The Ruling on Belonging to Religious Parties

Question: What do you advise the da'wah workers regarding their stance toward the innovators? We also ask your Eminence to give special advice to the youth who are influenced by party affiliations called religious.

Answer: We advise all our brothers to call people to Allah the Exalted with wisdom and good instruction, and to argue in the best manner, as Allah the Exalted has commanded with all people, including the innovators if they display their innovation. They should disapprove of them, whether they are from the Shi'ah or others; for any innovation that a believer sees, it is obligatory for him to disapprove of it according to his ability through the lawful means.
And innovation (bid'ah) is what people have introduced into the religion and attributed to it, though it is not part of it, based on the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): and the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): . Examples of this include the innovation of the Rafidah, the innovation of the Mu'tazilah, the innovation of the Murji'ah, the innovation of the Khawarij, the innovation of celebrating the Mawlid, the innovation of building on graves, and making mosques on them, among other innovations. It is obligatory to advise them and guide them to good, and to disapprove of the innovations they have introduced with the evidence of the Shari'ah, and to teach them what they have ignored of the truth with gentleness, good style, and clear evidence, so that perhaps they will accept the truth.
As for affiliations with newly established parties, it is obligatory to abandon them, and for everyone to affiliate with the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), and to cooperate in this with sincerity and devotion. By doing so, they will be among the party of Allah, about whom Allah the Exalted said at the end of Surat al-Mujadilah: [al-Mujadilah: 22], after He mentioned their great attributes in His saying: the verse [al-Mujadilah: 22].
Among their great attributes is what Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) mentioned in Surat al-Dhariyat in the saying of Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He): TAKING WHAT THEIR LORD HAS GIVEN THEM. THEY WERE, BEFORE THAT, DOING GOOD. THEY USED TO SLEEP BUT A LITTLE OF THE NIGHT. AND IN THE PRE-DAWN HOURS THEY USED TO ASK FOR FORGIVENESS. AND IN THEIR PROPERTY THERE WAS A RIGHT FOR THE ASKER AND THE DEPRIVED. [al-Dhariyat: 15 - 19]. These are the attributes of the party of Allah; they do not take sides with anything other than the Book of Allah, the Sunnah, and the call to them, and they follow the methodology of the Salaf of the Ummah, the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) and those who followed them with excellence.
So they advise all parties and all associations and call them to adhere to the Book and the Sunnah, and to present what they differ on to them; so whatever agrees with them or one of them is acceptable and is the truth, and whatever contradicts them must be abandoned.
There is no difference in this between the Muslim Brotherhood, or the Supporters of the Sunnah and the Sharia Association, or the Tabligh Jama'ah, or other associations and parties affiliated with Islam. By doing so, the word will be united and the goal will be unified, and everyone will be one party following the footsteps of the people of the Sunnah and the community, who are the party of Allah and the supporters of His religion and the callers to it.
It is not permissible to be fanatical for any association or any party in what contradicts the pure Shari'ah.