A person said, “I will not pray with you until I know which group you belong to: the people of hadith, the Tabligh, or the Muslim Brotherhood.” What is your advice for him?
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The questioner : His EminenceThe Shaykh : I prayed in one of the mosques, and a young man from the town saw me, greeted me, and said: “My brother, which group do you belong to?” I said: “My brother, we are all Muslims, brothers, meaning.” He insisted and said: “No, you must be from the group of hadith, or the group of Tabligh, or the Muslim Brotherhood.” We spent some time, and it turned out that this brother was not from the people of the mosque and had not prayed. I said to him, “We want to pray.” He said: “No, we do not pray unless I know which group you belong to.” And you know, O honorable Shaykh, and all the brothers know, that this division has recently caused great evil and disagreement between the brothers and the students of knowledge. I hope for your advice?
The Shaykh : I see that such a thing must be rejected; that is, this method must be rejected. And all people, praise be to Allah, are equal; they are all Muslims. So your answer was correct and in its proper place. As for imposing on people that they must be partisan—this one is from the Tabligh, this one is from the Salafis, this one is from the Muslim Brotherhood, this one is from the Reform Association, this one is from the group of the people of the Sunnah, and so on—our country, praise be to Allah, does not need this.
Other countries may need it, because the parties have imposed themselves there, but here, praise be to Allah, there are none. So these who call for partisanship have undoubtedly sinned against themselves and their brothers, and they will drag the country into a long conflict and multiple parties. My advice to the brother who said this to you is that he should seek forgiveness from Allah and repent to Him, and that he should know that we are brothers on one religion, under the shade of one Shari'ah, praise be to Allah. As for you, you must not say you are from the Muslim Brotherhood, or from the Tabligh, or from the people of hadith. We are all people of hadith, we are all people of the Qur'an. We ask Allah for guidance for everyone.
And praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and may Allah send prayers and blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad, and upon his family and his companions, and those who follow them with excellence until the Day of Judgment.
The Shaykh : I see that such a thing must be rejected; that is, this method must be rejected. And all people, praise be to Allah, are equal; they are all Muslims. So your answer was correct and in its proper place. As for imposing on people that they must be partisan—this one is from the Tabligh, this one is from the Salafis, this one is from the Muslim Brotherhood, this one is from the Reform Association, this one is from the group of the people of the Sunnah, and so on—our country, praise be to Allah, does not need this.
Other countries may need it, because the parties have imposed themselves there, but here, praise be to Allah, there are none. So these who call for partisanship have undoubtedly sinned against themselves and their brothers, and they will drag the country into a long conflict and multiple parties. My advice to the brother who said this to you is that he should seek forgiveness from Allah and repent to Him, and that he should know that we are brothers on one religion, under the shade of one Shari'ah, praise be to Allah. As for you, you must not say you are from the Muslim Brotherhood, or from the Tabligh, or from the people of hadith. We are all people of hadith, we are all people of the Qur'an. We ask Allah for guidance for everyone.
And praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and may Allah send prayers and blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad, and upon his family and his companions, and those who follow them with excellence until the Day of Judgment.