Praise be to Allaah.
Propeht Muhammad (PBUH) told us that there will be 73 groups in my Ummah according to hadith's given below,
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
.
In an other narration, 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.
Also few more references from quran about sects
"Verily those who split up their religion and became sects, you have absolutely nothing to do with them." [Holy Qur'an 6:159]
[30:32] (Do not fall in idol worship,) like those who divide their religion into sects; each party rejoicing with what they have.
[42:14] Ironically, they broke up into sects only after the knowledge had come to them, due to jealousy and resentment among themselves. If it were not for a predetermined decision from your Lord to respite them for a definite interim, they would have been judged immediately. Indeed, the later generations who inherited the scripture are full of doubts.
So we can see clearly Allah Warned about sects 1400 years ago and today we can clearly see the sects in islam are more than 72
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) did not die before he had shown the way clearly to his ummah [nation]. At the end of the last Hajj [pilgrimage] performed by the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) there was revealed the aayah [verse] (interpretation of the meaning):
“This day, I have perfected your religion for you, completed My Favour upon you, and have chosen for you Islam as your religion†[al-Maa’idah 5:3]
Now BIG Question is how can we know that we born in right sect family? and how we know that we are on the right path?
Everyone claiming to be right here and no one even wants to think about anything else.
First I will say Allah gave us a brain to use. We can't just believe blindly on the sect (group) we have born. On judgment day we can not just blame to our parents, brothers or sisters and this will not help us in anyway.
I have seen and heard from new muslims (who converted from other religions to islam) that how they researched and found the right path. If you listen to them then you will find that there first big question mark when they converted to Islam was?
which group to follow?
But they tried, studied and prayed from Allah and find the right path So condition is that we have to try our best ( by learning quran and hadith) and then keep praying from Allah. Inshallah Allah will guide us (Ameen).
Because we already born as a muslim so we have more knowledge compare to new muslims and we have to try more by learning quran and knowledge of hadith. Quran gives us a direction in every parts of life. So understanding of quran is must. Think that how can we correct our life according to quran ? if we do not have any knowledge of quran. Leaving our habits as they are we can not find the right path.
As Quran says itself:
And hold fast, all together to the rope of Allah(Quran) and do not separate. Al-Imran:103)
The last sermon of the prophet witnessed by the thousands has three versions are listed below.
1) I leave with you Quran and Sunnah Muwatta, 46/3
2) I leave with you Quran and Ahl al-bayt Muslim 44/4, Nu2408; ibn hanbal 4/366; darimi 23/1, nu 3319.
3) I leave you for the Quran alone you shall uphold it. Muslim 15/19, nu 1218; ibn Majah 25/84, Abu dawud 11/56.
NOW IF YOU LOOK AT PROPHET'S HADEETH OR ABOVE VERSES. THEY STRESS ON TWO THINGS QURAN & SUNNAH
FIRST QUESTION? QURAN
HOW MANY KNOWS THE QURAN?
WE HAVE TO READ AND THINK ABOUT QURAN VERSES. JUST READING ARABIC WE CAN NOT UNDERSTAND AND GET ON RIGHT PATH.
LOOK AT MANY EDUCATED PEOPLE THEY HAVE SPENT 20 YEARS OF THEIR BEST PART OF LIFE SPENT ON EDUCATION AND THEY DONT KNOW QURAN. I SEEN MANY HIGH QUALIFIED PEOPLE DOING TAXI, WORKING IN FACTORIES ETC. SO WORLDS HIGH QUALIFIED EDUCATION COULD NOT FOUND FOR HIM GOOD JOB SO ITS NOT A GAURENTEE THAT IF SOMEONE IS HIGHLY QUALIFIED AND HE WILL GET A JOB OF HIS FIELD.
BUT IF WE LEARN QURAN THEN IT WILL GIVE US HIDAYAT IN THIS WORLD, SHAFAT IN JUDGEMENT DAY. QURAN DESCRIBES THAT DEGREE HOLDER ARE UNEDUCATED PEOPLE (READ CHAPTER ONE WORD USED UMEYOON). SCIENTIST ARE PROVING THEIR THEORIES ACCORDING TO QURAN. SCIENTISTS THEORIES COULD BE WRONG BUT NOT THE QURAN. IT IS BECAUSE QURAN IS ALLAH 'S WORD AND THERE IS HIDAYAT AND LIGHT FOR EVERYONE IF HE/SHE WANTS TO GET IT. A VERY GOOD SCHOLAR OF TODAY SAID HE WAS ON FIRST FEW CHAPTERS OF QURAN WHEN HE ACCEPTED ISLAM. SOME LISTENED ONLY ONE VERSE AND ACCEPTED ISLAM.
