Questioner:

What does ‘ḥizbīyyah’ (partisanship) mean? What is meant by saying: so-and-so has ḥizbīyyah? Who are the ‘hizbīyyūn’ and what is their daʿwah and methodology?

Shaykh Rabīʿ ibn Hādī al-Madkhalī:

Everyone who opposes the Salafī methodology is from among the partisan groups of misguidance, ḥizbīyyah has no conditions. Allāh named the previous nations ‘Aḥzāb’ (partisan groups) and named the Quraish when they came together [against the Messenger ﷺ] Aḥzāb. They had no organisation or anything of the sort.

Therefore, a ḥizb (a partisan group) is not necessarily organised. If the ḥizb is organised, then it has increased in corruption. Fanatically clinging to a specific ideology that opposes the Book of Allāh and the Sunnah of the Messenger ﷺ, and basing loyalty to people and disassociation from them because of it, then this is taḥazzub (partisanship)! This is partisanship even if it is not organised. Adopting a deviant ideology and gathering people upon it, this is a ḥizb; whether organised or not.

As long as their togetherness is for the sake of a person who opposes the Book of Allāh and the Sunnah, then this is a ḥizb. The disbelievers that fought against the Messenger ﷺ did not have the organization that is present nowadays and Allāh still referred to them as Aḥzāb, how come?! Because they formed a partisan confederation to aid falsehood and wage war against the truth – and they disputed using falsehood to refute therewith the truth.

۞كَذَّبَتْ قَبْلَهُمْ قَوْمُ نُوحٍ وَالْأَحْزَابُ مِن بَعْدِهِمْ ۖ وَهَمَّتْ كُلُّ أُمَّةٍ بِرَسُولِهِمْ لِيَأْخُذُوهُ ۖ وَجَادَلُوا بِالْبَاطِلِ لِيُدْحِضُوا بِهِ الْحَقَّ فَأَخَذْتُهُمْ ۖ

“And the ‘Aḥzāb’ after them denied (their Messengers), and every (disbelieving) nation plotted against their Messenger to seize him, and dispute using falsehood to refute therewith the truth”. [Q40:5]

Allāh called them Aḥzāb – may Allah bless you – they formed an alliance consisting of the Quraish, Gatafān, Quraidtha, and various tribes; they were not organised. They became a confederation so Allāh called them ‘Aḥzāb’ and the sūrah is named ‘Sūrat al-Aḥzāb’; were they organised?!

So a hizb is not necessarily organised. If they believe in a false ideology and argue in favour of it and dispute [in defence of it] then this is a hizb. If in addition to that they are organised – may Allāh bless you – and they collect wealth etc. then of course, it is fully engaged in hizbīyyah and has become one of the hizbī groups of misguidance – Allāh’s refuge is sought.