I am looking for a detailed, yet concise, explanation of the hadeeth of the 73 Sects from one of the 'Ulamaa, either past or present. I know that there are many such articles available on the trustworthy Salafee websites. However, if any of you noble brothers/sisters have any particular articles that stand out in terms of detail and precision, please do not hesitate to post the link. Baaraka Allaahu feekum.
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Aboo 'Abdil-Fattaah
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A: Every denomination or newly invented sect created by people and contradicts Shari`ah (Islamic law) falls under this Hadith of Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him): Whoever introduces something into this affair of ours that is not of it (i.e. religion) it will be rejected. and also under this Sahih Hadith (a Hadith that has been transmitted by people known for their uprightness and exactitude; free from eccentricity and blemish): "My Ummah will split up into seventy-three sects, all of them will be in the Fire except one sect." They asked: "Which one, O Messenger of Allah? He replied: "Al-Jama`ah (the true followers of the Prophet)."
In another narration, the Prophet's reply was: It is the one (sect) that follows what I and my Companions are upon now. Hence, whatever practice, deed, or act of worship people invent as a means of drawing nearer to Allah thinking that they will be rewarded while in fact it contradicts Shari`ah, it is considered a Bid`ah (rejected innovation in religion) that falls under this dispraise and censure stated by Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him).
Accordingly, it is the duty of all Muslims to weigh their words, deeds and acts of worship against the statements of Allah and His Messenger, what has been ordained by Allah, what is authentically reported from Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him), what is in accordance with Shari`ah and what is stated in Allah's Book (the Qur'an). This leads to the acceptable truth! On the other hand, whatever act or manner of worship that conflicts with the Book of Allah or the Sunnah (whatever is reported from the Prophet), it is rejected and it falls under this Hadith of the Messenger (peace be upon him): Whoever introduces something into this affair of ours that is not of it (i.e. religion) it will be rejected. .
All of this discussion refers to the acts of worship innovated by people as means of drawing nearer to Allah. However, new designs and modern inventions, such as weapons, vehicles, clothing, food, etc, are not what this Hadith refers to. The Hadith has to do with the acts of worship that people perform seeking to draw nearer to Allah. This is what is meant by the Prophet's (peace be upon him) statement: Whoever does something that is not in accordance with our command, their deed is to be rejected. and: Whoever introduces something into this affair of ours that is not of it (i.e. religion) it will be rejected.
This Hadith also involves such contracts that contradict the Shari`ah, for any contract that runs counter to the Shari`ah is considered null and void.
- Shaykh Ibn Baaz rahimahullah
http://www.alifta.com/Fatawa/FatawaChapters.aspx?View=Page&PageID=6&PageNo=1&BookID=8
source: http://www.assalafi.com/Articles/Fiqh/72astraygroups.pdf
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A: It is confirmed that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: "The Jews split into seventy-one sects; one will be in Paradise (i.e., those who followed Moses) and seventy will be in the Fire. The Christians split into seventy-two sects; seventy-one will be in the Fire and one will be in Paradise (i.e., those who followed Jesus). And by the One in Whose Hand is the soul of Muhammad, this Ummah (nation) of mine will split into seventy-three sects; one will be in Paradise and seventy-two will be in the Fire. It was asked, "Who are they, O Messenger of Allah?" He (peace be upon him) said, "Al-Jamaýah (i.e., the group which adheres steadfastly to the way of the Prophet, peace be upon him, and his Companions)." And in another narration: "(Those who follow) what I and my Companions are following."
This is the saved group; those who adhere steadfastly to the truth that the Messenger (peace be upon him) came with, and adopt the way of the Messenger (peace be upon him) and that of his Companions. They are Ahl Al-Sunnah wal-Jamaýah (those adhering to the Sunnah and the Muslim community). They are the people who adhere to the Hadith; the righteous predecessors who follow in the footsteps of the early generations in acting upon the Qurýan and the Sunnah. Any sect that contradicts them is threatened with the Fire.
