What is the group to which the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) directed us in his saying, “Hold fast to the group of the Muslims and their imam”?

The questioner : What is the group that the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) mentioned at the end of the hadith ?

The Shaykh : They are those who hold fast to the Book and the Sunnah, as in the well-known hadith of Hudhayfah .

The questioner: Yes.

The Shaykh : Yes . The important thing is that the Muslim, in a time of division and when there is no group united under a Muslim caliph, should keep to himself and maintain the performance of his obligatory acts.

The questioner : Well, what if there is a group that says, “We are the group of Muslims about whom the Messenger spoke,” and there are others?

The Shaykh : It is not by their saying, it is not by their saying; this is not merely their claim. There are many groups today, and very many indeed, and the hadith of Hudhayfah applies to them completely . The issue is not one of claim, but of reality. If there is a group that has a leader, a ruler who has been pledged allegiance to by all the Muslims, not just a limited sect, then all these factions are to be left and disregarded.