A brief glimpse at the Ahl al-Hadeeth (Ahl-e-Hadeeth) movement in India
Question

                I always go to the mosque now, and it is a mosque of Ahl al-Hadeeth. The people in my area say that they are more Ahl al-Hadeeth than Muslims, and the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said that the group of his ummah who will enter Paradise is the group that follows the Qur’an and Sunnah. I would like to know more about them.
Praise be to Allah.
      There 
      follows a brief glimpse at Jamaa‘at Ahl al-Hadeeth in India, so that you 
      may become more keen to stay close to them. It says in al-Mawsoo‘ah 
      al-Muyassarah li’l-Adyaan wa’l-Madhaahib wa’l-Ahzaab al-Mu‘aasirah: 

    Jamaa‘at Ahl 
    al-Hadeeth is the oldest Islamic movement in the Indian subcontinent. It is 
    based on calling people to follow the Qur’an and Sunnah, and to understand 
    them in the light of the understanding of the righteous early generations, 
    namely the Sahaabah and Taabi‘een, and those who followed them in 
    righteousness. They give precedence to them (the Qur’an and Sunnah) over any 
    other opinion or practice, whether that has to do with beliefs, acts of 
    worship, interactions with others, morals and manners, or politics and 
    social issues, in accordance with the way of the scholars who combined the 
    knowledge of fiqh and hadeeth. They are also opposed to practices and 
    beliefs of shirk and innovation, and myths of all kinds. End quote. 

    Then they said 
    – discussing the ideas and beliefs of Jamaa‘at Ahl al-Hadeeth: 

    The belief of 
    Ahl al-Hadeeth is the same as the belief of the righteous early generations, 
    based on the Qur’an and Sunnah. The academic and methodological principles 
    of Jamaa‘at Ahl al-Hadeeth are based on: 

    1.

    Tawheed 
    (affirmation of the Oneness of Allah). Ahl al-Hadeeth believe that Tawheed 
    is the foundation of Islam. They give precedence in their da‘wah efforts to 
    spreading the message of pure Tawheed and instilling it in people’s hearts, 
    whilst explaining the three types of Tawheed, especially Tawheed 
    al-Uloohiyyah (Oneness of divinity), concerning which many people make 
    mistakes. They also believe in Tawheed ar-Ruboobiyyah (oneness of the divine 
    Lordship) and what it implies, that sharee‘ah should rule the lives of the 
    Muslims. They are not content only to affirm and implement the Islamic 
    political system; rather they believe that the rules and regulations 
    ordained by Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, should shape the 
    individual’s attitude, conduct and all his worldly affairs, including 
    legislation and promulgation of laws. 

    2.

    Following the 
    Sunnah. Ahl al-Hadeeth focus on following that which is narrated in saheeh 
    reports from the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) in the 
    light of the understanding of the righteous early generations. Hence they do 
    not believe in rigid imitation that calls for adhering to a particular fiqhi 
    madhhab without asking about the evidence. Rather they call for opening the 
    gate of ijtihaad to everyone who fulfils the conditions of ijtihaad, and 
    they call for respect to the mujtahid scholars who follow in the footsteps 
    of the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) in 
    particular. 

    3.

    They give 
    precedence to reports over reason, as they give precedence to sharee‘ah, 
    then they subject reasoning to it, because they believe that sound reasoning 
    is in harmony with the saheeh Islamic texts, hence it is not valid to oppose 
    sharee‘ah on the basis of reasoning or to give reasoning precedence over 
    it. 

    4. 

    Tazkiyyah 
    shar‘iyyah, i.e., purification of the soul in the manner prescribed in 
    Islam, using all the means mentioned in the Qur’an and Sunnah. They object 
    to innovated means of purification, whether they are advocated by the Sufis 
    or others. 

    5.

    Warning 
    against innovation, because they think that innovation is in fact trying to 
    make up what Allah omitted and introducing practices on the basis of one’s 
    opinion and reason. Hence they advocate adhering to the Sunnah and avoiding 
    all types of innovation. 

    6.

    Warning 
    against weak and fabricated hadeeths, because these kinds of hadeeth pose a 
    great danger to the ummah; hence it is essential to examine the hadeeths 
    that are attributed to the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon 
    him), especially with regard to matters of belief and rulings. End quote. 

    See: 
    al-Mawsoo‘ah al-Muyassarah li’l-Adyaan wa’l-madhaahib wa’l-Ahzaab 
    al-Mu‘aasirah, p. 173-185 

    And Allah 
    knows best.