الجَماعَة
THE CONGREGATION
يَدُ اللّهِ مَعَ الجَماعَةِ / Allah’s Hand Is With The Congregation
1ـ رسولُ اللهِِ (صَلَّيَ اللهُ عَلَيهِ وَ آلِهِ): أيُّها النّاسُ، علَيكُم بالجَماعةِ، وإيّاكُم والفُرْقةَ.
1- The Prophet (SAWA) said, ‘O people, stay with the congregation and stay away from division.’
[Kanz al-`Ummal, no. 1028]
2ـ رسولُ اللهِِ (صَلَّيَ اللهُ عَلَيهِ وَ آلِهِ): يدُ اللّهِ على الجَماعةِ، فإذا اشْتَذَّالشّاذُّ مِنهُم اخْتَطَفَهُ الشّيطانُ كما يَخْتَطِفُ الذِّئبُ الشّاةَ الشّاذّةَ مِن الغَنَمِ.
2- The Prophet (SAWA) said, ‘Allah’s Hand
[i.e. divine aid] is with the congregation. Whenever a straying individual deviates, Satan snatches him up like a wolf snatches a sheep starying from the herd.’
[Ibid. no. 1032]
الجَماعَة
THE CONGREGATION
3ـ رسولُ اللهِِ (صَلَّيَ اللهُ عَلَيهِ وَ آلِهِ): يدُ اللّهِ معَ الجَماعةِ.
3- The Prophet (SAWA) said, ‘Allah’s Hand
[i.e. divine aid] is with the congregation.’
[Ibid. no. 20241]
4ـ رسولُ اللهِِ (صَلَّيَ اللهُ عَلَيهِ وَ آلِهِ): الجَماعةُ رَحمَةٌ والفُرْقَةُ عَذابٌ.
4- The Prophet (SAWA) said, ‘Congregation
[upon the truth] is a mercy and division is chastisement.’
[Ibid. no. 20242]
تَفسيرُ الجَماعةِ / The Interpretation of Congregation
5ـ رسولُ اللهِِ (صَلَّيَ اللهُ عَلَيهِ وَ آلِهِ) ـ وقد سُئلَ: ما جَماعةُا ُمّتِكَ ؟ ـ: مَن كانَ على الحقِّ وإنْ كانوا عَشرَةً .
5- The Prophet (SAWA), when asked, ‘Who are the congregation of your community?’, replied, ‘Those who are with the truth, even if they are but ten people.’
[Ma`ani al-Akhbar, p. 154, no. 2]
6ـ الإمامُ عليٌّ (عَلَيهِ الّسَلامُ) ـ وقد سُئلَ عن تفسيرِ السُّنّةِ والبِدْعةِ والجَماعةِ والفُرْقةِ ـ: السُّنَّةُ ـ واللّهِ ـ سُنّةُ محمّدٍ (صَلَّيَ اللهُ عَلَيهِ وَ آلِهِ)، والبِدعَةُ ما فارَقَها، والجَماعةُ ـ واللّهِ ـ مُجامَعَةُ أهلِ الحقِّ وإنْ قَلُّوا، والفُرْقةُ مُجامَعَةُ أهلِالباطلِ وإنْ كَثُروا .
6- Imam Ali (AS), when asked to explain the terms: sunna
[Prophetic practice], innovation, congregation and division, said, ‘By Allah, the sunna is the tradition of Muhammad (SAWA); innovation is anything that deviates from it; the congregation is the gathering of people who are with the truth, even if they are few in number; and division is the dissention of people who are with falsehood, even if they be many in number.’
[Kanz al-`Ummal, no. 1644]