massi
Junior Member
:salam2:
please read it before your reply . if you don't read it I ask you don't reply please ok .
Question:
I would be very grateful if you could advise me on the fundamental differences between the main sects of Islam, although I know that originally Islam was a unified religion.
Thankyou.
Answer:
Praise be to Allaah.
The answer to your question is lengthy and deserves a book to itself. We cannot answer in details here, but we can say the following in brief:
The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) told us beforehand that this Ummah would be divided as the previous nations were divided, as stated in the saheeh hadeeth:
Wahb ibn Baqiyyah told us from Khaalid from Muhammad ibn ‘Amr from Abu Salamah from Abu Hurayrah who said: the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “The Jews were divided into seventy-one or seventy-two sects, and the Christians were divided into seventy-one or seventy-two sects, and my Ummah will be divided into seventy-three sects.” This was narrated by Abu Dawood in his Sunan, Kitaab al-Sunnah, Baab Sharh al-Sunnah.
It was reported from ‘Awf ibn Maalik who said: the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “The Jews were divided into seventy-one sects, one of which is in Paradise and seventy are in the Fire. The Christians were divided into seventy-two sects, seventy-one of which are in the Fire and one is in Paradise. By the One in Whose hand is the soul of Muhammad, my Ummah will be divided into seventy-three sects, one of which will be in Paradise and seventy-two will be in the Fire.” It was said, O Messenger of Allaah, who are they? He said, “Al-Jamaa’ah.”
Sunan Ibn Maajah, no. 3982.
What is meant by al-Jamaa’ah is the ‘aqeedah and actions of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and his Companions.
Among the sects that claim to belong to Islam are those who are misguided with regard to the Unity of Allaah (Tawheed) and His Names and Attributes; they say that everything that exists is Allaah and that He is incarnate or present in His creation – glorified be He far above what they say. On the contrary, He is above His heavens, settled on His throne, distinct from His creation.
Others are misguided with regard to eeman (faith) and say that deeds are separate from faith and that faith does not increase or decrease. The correct view is that faith consists of words and deeds; it increases when one does acts of obedience to Allaah and decreases when one commits sin.
Others are misguided by their declaring that the person who commits sin goes beyond the pale of Islam and is doomed to eternity in the Fire. The correct view is that the one who commits a major sin – apart from shirk and al-kufr al-akbar – does not go out of Islam.
Others are misguided with regard to the issue of al-qadaa’ wa’l-qadar (divine decree), and said that man has no choice in what he does. The correct view is that man has freedom of will on the basis of which he will be called to account and will bear the consequences of his deeds.
Others are misguided with regard to the Qur’aan, and say that it is created. The correct view is that it is the words of Allaah, revealed not created.
Others are misguided with regard to the Sahaabah, whom they revile and denounce as kaafirs even though they are the companions of the Prophet among whom the Wahy (Revelation) was revealed, and they are the most knowledgeable and the most devoted in worship among this Ummah, and they strove in jihaad for the sake of Allaah and Allaah supported this religion through them – may Allaah be pleased with them all.
And there are other groups who deviated from the path of Islam and innovated matters in the religion of Allaah; each of them rejoices in what they have, but they have followed the ways of the Shaytaan and gone against the words of Allaah (interpretation of the meaning):
“And verily, this is My straight path, so follow it, and follow not (other) paths, for they will separate you away from His path. This He has ordained for you that you may become Al-Muttaqoon (the pious)” [al-An’aam 6:153]
We ask Allaah to make us among the followers of the Sunnah who will be saved from the Fire, and to admit us to Paradise among the righteous. May Allaah bless our Prophet Muhammad.
Islam Q&A
Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid
Are the Islamic groups among the misguided groups?
Question:
What do you think of those who say that these Islamic groups are among the groups which call people to Hell, and which the Prophet commanded us to keep away from? Is this correct or not?
Answer:
Praise be to Allaah.
Anyone who calls people to the Book of Allaah and the Sunnah of His Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) is not of the misguided groups, rather he belongs to the saved group mentioned in the hadeeth of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him):
“The Jews split into seventy-one groups and the Christians split into seventy-two groups. My ummah will split into seventy-three groups, all of which will be in the Fire except for one.” He was asked, “Who are they, O Messenger of Allaah?” He said, “Those who follow the path which I and my companions are on today.” According to one report: “They are the jamaa’ah.”
What this means is that the saved group is the group (jamaa’ah) which adheres steadfastly to the way of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and his Companions (may Allaah be pleased with them), i.e., believing in and worshipping Allaah alone (Tawheed), obeying His commands and heeding His prohibitions, and adhering steadfastly to that in word, deed and belief. These are the people of truth, the ones who call to right guidance, even though they may be scattered throughout the world, with some in Arabia, some in Syria, some in America, some in Egypt, some in the African countries, some in Asia. They are many groups, but they are known by their ‘aqeedah and their deeds. If they follow the path of Tawheed and belief in Allaah and His Messenger, and they adhere steadfastly to the religion of Allaah which was brought by the Book of Allaah and the Sunnah of His Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), then they are Ahl al-Sunnah wa’l-Jamaa’ah and the saved group, even though they may be scattered in many parts of the world. But at the end of time they will be very few in number.
