Who are Ahlus-Sunnah wal-Jama’ah
Ahl-ul-Sunnah wal-Jama’ah are those who act upon the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of His Messenger (peace be upon him). They abide by the Book and the Sunnah and call to them. They are the Sahabah (Companions of the Prophet) and those who follow them righteously. Those are the real adherents to the Sunnah and the Muslim mainstream.
They are the Sahabah (may Allah be pleased with them and please them) and those who follow in their footsteps and adopt their way in words and deeds. They glorify the Book and the Sunnah, refer to them in seeking evidence and depend on them. A person who is endowed with these characteristics is the one who adheres to the Sunnah and belongs to Ahl-ul-Sunnah (adherents to the Sunnah).
They abide by the Book of Allah and the Sunnah (whatever is reported from the Prophet) of His Messenger (peace be upon him) depending on them and adopting the way of those who take this path among the Sahabah of the Messenger of Allah and those who follow them righteously.
Those are the true adherents to the Sunnah and the Muslim public opinion; the Sahabah, and those who adopt their path such as Malik, Al-Shafi’y, Ahmad, Al-Thawry, and Al-Awza’y and those following in their footsteps.
Those are the adherents to the Sunnah and the Muslim public opinion who believe in Allah alone as their deity,believe in His Names and Attributes and describe Him (Glorified and Exalted be He) with them without Tahrif (distortion of the meaning), Tamthil (likening Allah’s Attributes to those of His Creation) or Takyif (questioning Allah’s Attributes).
Those are Ahl-ul-Sunnah wal-Jama’ah. They believe in the Oneness of Allah, abide by His Religion, believe in Him, and His Attributes, and devote their worship solely to Allah. They believe that He is the Lord and the Creator of all the Worlds and that He (Glorified be He) has the Most Supreme Names and Attributes:
لَيْسَ كَمِثْلِهِ شَيْءٌ ۖ وَهُوَ السَّمِيعُ الْبَصِيرُ
There is nothing like Him; and He is the All-Hearer, the All-Seer. They oppose Jahmiyyah (a deviant Islamic sect denying some Attributes of Allah, claiming they are ascribed to people and cannot be ascribed to Allah), Mu’tazilah (a deviant Islamic sect claiming that those who commit major sins are in a state between belief and disbelief), Rafidah (a Shi’ah group denying the caliphates of Abu Bakr Al-Siddiq and ‘Umar ibn Al-Khattab and making accusations against them and many other Companions of the Prophet), and other sects of the people of Bid’ah (innovation in religion).
Those are Ahl-ul-Sunnah (adherents to the Sunnah), who follow the Sahabah and abide by their way in word, deed, and creed.
The ‘Aqidah (creed) of the Sahabah is the Tawhid (belief in the Oneness of Allah), sincere devotion of worship to Allah (Glorified and Exalted be He), obedience to His Commands, avoidance of His Prohibitions, and abiding by the bounds laid down by Him.
They believe in His Names and Attributes and describe Allah with them in the proper manner that befits Him (Glorified be He) without the least Tahrif, Ta’til (negation of the meaning or function of Allah’s Attributes), Takyif, or Tamthil. Rather, they believe in them and leave them as they are revealed, as Allah (Glorified be He) says:
قُلْ هُوَ اللَّهُ أَحَدٌ – اللَّهُ الصَّمَدُ – لَمْ يَلِدْ وَلَمْ يُولَدْ – وَلَمْ يَكُن لَّهُ كُفُوًا أَحَدٌ
Say (O Muhammad
صلى الله عليه وسلم):
“He is Allah, (the) One. “Allah-us-Samad
(السيد الذي يصمد إليه في الحاجات)
[Allah the Self-Sufficient Master, Whom all creatures need, (He neither eats nor drinks)]. “He begets not, nor was He begotten. “And there is none co-equal or comparable unto Him.” (Surah Al-Ikhlas 112:1-4)
Source: Alifta.com