Ibn ‘Umar reported God’s messenger as saying, “God will not cause all my people (or he said, Muhammad’s people) to err. God’s hand is over the community, and he who is separate from it will be separate in hell.” Tirmidhi transmitted it.
Hadith Text & Transmission
Ibn 'Umar reported God's messenger as saying, "God will not cause all my people (or he said, Muhammad's people) to err. God's hand is over the community, and he who is separate from it will be separate in hell." Tirmidhi transmitted it.
Reference: Mishkat al-Masabih 173
Divine Protection of the Ummah
This noble hadith establishes the fundamental principle that the Muslim community as a whole shall never collectively agree upon misguidance. The phrase "God's hand is over the community" signifies divine protection, care, and preservation of the Ummah from falling into unanimous error in matters of religion.
This divine safeguard manifests through the consensus of scholars (ijma') who preserve the authentic understanding of Quran and Sunnah, ensuring the preservation of Islamic teachings until the Day of Judgment.
The Danger of Separation
The severe warning against separating from the mainstream Muslim community refers to those who abandon the jama'ah (congregation) in both belief and practice. This includes innovating in matters of creed, rejecting established Islamic principles, or forming splinter groups that deviate from the way of the righteous predecessors.
Such separation is not merely physical but primarily ideological - when one deliberately chooses a path contrary to what the majority of scholars and the Muslim community have upheld through authentic transmission.
Scholarly Interpretation
Classical scholars explain that this hadith does not mean every individual Muslim is protected from error, but rather that the collective body of believers will always contain those who uphold the truth. The "community" referenced here is the community of Ahl al-Sunnah wa al-Jama'ah - those who follow the Quran, the authentic Sunnah, and the path of the Salaf.
Imam Tirmidhi classified this hadith as hasan (good), and it has been widely cited in works of creed and jurisprudence to emphasize the importance of unity and following the mainstream understanding of Islam.