In conclusion, the guideline concerning this issue is whether or not they adhere to the truth. If there is a person or a group which calls people to the Book of Allaah and the Sunnah of His Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), and advocates belief in Tawheed and adhering to the Sharee’ah, then they are the Jamaa’ah and the saved group.
But those who call to anything other than the Book of Allaah, or anything other than the Sunnah of the Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), then they are not part of the jamaa’ah; rather they belong to the misguided and doomed groups. The saved group is those who call people to the Qur’aan and Sunnah, even though they may be groups here and there. So long as their aim and their belief is the same, it doesn’t matter if one is called Ansaar al-Sunnah, and another is called al-Ikhwaan al-Muslimeen, and so on. What matters is their ‘aqeedah (belief) and their actions. If they adhere steadfastly to the truth and to Tawheed, and they are sincere towards Allaah and follow the Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) in word, deed and belief, then names do not matter. But they have to fear Allaah and be sincere in that. If some of them are called Ansaar al-Sunnah, and others are called al-Salafiyyeen, or al-Ikhwaan al-Muslimeen, or whatever, it doesn’t matter so long as they are sincere and adhere steadfastly to the truth by following the Book of Allaah and the Sunnah, and judge according to them, and adhere steadfastly to them in belief, word and deed. If any group errs in some way, then the scholars have to warn them and guide them to the truth if there is clear evidence.
The point is that we must co-operate in righteousness and piety, and deal with our problems with knowledge, wisdom and good manners. If any of these groups or others makes a mistake that has to do with ‘aqeedah, or something that Allaah has commanded or forbidden, they should show them the shar’i evidence in a gentle, wise and polite manner, so that they will follow the truth and accept it, so that they will not be put off from it. This is what all the Muslims should do, co-operate in righteousness and piety, and advise one another to follow that; they should not let one another down in such a way that the enemy may take advantage of them.
Kitaab Majmoo’ Fataawa wa Maqaalaat Mutanawwi’ah li Samaahat al-Shaykh al-‘Allaamah ‘Abd al-‘Azeez ibn ‘Abd-Allaah ibn Baaz (may Allaah have mercy on him), vol. 8, p. 181
please read it before your reply . if you don't read it I ask you don't reply please ok .
Question:
I would be very grateful if you could advise me on the fundamental differences between the main sects of Islam, although I know that originally Islam was a unified religion.
Thankyou.
Answer:
Praise be to Allaah.
The answer to your question is lengthy and deserves a book to itself. We cannot answer in details here, but we can say the following in brief:
The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) told us beforehand that this Ummah would be divided as the previous nations were divided, as stated in the saheeh hadeeth:
Wahb ibn Baqiyyah told us from Khaalid from Muhammad ibn ‘Amr from Abu Salamah from Abu Hurayrah who said: the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “The Jews were divided into seventy-one or seventy-two sects, and the Christians were divided into seventy-one or seventy-two sects, and my Ummah will be divided into seventy-three sects.” This was narrated by Abu Dawood in his Sunan, Kitaab al-Sunnah, Baab Sharh al-Sunnah.
It was reported from ‘Awf ibn Maalik who said: the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “The Jews were divided into seventy-one sects, one of which is in Paradise and seventy are in the Fire. The Christians were divided into seventy-two sects, seventy-one of which are in the Fire and one is in Paradise. By the One in Whose hand is the soul of Muhammad, my Ummah will be divided into seventy-three sects, one of which will be in Paradise and seventy-two will be in the Fire.” It was said, O Messenger of Allaah, who are they? He said, “Al-Jamaa’ah.”
Sunan Ibn Maajah, no. 3982.
What is meant by al-Jamaa’ah is the ‘aqeedah and actions of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and his Companions.
Among the sects that claim to belong to Islam are those who are misguided with regard to the Unity of Allaah (Tawheed) and His Names and Attributes; they say that everything that exists is Allaah and that He is incarnate or present in His creation – glorified be He far above what they say. On the contrary, He is above His heavens, settled on His throne, distinct from His creation.
Others are misguided with regard to eeman (faith) and say that deeds are separate from faith and that faith does not increase or decrease. The correct view is that faith consists of words and deeds; it increases when one does acts of obedience to Allaah and decreases when one commits sin.
Others are misguided by their declaring that the person who commits sin goes beyond the pale of Islam and is doomed to eternity in the Fire. The correct view is that the one who commits a major sin – apart from shirk and al-kufr al-akbar – does not go out of Islam.
Others are misguided with regard to the issue of al-qadaa’ wa’l-qadar (divine decree), and said that man has no choice in what he does. The correct view is that man has freedom of will on the basis of which he will be called to account and will bear the consequences of his deeds.
