The 72 sects
Dissent from the main body, is inevitable
Division and differences among this ummah is something inevitable, to which history bears witness, as do the texts of the Sunnah of our Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him).
The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “Whoever among you lives after I am gone will see a great deal of dissent.” Narrated by Abu Dawood (4067); classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh Abi Dawood.
Dissent has occurred in the political field, as well as in the fields of thought and ‘aqeedah, which is represented in the appearance of different sects at the end of the era of the Rightly-Guided Caliphs, such as the Murji’is, Shi’ah and Khawaarij.
But by His mercy, Allah decreed that this division should happen when some groups drifted away from the way of the main body of the Muslims and developed their own different approach, and they were distinguished by their own names and character. So the ‘aqeedah of Ahl al-Sunnah wa’l-Jamaa’ah, and the ‘aqeedah of the majority of Muslims, was not confused even for a day with that of the other, misguided sects, so that those sects would not dare to call themselves Ahl al-Sunnah wa’l-Jamaa’ah, rather they are called after the bid’ah (innovation) that they introduced, or the person who founded the sect. You can see that when you examine the names of all the sects.
Sects differ on the basic rules of Sharee’ah
Al-Shaatibi (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
These are regarded as sects because they differ from the saved group with regard to some fundamental issues of religion and basic rules of sharee’ah, not with regard to minor issues, because differences with regard to minor issues does not lead to division and factionalism, rather factionalism occurs when there are differences concerning fundamental issues of Islam.
The 72 sects are Muslim
Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
Similarly, with the other seventy-two groups, those that are hypocrites are inwardly kaafirs, and those that are not hypocrites but rather believe inwardly in Allah and His Messenger are not inwardly kaafirs, even though they are mistaken in their interpretations, regardless of what that mistake may be. The one who says that each of the seventy-two sects is guilty of kufr that puts one beyond the pale of Islam is going against the Quran and Sunnah and the consensus of the Sahaabah (may Allah be pleased with them all), and the consensus of the four imams and others. None of them regarded any of the seventy-two sects as kaafirs, rather they regard one another as kaafirs.
Majmoo’ al-Fataawa (7/218)
Differences of opinion
Sunni beliefs
- Decisive Ijma‘ (consensus) of the Sunni Ummah
- All hypocrites were made known to Nabi (saw) and the community.
- All hadith companions are reliable as per the research of Imam Bukhari, Muslim and other scholars.
- The consensus of the Sahabah is a secondary source of the Sunni Jurisprudence.
Shia beliefs
- Imam Jafar as-Sadeq (as) had praised the Sahaba of Rasulullah (saw) as follows: “Allah (swt) from amongst the Sahaba had selected a group, and showered them with respect, they were successful and the blessed lips of Rasulullah(s) praised them for virtues…”
- Because of the battles of Siffin, Jamal, and Karbala, distrust of sahabah has filled Shia thought.
- There were hypocrites amongst the Sahabah, as mentioned in Surat al-Tawbah and Surat al-Ahzab, etc.
- Reliability of Companions are checked against:
- Qur’an
- Sunnah
- History
- Character
- Attitude towards Ahlul Bayt
- Reliability of Hadith based on Reliability of Companions
- Reliability of Companions are checked against:
Barelwi beliefs
- The knowledge of the Prophet (SAW)
- Deobandi: “Barelwi claims that Nabi SAWs knowledge is the same as Allah’s knowledge.”
- Barelwi: Partial knowledge of anything is possible. It is not complete knowledge, so it can never be shirk.
- Moulid
- Barelwi: Nabi SAW fasted and performed aqeeqah on his birthday, therefore any ibadah (thanking Allah) for Moulid is permissible.
- Innovations
- Deobandi: “Whoever innovates or accommodates an innovator then upon him is the curse of Allah, His Angels and the whole of mankind.” (Bukhari; Muslim)
- Barelwi: “Whosoever introduces a good practice in Islam, there is for him its reward and the reward of those who act upon it after him without anything being diminished from their rewards.”
- Intercession
- Barelwi: “I’ve been afflicted in my eyesight, so please pray to Allah for me.” The Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace) said: “Go make ablution (wudu), perform two rak’as of prayer, and then say: “Oh Allah, I ask You and turn to You through my Prophet Muhammad, the Prophet of mercy; O Muhammad (Ya Muhammad), I seek your intercession with my Lord for the return of my eyesight [and in another version: “for my need, that it may be fulfilled. O Allah, grant him intercession for me”].”
Takfir
Did you split his heart open?
One does not declare any particular person or sect from the people of the Qiblah (i.e., Muslims in general) as Kafir (disbeliever), but refrain from this as much as possible, for the Prophet (peace be upon him) reproved Usamah Ibn Zayd Ibn Harithah for killing a Kafir after he had said, “La ilaha illa Allah”. He did not accept Usamah’s excuse that the man only said it to take refuge in it and protect himself, and he (peace be upon him) admonished him saying, “Did you split his heart open to know whether or not he has said it?” i.e. whether or not he said it sincerely from the bottom of his heart.
The only exception is when a person commits an act of blatant Kufr, such as denying the inevitably well-known basic truths of the religion, or contradicting a decisive Ijma‘ (consensus) of the Ummah, or interpreting clear-cut texts which are not subject to interpretation, and does not recant this even after being correctly informed of it.
Takfir is only upon well-established evidence
Shaykh Muhammad ibn ‘Abdul-Wahhab (may Allah be merciful to him) adhered to the way of Ahl-ul-Sunnah wal-Jama‘ah and followed their fundamentals. He did not declare anyone or any sect from the people of the Qiblah as Kafir for committing a sin, or giving an allegorical interpretation, or introducing a Bid‘ah, unless there was well-established evidence of their Kufr after enlightenment and clarification.
Thus, the Saudi government allows the different Muslim sects to visit the Sacred House of Allah without investigating their hidden beliefs, acting upon the principle of judging by the apparent without exploring the inside of each person, and leaving “the inwardly hidden” to Allah, Who alone knows it. Nevertheless, if the Saudi government becomes absolutely certain of the Kufr (disbelief) of a particular person or sect, such as Al-Qadyaniyyah, and this is affirmed by the investigative Muslim scholars in the Islamic world, it cannot help but forbid those from performing Hajj and ‘Umrah.
Cooperation for mutual benefit
- Cooperation, not competition: Muslims championing different causes in the community often see themselves in competition with one another, with each group assuming their cause is the most urgent priority for the Muslim ummah, or assuming that because they are involved in one cause that they don’t have to worry about other causes. Fard kifayah is not about competing responsibilities; rather, it encourages cooperation in noble causes to ensure proper utilization of resources and avoid negligence of duties or redundancy of services.
- Avoiding Reductionism: Islam’s mission is about understanding the texts in a comprehensive manner. The intellectual sicknesses of stagnation, reductionism, oversimplification are becoming a hurdle in the path of fulfilling the mission of Islam. Reductionism is reducing a matter to halaal and haraam, without analysing the complete context.
- Mutual Respect: Recognizing the sincerity and integrity of both viewpoints and respecting the right to hold different opinions can foster an environment of empathy and understanding.
- Focus on Common Ground: Emphasizing shared beliefs, values, and goals can help to diminish the differences and build unity.
- Encourage Dialogue: Facilitating open, honest, and respectful dialogue between scholars and followers of both schools can lead to better mutual understanding.
- Educational Efforts: Educating the wider community about the nuances, historical context, and theological underpinnings of each school’s view on Bid’ah can reduce misunderstandings.
- Avoiding Extremes: Encouraging moderation and recognizing that both perspectives have a place within the broader Sunni tradition can create space for coexistence.
