(Question)
Which group will Isa (alayhis salaam) belong to? Will he be only a Muslim, or will he also be Ahlul Hadith/Salafi?
(Answer)
All praise is due to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and blessings and peace be upon the noblest of the Prophets and Messengers, Prophet Muhammad. To proceed:
Assalaamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakaatuhu…
* When Isa ibn Maryam returns, he will unite everyone upon the Qur’an and the Sahih Hadith alone, at which point there will no longer be any need for us to identify ourselves as Salafi/Ahlul Hadith.
* Whoever, at that time, is within the Jama’ah (group) of Isa (alayhis salaam) will be upon the truth; otherwise, he will be from those who’re astray.
* Until Isa (alayhis salaam) returns, we require the designation Salafi/Ahlul Hadith in order to distinguish ourselves from other groups.
* If calling oneself or being called Ahlul Hadith is unlawful, an innovation, or a sin, then you should also apply this ruling to those Tabi‘un, Taba‘ at-Tabi‘in, and Muhaddithin who used these terms repeatedly and continuously.
* And if calling oneself Ahlul Hadith is an innovation, and the one who uses the term Ahlul Hadith is therefore an innovator, then Imam al-Bukhari and Imam Muslim (rahimahumallah) would also be innovators; in that case, so from where will you obtain your “only Muslim” hadith scholars?
* If, among the Salaf as-Salihin, the Tabi‘un, Taba‘ at-Tabi‘in, and Muhaddithin identified themselves as Ahlul Hadith or Ahlus Sunnah, then it is likewise permissible for us to use a name other than “Muslim” for ourselves.
* Yes, we acknowledge that this is not obligatory; however, there is no evidence for the claim that it is unlawful. The practice of the Salaf as-Salihin establishes its permissibility.
And all praise belongs to Allah, the Mighty and Majestic.
(Penned by Mohammed bin Thajammul Hussain Manna, originally on June 16, 2012. Slightly edited, corrected, and reposted here on 31 May 2026.)
Saheehus-Seerah 