Dear questioner, you have to study every group that claims to be the victorious one. Scrutinize their deeds; if they are in conformity with the Shariýah, they are included in the victorious group; otherwise they are not.
The measure here is the Qurýan and the Sunnah, so any group whose words and deeds are in accordance with the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of the Messenger (peace be upon him) is within the victorious one and any that contradict this, such as: the Jahmiyyah (an Islamic sect denying some of the Attributes of Allah, claiming they are ascribed to people and cannot be ascribed to Allah), the Muýtazilah (a deviant Islamic sect claiming that those who commit major sins are in a state between belief and disbelief), the Rafidah (a Shi`ah group denying the caliphates of Abu Bakr Al-Siddiq and ýUmar bin Al-Khattab, and making accusations against them and many other Companions), the Murjiýah (a deviant Islamic sect claiming that Faith is restricted to belief not deeds), and others, as well as most of the Sufis who invent matters in the religion, which Allah does not permit. They are all among the groups that the Messenger (peace be upon him) forewarned of the Fire, until they repent from going against Shariýah.
Any group that adopts anything contrary to Shariýah have to repent from it, and return to the right path and the truth that our Prophet, Muhammad (peace be upon him), brought. In this way they will be saved from the threat. But if they insist on the rejected innovations they have introduced in religion and do not follow the way of the Messenger (peace be upon him), they will be among the threatened groups. Not all of these groups are disbelievers, but they are threatened with the Fire. Among them are those who are disbelievers for committing acts of disbelief, and among them are those who are not disbelievers, but they are still threatened with the Fire, because they have introduced heresies in religion and sanctioned what Allah has not permitted (may He be Glorified and Exalted).
Shaykh Ibn Baaz rahimahullah in one of his Nur `Ala Al-Darb Fatwas
http://alifta.net/Fatawa/FatawaChapters.aspx?View=Page&PageID=4&PageNo=1&BookID=8
94: The religion was a single Jamaaýah and then the people split into sects
Know that the Messenger of Allah (sallallaahu alaihi wa sallam) said, ýMy Ummah will split into seventy three sects, all of them in the Fire except one and it is al-Jamaaýah.ý It was said, ýWho are they, O Messenger of Allah?ý He (sallallaahu alaihi wa sallam) replied, ýThat which I and my Companions are upon today.ý [1]
The religion was a single Jamaaýah up to the time of the Khilaafah of ýUmar ibn al-Khattaab (radiallaahu anhu) and also in the time of ýUthmaan (radiallaahu anhu). When he was killed, schism and innovations appeared. People split into parties and sects. Amongst the people were some who remained firm upon the truth. When the affairsworsened, they spoke the truth, acted upon it and called the people to it.
The affairs remained in order until the fourth generation in the Khilaafah of so and so. When times changed and people deteriorated greatly, innovations became widespread and there arose many callers inviting away from the way of truth and the Jamaaýah. People were tried with things, which neither the Messenger of Allah (sallallaahu alaihi wa sallam) nor any of his Companions spoke about. People called to sectarianism, whereas the Messenger of Allah (sallallaahu alaihi wa sallam) had forbidden sectarianism. Each group declared the others to be unbelievers. Everyone called to his own opinion and declared those who differed with him to be unbelievers. The ignorant, the common folk and those with knowledge went astray. They caused the people to be greedy for the things of this world and to fear worldly punishment, so people followed them out of fear for their worldly affairs and out of desire for this world. So the Sunnah and the people of the Sunnah were suppressed. Innovation appeared and became widespread. The people committed disbelief in many ways that they were not aware of. They used analogical reasoning and considered the Power of the Lord, His signs, rulings, commands and prohibitions according to their intellect and opinions. Whatever accorded with their intellect they accepted and whatever did not agree with their intellect, they rejected. Islam became a stranger, the Sunnah a stranger and the people of the Sunnah strangers within their own homes [2].
