Does the Hadith of “the Jama'ah” Mean That the Majority Is Always Upon the Truth?

Question: Sunan Abī Dāwūd: 4597 says: "Beware! The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) stood among us and said: Beware! The people of the Book before were split up into seventy two sects, and this community will be split into seventy three: seventy two of them will go to Hell and one of them will go to Paradise, and it is the majority group." Certain people use the words "majority group" as an evidence to say that the ash'aira are on the haqq since they are majority of the ummah, what is the answer to them? Since there was a time they werent the majority of the ummah, so what time does this hadith apply to?

Summary:

Using the hadith, "and it is the Jamaah," as evidence that the truth is determined by numerical majority is an incorrect deduction. In the texts of the Shariah, the Jamaah does not merely mean the greater number of people. Rather, it refers to adherence to the truth brought by the Prophet ﷺ and his Companions. If the Jamaah meant the numerical majority, then the truth would move from one sect to another according to changes in population and numbers throughout history. This is false, because the truth does not change due to the abundance or scarcity of its followers. For this reason, the Salaf explained the Jamaah as that which conforms to the truth, the Book, and the Sunnah, even if the one adhering to it is only a single individual.

Answer:

First: What Is Meant by "the Jamaah" in the Hadith of Division?

From the Sunnah:

  • Sahih Abi Dawud (and Shaykh al-Albani authenticated it in his commentary on al-Tahawiyyah)from Muawiyah bin Abi Sufyan (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet ﷺ said:
    "All of them will be in the Fire except one."
  • In another narration:
    "It is the Jamaah (majority)."
  • Sahih al-Tirmidh (authenticated by Shaykh al-Albani)From Abdullah bin Amr (may Allah be pleased with him), the Prophet ﷺ said:
    "That which I and my Companions are upon today."

    These narrations explain one another.

Therefore, the Jamaah referred to is not merely a numerical majority. Rather, it is the group united upon that which the Prophet ﷺ and his Companions were upon.

From the Salaf:

  • Abdullah bin Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) said:
    "The Jamaah is that which conforms to the truth, even if you are alone."

    Similar statements have been narrated from more than one of the Salaf.

From the Scholars:

  • Imam al-Shatibi رحمه الله said:
    "The Jamaah are those who unite upon the Book and the Sunnah and those who follow their path."

Second: Is the Majority a Proof of the Truth? The answer is no. Rather, the Quran is filled with evidence that numerical majority is not the criterion by which truth is known.

From the Qur'an:

  • [Surah al-Anam 6:116]
    "And if you obey most of those upon the earth, they will lead you away from the path of Allah."
  • [Surah Yusuf 12:103]
    "And most of mankind will not believe, even if you eagerly desire it."
  • [Surah Saba 34:13]
    "And few of My servants are grateful."

    Had numerical majority been proof of the truth, these verses would not be valid.

Third: The Clear Implication of This Argument If it is said: "The Asharis are the saved sect because they are the majority." Then it is said to them: When did numerical majority become the criterion of salvation? Were the Asharis the majority of the Ummah during the era of the Companions? The answer: No. Were they the majority during the era of the Tabiun? The answer: No. Were they the majority during the first three virtuous generations that the Prophet ﷺ testified to as being the best generations? The answer: No. Rather, Abu al-Hasan al-Ashari himself did not even appear until after those generations had passed. If it is then said: "What matters is the later majority." The response is: What evidence is there for restricting the hadith to one period of time and not another? The hadith was addressed to the entire Ummah until the Day of Resurrection, and it does not attach salvation to any particular numerical percentage. If this principle were correct, then the saved sect would change whenever the numerical balance between sects changed. This is false by consensus. Fourth: How Did the Salaf Understand the Meaning of the Jamaah?

From the Scholars:

  • Imam Nuaym bin Hammad رحمه الله said:
    "If the Jamaah becomes corrupted, then adhere to what the Jamaah was upon before it became corrupted, even if you are alone. In that case, you are the Jamaah."
  • Imam Ishaq bin Rahawayh رحمه الله said:
    "If you ask the ignorant people, they will say that the Jamaah is the mass of the people. They do not know that the Jamaah is a scholar who adheres to the narrations."
  • Imam Ibn al-Qayyim رحمه الله said:
    "The Jamaah are the people of Islam and the Sunnah who adhere to the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of His Messenger."

    Thus, the Salaf did not make numbers the criterion. Rather, they made conformity to the Book and the Sunnah the criterion.

Fifth: What Is the Correct Criterion for Identifying the Saved Sect? • The criterion indicated by the hadith itself is the statement of the Prophet ﷺ: "That which I and my Companions are upon today." Therefore, every group that conforms to the creed and methodology of the Companions in the matters of the Names and Attributes, faith, divine decree, and all other aspects of the religion is more deserving of being described as the Jamaah. As for mere affiliation, a large number of followers, or the widespread presence of a school in various lands, none of these by themselves prove the correctness of a belief. Final Answer: • The term "the Jamaah" in the hadith of division does not mean the numerical majority. • The Jamaah is that which conforms to the Book and the Sunnah and to what the Prophet ﷺ and his Companions were upon. • The Quran indicates that numerical majority is not proof of the truth. • The Asharis did not exist during the virtuous generations, so attaching salvation to a later numerical majority is an unsupported claim. • If the criterion of truth were numerical majority, then the saved sect would change whenever numbers changed throughout history, and this is false. • The Islamic criterion indicated by the hadith is following that which the Prophet ﷺ and his Companions were upon, not the number of followers nor the popularity of a school.

And Allah knows best.

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