Who are Ahlus Sunnah Wal-Jama’ah?
Shaykh Muhammad ibn Saalih al-Uthaymeen
Ahlus Sunnah Wal-Jama’ah’ are those who adherently cling and unite upon the ‘Sunnah’, not turning to other than it, neither in the affairs of the belief nor in the affairs of the actions. So for this reason they are called ‘Ahlus Sunnah’ (the people of the ‘Sunnah’) because they strictly adhere to it.
And they are called ‘Al-Jama’ah’ because they gather together and unite upon it.
However, if you were to consider the state of ‘Ahlul Bid’ah’, (the people of innovation), you would find them differing in what they are upon and in what they adhere to as is relates to both their methodology of belief, and likewise their methodology with regards to the practical implementation of the religion. This proves that they are far from the ‘Sunnah’, and that their distance from the ‘Sunnah’ is in relation to the amount that they have innovated.
Fataawa Arkaanul Islaam. P.21
Translator: Ismaa'eel bin Yusuf, Abul-Qayyim