) ḥadīts, which runs: 8 He who institutes a fair sunnah in Islām, so that it is practiced after his death, to him a reward shall be given equal to that of all who have practiced it, without anything being deducted from their reward, but, he who institutes a bad sunnah in Islām, so that it is practiced after his death, against him a sin shall be debited, like that of all who have practiced it without anything being substracted from their sins.
The latter bases his account from a saying attributed to 'Umar b. al-Khaṭṭāb: "...in takun bid'atan fa mā aḥsana min bid 'ah." i.e. "... if this is a bid'ah, it is an excellent one.
It seems that both Juynboll and Waldman mislaid the point. Firstly, the literal meanings of both these sayings may not be applicable. For if they were otherwise, they would possibly invalidate the very meaning of the terms (sunnah and bid 'ah). Secondly, the expressions such as a fair sunnah (sunnah ḥasanah) and a bad sunnah (sunnah sayyi'ah) must be bracketed with hudan and ḍalālah respectively. Therefore, there are no such things called sunnah ḥasanah or sunnah sayyi 'ah, raher, sunnah  A similar case can also be applied to that of bid'ah. The expressions bid'ah ḥasanah and bid'ah sayyi'ah should therefore be understood as sunnah or hudan, for it is indeed sunnah in the making ---in so far as the companions' sunnah are concerned---and ḍalālah, respectively. It is for this reason, in our opinion, that the Prophet (may Allāh bless and give him peace!) loudly prophesied his hostility against those who come up with something new.
We have previously investigated that the terms farqun and bid'ah represent the opposite terms of jamā'ah and sunnah respectively. We have also shown that the expressions such as sunnah ḥasanah=bid'ah ḥasanah is nothing but hudan=sunnah while sunnah sayyi'ah=bid'ah sayyi'ah is itself bid'ah=ḍalālah in the making.
Indeed, jamā'ah or the community of Islām (ummah Islāmiyyah) consisted almost solely of groups of people (ummah Islāmiyyah) who were collectively characterized by an activity, social status and commonly held opinion. Therefore to bring a member of ahl al-Jamā'ah and ahl al-sunnah, one must first wittingly subdue one self in it (jamā'ah) and, secondly, refrains from propagating bid'ah=ḍalālah. And this is what most probably the sataftariqu tradition seems to have indicated. As if the Prophet tells us that to attain salvation, one should neither separate oneself (farraqa) from the community or the jamā'ah nor come up with something new (bid 'ah) in Islām.

Concluding Remaks
Some remaks to be drawn from the analysis of the terms sunnah and jamā'ah advanced above, as follows: 1. Sunnah is the approved standard or practice introduced by the Prophet (may Allāh bless and give him peace!) as well as the imām or companions of right guidance, and these constitute the religion of Islām.
2. The term jamā'ah which is equated with ummah presents a concise meaning as being together, union and collection. Such that, binding the people together in the community who were collectively characterized by an activity, social status and commonly held opinion, rather than leading them into disunity (mufarriqah).
3. The expression such as ahl al-sunnah wa al-Jamā'ah, as in the staftariqu tradition, can probably no longer be conceived as referring to a certain Muslim's school of thought nor to a sect, rather, is addressed to those who follow the institution of the Prophet and his righteous companions. As such this institution must in no other way round be accepted as 'the straight way.' Therefore, any one whether breaks up (farraqa, an opposite term of jamā'ah) from this already established institution or