The sources of ‘aqeedah and the manhaj of the Salaf in learning it”

So they believed and acted upon whatever was proved by the Book and the Sunnah regarding the rights of Allah. They rejected and negated whatever was not proved in the Book of Allah, the Mighty and the Majesty and the Sunnah of His Messenger (sallallahu alaihi wassallam). Due to this differences didn’t arise amongst them in aqeedah, rather their aqeedah was one and their Jama’ah was one. This is because Allah, the Mighty and the Majesty guarantees whoever clings to His Book and the Sunnah of His Messenger (sallalahu alaihi wassallam), with a unified position, correctness in aqeedah and a single manhaj. He, the Most High said:

“And hold fast, all of you together, to the Rope of Allah” (Quran, Al-Imran 3;103).

“Then if there comes to you guidance from Me, then whoever follows My Guidance shall neither go astray, nor fall into distress and misery”.  (Taa Haa 20:123)

        Thus they were termed “the Saved Sect” because the Prophet (sallallahu alaihi wassallam), testified safety (from the Fire) for them when he mentioned the splitting of the ummah into seventy three sects, all of them in the Fire except one. When he was asked about this one sect, he said: “That which I and my Companions are upon today”. (Tirmidhee (2641) and al-Laalikaa’ee in Sharh ‘Itiqad Ahl-us-Sunnah (147))

So that which he mentioned has occurred since some people have built their ‘aqeedah upon other than the Book and the Sunnah, such rhetoric and the principles of logic inherited from the Greek philosophy. They fell into deviation and splitting in ‘aqeedah which resulted in differing positions, splitting the Jamaa’ah and destruction of the structure of the Islamic Society.