In Arabic, this term literary means "the people of the Prophet's way and the community". The term has a wide range of historical and polemical uses, particularly between Sunni groups and Shias.

Notably in the contemporary context it is used by the Sunni Barelvi sect in northern India (Barelwis), who follow the teachings of Mawlana Ahmad Reza Khan Barelwi and consider themselves representative of the earliest Muslim community. See also Barelvi or Barelwi, and Sunni.