Answer: The ‘aqeedah of Ahlul-Sunnah-wal-Jama’ah is presented in a hadeeth of when Jibreel (‘alaihi salaam) came to the Prophet in the form of a Bedouin and said: Inform me about Ihsaan and the response of the Prophet was: To worship Allaah as if you are seeing Him and if you are not seeing Him, know then that He is sees you and the response was: You have spoken the truth. Then he said: Inform me about al-Eemaan and the response was: To believe in Allaah, His Angels, His Books, His Messengers, the Last Day and in Destiny (the Good and the Bad). Jibreel said: You have spoken the truth. Inform me about Islaam. The Prophet said: Islaam is that you bear witness that there is no deity worthy of worship other than Allaah and that Muhammad is the messenger of Allah, to establish the Salaat, to give Zakaah, to fast in Ramadhaan, and to perform the Pilgrimage for the one who is able to do so. He said: You have spoken the truth. Inform me then about the Hour. The Prophet sallallaahu alaihi wa sallam said: The one who is being questioned knows no more than the one who is asking. He said: Then inform me about some of the signs. The Prophet said: When you see the slave-girl giving birth to a mistress and you see destitute shepherds naked, barefooted vying with one another in building tall buildings [1] – all the way to the end of the hadeeth. So, Islaam was pointed out as being three different levels – Ihsaan, Eemaan and Islaam.
The Prophet sallallaahu alaihi wa sallam taught us that the Jews divided amongst themselves into 71 groups, all of them in the fire except one. The Christians divided amongst themselves into 72, all of them in the fire except one. [2] The Muslims shall be divided into 73, all of them in the fire except one. Those who shall be saved are those who are upon what I am upon and my companions today. [3]
The Deen has a middle way. As Allaah mentions in the Qur’aan:
وَكَذَلِكَ جَعَلْنَاكُمْ أُمَّةً وَسَطاً لِّتَكُونُواْ شُهَدَاء عَلَى النَّاسِ وَيَكُونَ الرَّسُولُ عَلَيْكُمْ شَهِيداً
{Thus We have made you [true Muslims – real believers of Islâmic Monotheism, true followers of Prophet Muhammad [salallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam] and his Sunnah (legal ways)], a just (and the best) nation, that you will be witnesses over mankind and the Messenger (Muhammad [salallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam]) will be a witness over you…} [Al-Baqarah 2:143]
In this life, we have a hadeeth of what will happen on the Day of Judgment when the Messengers will be questioned, have they conveyed the message and they will say yes. And then the nations will be asked and they will say no. And then the Messengers will be questioned, do you have any witnesses who will testify on your behalf and it will be said yes, the nation of Muhammad sallallaahu alaihi wa sallam. And so they will be a testimony that other Messengers conveyed the message and then the Prophet will also be a testimony[4] - and this is what is intended by the ayaah.
As for the Khawaarij, those are the ones who pass the judgment of takfeer because of sins and this is in contrast with the Murji’ah who say that actions are not a part of eemaan and is simply sufficient to have attestation with the heart and that actions are not a part of it. This goes against what the Prophet sallallaahu alaihi wa sallam said when he said: You have to be on what I am upon and my companions – this shows actions. The Khawaarij, on the other hand, say that a person is a kaafir depending on the sins that he commits.
It is not lawful for anyone to transgress against anyone else for any unjust reason. This is something that’s defined in the hadeeth qudsi where Allaah subhanna wa ta’alaa says: I have made oppression haraam to myself and made it haraam amongst you; so do not oppress one another.[5] It is wrong whether it is done between states, or whether it is done between individuals or one group against an individual or an individual against a group of people. It is wrong to transgress on the rights of any individual. Allaah subhanna wa ta’alaa frees himself of oppression, so it is not permissible for anyone to transgress and to violate the rights of others without any just cause. This is Islaamically wrong.
[1] Reported by Muslim in Kitaab al-Eemaan (#8)
[2] Reported by Ibn Maajah 2/1322 in Kitaab al-Fitan (#3992), Shaikh Al-Albaanee (rahimahullaah) says Saheeh in Jaami' as-Sagheer (#1082) and Silsilah as-Saheehah 3/480 (#1492)
[3] Reported by At-Tirmidhee 5/26 (#2641), Shaikh Al-Albaanee (rahimahullaah) says Hasan in Jaami' as-Sagheer (#5343)
[4] Reported by Al-Bukhaaree in Kitaab al-Anbiyaa (#3161)
[5] Reported by Muslim in Kitaab al-Birr was-Silah wal-Adaab (#2577) part of a long hadeeth