WHO ARE THE AHLUS-SUNNAH?

There is a wrong understanding among many Sunni Muslims today that Ahlus-Sunnah refers to ONE strict monolithic set of ideas and final verdicts on ALL issues (Barelwi thinks its Barelwi only, Deobandi thinks its Deobandi only, Salafi thinks its Salafi only, Ash'ari thinks its Ashari only...etc). This is NOT
TRUE at all. A simple reading of the "history of Sects and Sectology" will tell you that Ahlus-Sunnah is a BROAD TERM
that includes scholars, schools and trends with various differing ideas on all kinds of issues. Just in Aqidah itself, the AHLUS-SUNNAH have always included 3 different
trends: 
1-Asha'ri 
2-Maturidi 
3-Athari/Hanbali (called Salafi in its modern extreme form). This was only in the issues of Allah's Sifaat. When it came to issues of Sahabah and Ahl al-Bayt, the term AHLUS-SUNNAH included pro-Ahl al-Bayt scholars, anti-Ahl al-Bayt scholars, Neutral scholars, each with various shades also (for example, there were scholars who criticized the actions of Muawiyah, and others criticized Husayn's stance!).

 In Fiqh, the AHLUS-SUNNAH were originally divided into 8 different Madh-habs (the not so known 4 ones are Layth, Abu-Thawr, al-Awza'i, Dawud al-Zahiri). Scholars like Imam Bukhari followed their own Ijtihad and differed with all madh-habs sometimes, but are still considered SUNNI and his book is studied by all shades of Sunnis!!!

 Imam Bukhari believed Sayyidah Maryam was a PROPHET but denied the existence of Owais al-Qarni (although he is praised by the Nabi SAW himself in a hadith
narrated by Imam Muslim!). Ibn Taymiyyah differed with ALL 4 MADH-HABS on a number of issues (some Ulama counted 30 mas'alas) yet he was respected and continues to be quoted (despite disagreement with him). Recently,
Shaykh Qardawi of Egypt gave Fatwas that go against all 4 madh-habs but respect for him is maintained. For example: He gave Fatwa that a female revert to Islam may continue to REMAIN with her non-Muslim husband even if he refuses to accept Islam (he based this on some opinion of one of the Sahabah). 
Recently, the historic AMMAN DECLARATION was SIGNED BY 500 top Ulama of the World (including Habib Ali, Sh Qardawi, and our own Shaykh Ebrahim Gabriels...google it). In this Declaration, they acknowledged
the validity of 8 madh-habs in FIQH (Hanafi, Shafii, Maliki, Hanbali, Zaydi, Salafi, Jafari and Ibadi). This includes about ALL Muslims in the World. When it comes to Tasawwuf, the AHLUS-SUNNAH include hundreds of different Sufi tariqahs
each with their own Lineage, Method and Practice. THE POINT of all this explanation is for people to understand that AHLUS-SUNNAH does not refer to a fanatical cult
whose members agree on everything! AHLUS-SUNNAH refers to the broad and wide House of Islam that includes various opinions and Ijtihads, but TOLERANT of each other and mindful of Takfir. That's where the Shia and the Khawarij went wrong. That's where the Sunni is right.
That's why SUNNISM was embraced by the Majority of Muslims. Not due to its EXCLUSIVITY, but due to its INCLUSIVITY.


Imam Fakhrudeen Owaisi
Cape Town, South Africa.