Shaykh Sulayman Ar Ruhaylī حفظه الله said: "The Salafi Manhaj is a clear minhaj not to be confused with other than it, ever.
The Salafi Manhaj is a methodology based upon sincerity to Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala and following the messenger of Allah ﷺ.
The Salafi Manhaj, its foundation is the statement of Allah: “But no, by your Lord, they can have no faith until they make you (O Mohammad ﷺ) judge in all disputes between them, and find in themselves no resistance against your decisions and accept (them) with full submission.” [Surah an-Nisa 4:65]*
The Salafi Manhaj is established upon the statement of the Prophet ﷺ: ‘verily whoever from amongst you lives will see great differing. So upon you is my Sunnah and the Sunnah of the rightly guided Caliphs. Bite down upon it with your molar teeth. And beware of newly invented matters, for every newly invented matter is an innovation and every innovation is astray.’ [Sunah Abu Dawood 4607]
The Salafi Minhaj is based upon that which Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala rectified the first part of this ummah with, and this is what the Prophet ﷺ was upon and what His Companions were upon.
The Salafi Minhaj is based upon separation and animosity towards innovation and desires, and separation and animosity towards its people.
The Salafi Minhaj clearly and publicly aids the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and strives in refuting innovations and exposes its people, and clarifying their conditions, and warning the people from everything that originates from them.
The Salafi Minhaj is never mixed with other than it. It is a Methodology of the Book (Quran) and the Sunnah (Authentic Hadith). *It is a methodology of Knowledge and Clarity, a methodology of following (the Prophet ﷺ) and guidance (Quran). The Manhaj of the Salaf as-Salih is a methodology recognized by everyone whom Allah has granted light and insight.
The sects who oppose the Minhaj of the Salaf as-Salih oppose the Salafi Minhaj in everything we mentioned.
From the attributes of the Salafi is he looks at the people according to the Legislation and he does not look at the Legislation according to the people. He gives precedence to the Legislation over the desires of the people; even if many oppose him, and only a few gather with him. He gives precedence to the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and the Book of our Lord (Quran) over the masses of people.
As for the Hizbi-with their varying sects-they look at the Legislation through the view of the people.
Thus they do not present to the people except that which the people love and what will increase their masses. If they see the people love to go right, they will go right and they will be intense about this matter. And if they see the people love to go left, they will go left and they will be intense about this matter. If they see the people love to delay, they will delay, and if they see the people love to retreat they will retreat. They do not look at the issues from the Book(Quran)or the Sunnah(Auhentic Hadith).
They only look to what will impress the people and increase the masses.
At any rate; this issue is available and written down, and it requires a great deal of time, and perhaps I will suffice with what I have mentioned, for in reality this topic has great deal of discussion." (Article: Salafi versus the attributes of the Ḥizbi by Shaykh Sulayman Ar Ruhaylī).
So the Salafiyyun, they connect the truth to the book of Allah ﷻ, the Sunnah of the messenger of Allah ﷺ, and the Manhaj of the Salaf (may Allah be pleased with them). The Salafiyyun do not connect the truth to personalities, they do not weigh the truth by personalities and they do not establish friendship and enmity based upon people other than the messenger of Allah ﷺ, and they do not put anyone statement before the statements of Allah and His messenger ﷺ.
As for the Ḥizbi, then the Ḥizbi connects the truth to the personalities, he weighs the truth by personalities and not by the Kitaab and the Sunnah. He establishes friendship and enmity based upon people other than the messenger of Allah ﷺ. He exaggerates the praises of the righteous people and raises them above their level, he goes to extreme with regards to them. He presents the evidence which suites his Shaykh's views and conceals the evidence which doesn't. He twists the Hadith which goes against his views to make it mean something else. He hates every alim or Talib al-Ilm who doesn't agree with his Hizbiyyah. This is the Ḥizbi.