“Salafiyyah is an ascription to the salaf, and the salaf are the Companions of Allah’s Messenger صلى الله عليه وسلم (may the peace and blessing of Allah be upon him) and the imams (religious leaders) of guidance from the first three generations رضي الله عنهم (may Allaah be pleased with them), those whose goodness has been testified for by Allah’s Messenger صلى الله عليه وسلم, “The best of people are my generation, then those who follow after them, then those who follow after them, then there will come a people whose testimony will precede their oath and their oath will precede their testimony.” Reported by Imam Ahmad in his Musnad and also by al-Bukhari and Muslim.

And ‘salafiyyoon’ is the plural of ‘salafi’, which is an ascription to the salaf, and its meaning has already preceded. And they are the ones who traverse upon the minhaj (way/methodology) of the salaf, from the followers of the Book (speech of Allah) and the Sunnah (guidance of the Prophet), those who call to them both, and to act upon them, as a result of which they are from Ahl us-Sunnah wal-Jama’ah (the people of sunnah and the main body of Muslims).”

There also occurs in the Permanent Committee’s reply to the question, “I want the explanation of the word ‘salaf’ and also who are the ‘salafiyyoon’ (salafis)?”, the following: “The salaf are Ahl us-Sunnah wal-Jama’ah, the followers of Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم from the Companions and whoever follows their methodology until the Day of Judgement, and when the Messenger صلى الله عليه وسلم was asked about al-Firqat un-Naajiyah (the Saved Sect), he said, “They are those who are upon what I and my companions are upon today.” (Fatwaa No. 6149, 2/164).”