What is the Muslim's position regarding sectarian division, partisanship, and organizational grouping in da'wah?

The questioner : The questioner says: The ummah has been afflicted with partisanship, just as the Salaf were afflicted with sects and the Khalaf with madhhabs. What is the Muslim's position regarding this? Then, what is the ruling on it, its reality, and the reality of organization? Another question from someone else: What is the Muslim's position regarding partisanship and da'wah gathering from the perspective of loyalty and disavowal (al-wala' wa al-bara') and love?

The Shaykh : We have spoken about this issue in a previous session, and I do not see the time as suitable now to delve into it in detail again, and perhaps there will be another detailed discussion. However, we say that partisanship in Islam—I am saying this phrase clearly now—is a misguiding religious innovation (bid'ah). There is a precise detail regarding bid'ah: the misguiding bid'ah is every newly invented matter intended for drawing near to and worshipping Allah, Blessed and Exalted is He. If this bid'ah occurs and is not contrary to the Shari'ah in another aspect, it is sufficient for its being a bid'ah that the intention behind it is to increase drawing near to Allah, Blessed and Exalted is He, and it becomes a misguiding bid'ah because the matter of worshipping Allah, Mighty and Majestic, has been completed by the descent of His saying: and by the explanation of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), such as his saying in Sahih Muslim: and the other hadith: So there is no room for inventing some matters with the intention of increasing drawing near to Allah. Whoever does that has legislated in the religion what Allah has not legislated, and this is a severe rebuke for him, as you know: But the worst of bid'ah—and the intention of this statement is that the Muslim draws near to Allah by disobeying Allah, Mighty and Majestic. For example, we cite an example that exists in many Islamic countries before this time for many years: they pray toward the graves of their righteous people and awliya (close friends of Allah), and this is a matter that is prohibited, as you know, and there is no need for detail. Despite the prohibition, they draw near to Allah, exactly as our Lord, Mighty and Majestic, narrated in the Noble Qur'an about the polytheists: They associate partners with Allah on one hand, and they draw near to Allah with this shirk (associating partners with Allah) on the other hand. This is the worst of the types of bid'ah: that the Muslim draws near to Allah with what is prohibited by the Shari'ah. Also, from the perspective of seeking blessing (tabarruk) from the righteous, they claim to build mosques on graves. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) cursed whoever did that in mass-transmitted (mutawatir) hadiths. Nevertheless, some Muslims, due to their ignorance and the silence of scholars in some countries regarding them, draw near by building mosques on graves. He (peace and blessings be upon him) said—I mention one hadith—and he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: So we say that building mosques on graves is forbidden (haram), not a bid'ah, because the Messenger prohibited it. But the bid'ah comes from drawing near with this forbidden act. If you understand this phrase regarding the misguiding bid'ah: that the misguiding bid'ah is by inventing something that has no basis in the Shari'ah with the intention of drawing near to Allah, and worse than that is that the Muslim draws near to Allah with what Allah has prohibited, turning the forbidden into worship. This is the worst of bid'ah. If you understand that and remember with me that partisanship is prohibited in the Qur'an, let alone the Sunnah: If the Muslim calls to this grouping and this partisanship and approves of every party on earth, while he knows that the truth is one and does not multiply, and that Allah, Mighty and Majestic, affirmed that by His saying: and that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) when he spoke about the sects to which those before us, the Jews and Christians, divided, mentioned that the Muhammadan ummah will split into seventy-three sects, he said: If the Muslim knows this reality that the truth does not multiply, and that partisanship is prohibited in the explicit previous verse, and that the community (jama'ah) must be one, which is the one that is upon the methodology of the Book and the Sunnah and what the righteous Salaf were upon, as we always and forever repeat, then at that time, whoever approves of calling to the grouping and partisanship that results in dividing the word of Muslims and results in committing many forbidden things that did not occur to the mind of a Muslim who has some knowledge of fiqh (Islamic jurisprudence), a time will come when these matters are considered permissible. Some of them have explicitly stated in writing, and some in action, what means—and not in the transmitted wording—"the end justifies the means." So in the path of grouping and partisanship, they consider permissible what Allah has forbidden. And recently, we spoke a word that was somewhat long in defense or refutation of some accusations directed at the Salafis (followers of the Salaf) by some groupings and parties. They accuse the Salafis of not caring except for matters that may be from the sunnah (recommended practice). Our expression is "sunnah," but in their expression, it is "trivial matters" or "the husk," as they often express it. They accused us of this, while they know the opposite; they know that we begin with the da'wah that the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) began with, namely the da'wah of tawhid (the oneness of Allah), and then with the smallest thing. And I am reminded now to mention an example, and this example is belittled by those people who fabricate many lies against us. It was narrated in Sahih Muslim that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) taught his companions the etiquettes of istinja' (cleaning oneself after relieving oneself), and the polytheists said: "We do not see this man except that he wants to oppose us in everything," even in these matters that are close to fitrah (the innate natural disposition). But the fitrah of the first jahiliyyah (the pre-Islamic age of ignorance) was corrupted. The point is that the Islamic parties today consider permissible what they believed to be forbidden until recently, such as fabricating lies against others while they know that they are innocent of that. For example, I read in some letters written by some parties that they permit different groupings despite the methodological and ideological differences between them, saying that it is necessary for the Muslim in this time to commit some forbidden things, while he reads with us the saying of our Lord, Blessed and Exalted is He: So the principle that every Muslim should start from is only the taqwa (mindfulness of Allah) of Allah: As for the parties today, or at least, so that we do not exceed the truth, some of the parties today commit forbidden things as the disbelievers do, whose principles include "the end justifies the means." And we heard very recently that some parties in some Arab countries allowed Muslim women to travel in groups for what? For the sake of da'wah. They claimed that they would travel without a mahram (a relative one may not marry)... based on the saying of the noble Messenger: Nevertheless, they considered it permissible. And like this example, there are many, many examples. That is from the ill omen of grouping and partisanship, which creates the division of the Muslim community, in addition to their old inherited division into sects, parties, and many paths. The paths have now turned into organization, into grouping, and into partisanship, and every party is pleased with what they have. And I am content with this amount because my voice no longer supports me, and peace be upon you.