106: Success lies in clinging to the Sunnah and the way of the early generations
He who limits himself to the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah (sallallaahu alaihi wa salam) and that which his Companions and the Jamaaýah were upon is successful and triumphs over all the people of innovation and is saved and his religion is preserved, if Allah wills, since the Messenger of Allah (sallallaahu alaihi wa sallam) said, "My Ummah will splitý" and the Messenger of Allah (sallallaahu alaihi wa sallam) told us which would be the saved sect, saying, ýThat which I and my Companions are uponý [1]. This is the cure, the explanation, the clear affair and the straight and distinct road. The Messenger of Allah (sallallaahu alaihi wa sallam) said, ýBeware of going to extremes and harshness. Beware of exaggeration and cling to the ancient religioný [3].
107: Whoever follows innovation has rejected the Sunnah of Allahýs Messenger(sallallaahu alaihi wa sallam)
Know that the ancient religion is how it was from the death of the Messenger of Allah (sallallaahu alaihi wa sallam) until the death of ýUthmaan ibn ýAffaan (radiallaahu anhu). His murder was the beginning of sectarian dissension and the start of disagreements. So the Ummah fought amongst itself, split, followed greed and desires and inclined towards this world. There is no permit for anyone to do anything which has been introduced, which the Companions of Allahýs Messenger (sallallaahualaihi wa sallam) were not upon, nor for any man to call to anything innovated before him by people of innovation; he would then be just like the one who innovated it. So anyone who claims that, or speaks according to it, has rejected the Sunnah, opposed the truth and the Jamaaýah and has made innovation lawful. He is more harmful to the Ummah than Iblees [4].
NOTES
[1] The hadeeth is hasan and is reported by at-Tirmidhee (no.2643), Ibn Waddaah in al-Bidýah (p.85), al-Aajurree in ash-Shareeýah (p.15) and in al-Arbaýeen, al-Haakim (1/128-129), Ibn Nasr in as-Sunnah (no.62), al-Laalikaaýee in as-Sunnah (no.147), Ibn al-Jawzee in Talbees Iblees (p.16) and al-ýUqailee in ad-Duýafaaý (2/262) from the hadeeth of ýAbdullah ibn ýAmr.
[2] Perhaps the author is referring to what happened due to the trials caused by the saying that the Qurýan was created and the trial of the scholars of the Sunnah regarding it. Refer to ar-Radd ýalal-Jahmiyyah of ad-Daarimee.
[3] This is not a hadeeth of the Prophet (sallallaahu alaihi wa sallam), but is a saying of Ibn Masýood (radiallaahu anhu) as reported by ad-Daarimee in his Sunan (1/50/nos.144. 145), ýAbdur-Razzaaq in his Musannaf (10/252) and Ibn Nasr in as-Sunnah (no.85) and others and is saheeh as such.
Ibn ýAbbaas (radiallaahu anhu) reports that the Prophet (sallallaahu alaihi wa sallam) said, ýBeware of exaggeration in the religion for, indeed, those before you were destroyed due to exaggeration in the religion.ý Reported by Ahmad, an-Nasaaýee and Ibn Maajah and it is saheeh.
Ibn Masýood (radiallaahu anhu) reports that the Prophet (sallallaahu alaihi wa sallam) said, ý Those who go to extremes are destroyed.ý Reported by Ahmad, Muslim and Abu Daawood (Eng. trans. 3/1294/no.4591) and it is saheeh.
[4] Al-Laalikaaýee reports in as-Sunnah (no.238) that Sufyaan ath-Thawree said, ýInnovation is more beloved to Iblees than sin. A sin may be repented from, but innovation is not repented from.ý
May Allah have mercy upon you! Know that the roots of innovation are four. From these, seventy-two innovations branch off, each of these have offshoots, so that they amount to two thousand eight hundred. All of them are misguidance. All of them are in the Fire except for one, which is those who believe in that contained in this book, believing in it firmly, without having any doubt or uncertainty in their heart. Such a person is a person of the Sunnah and one who is saved, if Allah wills.[1]
NOTES
[1] That is, whatever the book comprises of, from the sayings of Allah, the words of His Prophet (sallallaahu alaihi wa sallam) and that which the Companions were united upon.