What is the dividing line between calling to Allah the Exalted and the innovated partisan organization?

The questioner : The second question: What is the dividing line between lawful cooperation in calling to Allah and the innovated or partisan organization in calling to Allah?

The Shaykh : Calling to Allah the Glorious and Exalted, first of all, is not valid unless it comes from a scholar. And a scholar is not a scholar unless he is well-grounded in the knowledge of the Book and the Sunnah. And this alone is not sufficient; his knowledge of the Book and the Sunnah must be according to the methodology of the pious predecessors. This is a very important point. All the known Islamic groups today, and before today, adopt the Book and the Sunnah, because one who does not adopt that is not a Muslim. This is what needs clarification and explanation. But there is something that needs clarification and explanation, and there is a third thing that all the Islamic groups existing today on the face of the earth do not revolve around, except for one group, namely those who belong to the pious predecessors. We say that it is not sufficient for the Muslim scholar today that his call be based on the Book and the Sunnah only; rather, he must add to that the methodology of the pious predecessors. This is not partisanship, as some people might imagine, nor is it a partisan bloc; rather, it is the Qur'an and the Sunnah. That is, this addition to the Book and the Sunnah—the methodology of the pious predecessors—is necessary. Why? Because of the texts in the Book and the Sunnah, and because of the consensus of the Ummah that the best of guidance is the guidance of Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him), and the best of generations is his generation, then the second, then the third, as that came explicitly in the authentic hadiths. The Book says: Here it mentions the path of the believers. It did not say: "And whoever opposes the Messenger after the guidance has become clear to him, We will turn him to what he has turned to." Rather, it added to opposing the Messenger: "and follows other than the path of the believers." So here, in addition to the Messenger, there is the path of the believers. This is a very important point, and I hope that our brothers present, if they have not memorized this verse in their minds, at least recall its meaning. He the Exalted said: Why did He say: "and follows other than the path of the believers"? Did He not suffice with saying: "And whoever opposes the Messenger after the guidance has become clear to him, We will turn him to what he has turned to"? He wanted to make us understand that there is a third thing regarding those who came later, after the Messenger (peace be upon him), especially in this century in which we are. They must note this third thing, which is the obligation to follow the path of the believers and the prohibition of deviating from the path of the believers. Who are the believers mentioned in this verse? They are those who are attested to as being the best in the three generations. He (peace be upon him) said: For this reason, He the Glorious and Exalted mentioned in the previous verse: This meaning mentioned in the verse is supported by some authentic hadiths. All of you know the hadith of the seventy-three sects, and there is no need for us to mention its wording and context. The point is that he (peace be upon him) mentioned that one sect out of the seventy-three sects that will differ after him (peace be upon him)—this sect is the saved sect—and seventy-two of the Islamic sects are perishing; they are in the Fire. This is a very serious matter: one out of the seventy-three is the saved one, and the rest are among the perishing. And so it was very obvious and very necessary that that question be directed by some of the companions. They said: O Messenger of Allah, who is this saved sect? The answer coincided exactly with the verse. He said: Here we note that in the hadith there is a point like the point that drew our attention in the verse. The verse did not suffice with saying: "opposes the Messenger," but it added: "and follows other than the path of the believers." Similarly, in the hadith, he (may peace and blessings be upon him) did not suffice with saying: "what I am upon," but rather he said: My companions are the intended believers in the verse, then those who follow them, then those who follow them, in this pattern. Also, in this pattern came the other hadith, the hadith of al-'Arba' ibn Sariyah: I also mention the point of it: to the end of the hadith. Why did the Messenger also not suffice with saying: "Adhere to my Sunnah," which is indeed sufficient? But he added to it: "and the Sunnah of the Rightly Guided Caliphs"?