Others are misguided with regard to the Qur’aan, and say that it is created. The correct view is that it is the words of Allaah, revealed not created.
Others are misguided with regard to the Sahaabah, whom they revile and denounce as kaafirs even though they are the companions of the Prophet among whom the Wahy (Revelation) was revealed, and they are the most knowledgeable and the most devoted in worship among this Ummah, and they strove in jihaad for the sake of Allaah and Allaah supported this religion through them – may Allaah be pleased with them all.
And there are other groups who deviated from the path of Islam and innovated matters in the religion of Allaah; each of them rejoices in what they have, but they have followed the ways of the Shaytaan and gone against the words of Allaah (interpretation of the meaning):
“And verily, this is My straight path, so follow it, and follow not (other) paths, for they will separate you away from His path. This He has ordained for you that you may become Al-Muttaqoon (the pious)” [al-An’aam 6:153]
We ask Allaah to make us among the followers of the Sunnah who will be saved from the Fire, and to admit us to Paradise among the righteous. May Allaah bless our Prophet Muhammad.
Islam Q&A
Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid
Are the Islamic groups among the misguided groups?
Question:
What do you think of those who say that these Islamic groups are among the groups which call people to Hell, and which the Prophet commanded us to keep away from? Is this correct or not?
Answer:
Praise be to Allaah.
Anyone who calls people to the Book of Allaah and the Sunnah of His Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) is not of the misguided groups, rather he belongs to the saved group mentioned in the hadeeth of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him):
“The Jews split into seventy-one groups and the Christians split into seventy-two groups. My ummah will split into seventy-three groups, all of which will be in the Fire except for one.” He was asked, “Who are they, O Messenger of Allaah?” He said, “Those who follow the path which I and my companions are on today.” According to one report: “They are the jamaa’ah.”
What this means is that the saved group is the group (jamaa’ah) which adheres steadfastly to the way of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and his Companions (may Allaah be pleased with them), i.e., believing in and worshipping Allaah alone (Tawheed), obeying His commands and heeding His prohibitions, and adhering steadfastly to that in word, deed and belief. These are the people of truth, the ones who call to right guidance, even though they may be scattered throughout the world, with some in Arabia, some in Syria, some in America, some in Egypt, some in the African countries, some in Asia. They are many groups, but they are known by their ‘aqeedah and their deeds. If they follow the path of Tawheed and belief in Allaah and His Messenger, and they adhere steadfastly to the religion of Allaah which was brought by the Book of Allaah and the Sunnah of His Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), then they are Ahl al-Sunnah wa’l-Jamaa’ah and the saved group, even though they may be scattered in many parts of the world. But at the end of time they will be very few in number.
In conclusion, the guideline concerning this issue is whether or not they adhere to the truth. If there is a person or a group which calls people to the Book of Allaah and the Sunnah of His Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), and advocates belief in Tawheed and adhering to the Sharee’ah, then they are the Jamaa’ah and the saved group.
But those who call to anything other than the Book of Allaah, or anything other than the Sunnah of the Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), then they are not part of the jamaa’ah; rather they belong to the misguided and doomed groups. The saved group is those who call people to the Qur’aan and Sunnah, even though they may be groups here and there. So long as their aim and their belief is the same, it doesn’t matter if one is called Ansaar al-Sunnah, and another is called al-Ikhwaan al-Muslimeen, and so on. What matters is their ‘aqeedah (belief) and their actions. If they adhere steadfastly to the truth and to Tawheed, and they are sincere towards Allaah and follow the Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) in word, deed and belief, then names do not matter. But they have to fear Allaah and be sincere in that. If some of them are called Ansaar al-Sunnah, and others are called al-Salafiyyeen, or al-Ikhwaan al-Muslimeen, or whatever, it doesn’t matter so long as they are sincere and adhere steadfastly to the truth by following the Book of Allaah and the Sunnah, and judge according to them, and adhere steadfastly to them in belief, word and deed. If any group errs in some way, then the scholars have to warn them and guide them to the truth if there is clear evidence.
The point is that we must co-operate in righteousness and piety, and deal with our problems with knowledge, wisdom and good manners. If any of these groups or others makes a mistake that has to do with ‘aqeedah, or something that Allaah has commanded or forbidden, they should show them the shar’i evidence in a gentle, wise and polite manner, so that they will follow the truth and accept it, so that they will not be put off from it. This is what all the Muslims should do, co-operate in righteousness and piety, and advise one another to follow that; they should not let one another down in such a way that the enemy may take advantage of them.
Kitaab Majmoo’ Fataawa wa Maqaalaat Mutanawwi’ah li Samaahat al-Shaykh al-‘Allaamah ‘Abd al-‘Azeez ibn ‘Abd-Allaah ibn Baaz (may Allaah have mercy on him), vol. 8, p. 181