1] Who are Ahl al-Hadeeth?

1]
In the Name of Allāh, the Most Merciful, the Ever Merciful.
Question:
Shaykh `Alawī b. `Abd al-Qādir al-Saqqāf (حفظه الله تعالى):
We would love for you to define the term Ahl al-Hadīth and what do Ahl
al-Sunnah mean by it. Is it particular to the scholars of hadīth or
does it apply to all the scholars of the Ummah? We hope for a detailed
answers with full references, and we ask Allāh to bless you and
togrant you the best reward.
Your Brothers in the Administration of MultaqāAhl al-Hadīth.
Response:
Noble brothers of MultaqāAhl al-Hadīth, peace be upon you, and Allāh's
Mercy, and His Blessings.
You, may Allāh bless you, asked for a clarification of the title Ahl
al-Hadīth and what Ahl al-Sunnah intend by it, and whether it is
particular to the scholars of Hadīth or encompasses all the scholars
of the Ummah.
Thus, I say in response – and with Allāh is the success:
The ahl (people) of something are the most familiar with it. For that
reason, in the language, the ahl of a man are the closest people to
him.
(1) Therefore, Ahl al-Hadīth are the people most familiar with
Hadīth,the most strict in adherence to it, those who follow it in
words and deeds in their manners, their conduct, their worship, their
dealings, and in their beliefs both openly and inprivate. Those who
are focused on the study, compilation, writing, and teaching of
Hadīth, transmitting them understanding them, and sorting the
authentic fromthe weak are most worthy of being included in this
group.
(2) Furthermore, the Ahl al-Hadīth are Ahl al-Sunnah wa al-Jamā`ah,
for the Hadīth is the Sunnah and the Jamā`ah (Assembly) is nothing
less than the truth. Anyone who follows Hadīth is upon the truth.
(3) Ahl al-Hadīth are the Saved Sect (al-Firqah al-Nājiyah), for if
one cannot be saved by following Hadīth, how then can he be saved?
"The people most worthy of being the saved sect are Ahl al-Hadīth wa
al-Sunnah who do not have partisanship for any leader save Allāh's
Messenger (صلى الله عليه وسلم)." [Majmū` al-Fatāwā (3/347)]
(4) Ahl al-Hadīth are the Victorious Group (al-Tā'ifah al-Mansūrah).
The one who does not find victory in Hadīth, in what then will he find
victory?! Imām Ahmad said about the Victorious Group, "If they are not
thePeople of Hadīth (Ashāb al-Hadīth), then I do not know who they
are!" [Fath al-Bārī (1/85)]
(5) It is they who shall be manifest upon the truth until the
establishment of the Hour. It is by Hadīth that they become manifest
and receive victory, and it is because of it that they are saved. All
of these words and titles are general in a sense and specific in
another. Thus, when one of them is mentioned, theothers are included
such that each word by itself refers to all the parties of the Saved
Sect (al-Firqah al-Nājiyah). However, when the word Ahl al-Hadīth is
mentioned alongside another word, it indicates that what is meant is
those who are preoccupied with the study of Hadīth. This explains why
many of theSalaf would use the word Ahl al-Hadīth in particular for
those who were preoccupied with its study.
Shaykh al-Islām, may Allāh have mercy on him, states, "We do not mean
by Ahl al-Hadīth, merely those who are devoted tohearing them, writing
them, or narrating them. Rather we mean by them all of those who are
most deserving of having memorized them, knowing them, and
understanding them apparently and in reality, and following them
privately and publicly." [Majmū` al-Fatāwā (4/95)]
From this, we come to know the reason for the disagreement between the
adherents of Ahl al-Hadīth in our time as towhether or not there is a
distinction between thesetitles.
(6) "Ahl al-Hadīth are the Salaf from the (first) three generations
and those who tread their path fromthe Khalaf." [Majmū` al-Fatāwā
(6/355)]
(7) The People of Hadīth are the People of the Prophet, For Even If
They Did Not Accompany His Person, They Have Accompanied His Every Breath
وأهل الحديث هم أهل النبي وإن*** لم يصحبوا نفسه، أنفاسه صحبوا
(8) Ahl al-Hadīth are thosewho "seek the truth from its source, and
they seek itout where it can be expected to be found. They seek
nearness to Allāh (تعالى) by following the Sunan of Allāh's Messenger
(صلى الله عليه وسلم) and by seeking out his narrations over land and
sea from the East to the West." [Ibn Qutaybah, Ta'wīl Mukhtalif
al-Hadīth (p. 80)]
(9) Amongst the Ahl al-Hadīth, there is the scholar, the jurist
(faqīh), and the preacher (khatīb) who commands good andforbids evil.
Allāh has made them "Pillars of the Sharī`ah, and by them, He destroys
every reprehensible innovation. Thus, they are Allāh's Trustees
amongst His Creation, the medium between the Prophet and his Ummah,
and the ones who strive to preserve hisreligion. ...

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