Iam a sister who follows Quran, Sunnah,& the way of the righteous Salaf(radiALLAHU 3nhum)(THE FIRST 3 GENERATIONS of muslims) inshALLAH.it is the most purist forms of ISLAM with no ADDITION or SUBTRACTION frm the way it was tought by the prophet(salahu 3layhi wa slam)and wat the 1st 3 generastions were upon ALHMDULILLAH!!!and they were upon NOTHING but KHAYR!ALHMDULILLAH



ALSO PLZ NOTE THAT ABRIVIATING UR SALAMS AND DU3AS R NOT ALLOWED AND IS JUST BEING LAZY!!....SO inshALLAH PLZ SAY AND RITE UR COMPLETE SALAMS TO UR BROTHERS & SISTERS INSHALLAH

WAL SALAMU 3LAYKUM WA RAHMATULLAH WA BARAKATUH

Y salafi or Salafiyah???
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ahlus sunnah is the family of the sunnah. So it's muslims who follow the sunnah completely. Me saying I'm part of ahlus sunnah should in itself be enough so that people know that I am upon the way of the Prophet (salallahu alahi wasalaam).

However, in the modern age.. just to say you're part of ahlus sunnah isn't enough now. After the death of the Prophet (salallahu alahi wasalaam) there arose many deviated teachings that completely contradicted what he (salallahu alahi wasalaam) taught us.
So you will see that the sufis claim to be of ahlus sunnah, as do many other deviant sects like the shia, khawarijis, etc.

And if we all claim the same name, how can we decide who is really of ahlus sunnah and who is not?

That's when the name "salafi" comes in.

The Pious Forefathers (As-Salaf as-Saalih) of the Islaamic community of believers are the companions of the Prophet (salallahu alahi wasalaam), their Followers (the Taabi'een and the Taabi Taabi'een, i.e. the first three generations of Muslims) and the Scholars of the Ahl-us-Sunnah wal-Jamaa'ah after them who followed their way in belief and deed. These are the people about whom the Prophet (saw) said: The best of people is my generation, then those who come after them, then those who come after them (i.e. the first three generations of Muslims). [ Bukhari Book 8 Hadeeth # 437 ]

The Prophet (salallahu alahi wasalaam) also called himself a salaf. He (salallahu alahi wasalaam) said to his daughter Fatimah (May Allaah have Mercy on her):
"Indeed, I am for you a blessed Salaf." [al-Bukhaaree, number: 2652]
"How excellent a Salaf I am for you." [Muslim, number: 2450]

The first 3 generations of Muslims were the VERY best Muslims and the Prophet (salallahu alahi wasalaam) was the VERY BEST of them all masha Allaah. And if you want to be like them, then you would try to follow what they followed insha Allaah, which is the Qur'an and Sunnah. If you're upon what they were upon then insha Allaah you are upon the haqq (truth). So that's where the name salafi comes from, just saying that you are following what the salaf did.

Can you see why one should call themself a salafi then? It's a way of distinguishing themself from other "muslims" who commit bid'ah (making up new stuff in Islaam) and shirk (associating partners with Allaah), things that the pious salaf never did.

The true ahlus sunnah ARE the salafis, but at this point in time we have to use a more specific term in order to remain upon the haqq and in order to seperate ourselves from "muslims" who do not follow Islaam properly. Because as true Muslims we are only striving to please Allaah as much as we can, and we do that by following the example of the Prophet (salallahu alahi wasalaam) insha Allaah.