BUT LOOK AT THOSE WHO READ WHOLE QURAN EACH YEAR BUT STILL CAN NOT GET OUT FROM GROUP. THIS IS BECAUSE THEY DONT TRY TO LOOK AT TRANSLATION AND THEY DON'T TRY TO UNDERSTAND IT. WHEN WE LEARN AND COMPARE QURAN WITH OUR LIFES THEN WE CAN FIND MISTAKES IN US AND CAN CORRECT OURSELVES. THERE SHOULD NOT BE ANY QUESTION THAT QURAN IS DIFFICULT TO UNDERSTAND. IF A NON MUSLIM CAN READ, UNDERSTAND AND CONVERT TO ISLAM THEN WHY NOT WE? TODAYS QURAN CAN BE FOUND IN ALL MAJOR LANGUAGES.
LOOK AT EXAMPLE OF NEW MUSLIM I HAVE MET HIM. HIS COMPUTER WAS FULL OF QURAN AND HADITH DOWNLOAD AND LOOK AT OUR COMPUTERS?
So my first advice for myself and for everyone is to read and understand quran with translation and then implement it in on our lifes. Because when Sahaba when learn some ayat then they implement it on themselves. That is the actual learning.
Second thing is SUNNAH.
QURAN SAYS READ NAMAZ BUT HOW TO READ NAMAZ IS NOT IN THE QURAN. SO WE HAVE TO LOOK AT PROPHETS LIFE (BY READING HADEETH). IT IS VERY SAD TO SAY SOME SECTS DENIED HADITH. AFTER PROPHET MUHAMMAD(PBUH) DEATH, COMPANION OF PROPHET, TABEEN AND TABA TABEEN LIVED THEIR LIVE ACCORDING TO QURAN AND HADITH. WHEN ANY ISSUE ARISEN BETWEEN THEM THEN THEY SOLVED ACCORDING TO QURAN AND HADITH. ALL MAIN FOUR IMAM GAVE FATWA ACCORDING TO QURAN AND FROM HADITH THEY KNEW. HADITH AT THAT TIME WAS NOT WRITTEN IN BOOKS AND NOT EVERYONE HAS MEMORISED ALL OF HADITH's. IMAM BUKHARI WAS THE FIRST AUTHOR WHO WROTE FIRST BOOK IMAM BUKHARI.
It is said that al-Bukhari collected over 300,000 hadith and included only 2,602 traditions in his Sahih.At the time when Bukhari saw [the earlier] works and conveyed them, he found them, in their presentation, combining between what would be considered SAHIH AND HASAN and that many of them included DAIF hadith. This aroused his interest in compiling hadith whose authenticity was beyond doubt.
HADITH COLLECTION (MEAN IN BOOK FORM Like Bukhari, Muslim, Abu Dawood etc) STARTED ABOUT 300 YEARS AFTER PROPHET'S (PBUH) DEATH.
MANY GROUPS NOW FOLLOW IMAMS (E.G IMAM HANIFA, IMAM AHMED, IMAM HANBAL) WHICH ARE TABEEN AND TABA TABEEN
WHO ARE TABEEN AND TABA TABEEN?
PEOPLE WHO SAW PROPHET(PBUH) CALL SAHABA AND PEOPLE WHO SAW SAHABA CALLED TABEEN AND PEOPLE WHO SAW TABEEN ARE CALLED TABA TABBEEN (SO three generation after Mohammad (PBUH)).
BECAUSE ALL HADITH WERE NOT WRITTEN IN FORM OF BOOK SO ISSUED ARISEN. ALSO THEIR WERE MANY HADITH WHICH WERE DAI'F. SCHOLARS OF THAT TIME (LIKE IMAM BUKHARI) STARTED COLLECTION OF HADITH (LIKE BUKHARI, MUSLIM ETC.)
TO OVERCOME ARISING ISSUE(NAMAZ ETC. ) THE IMAMS OF THAT PERIOD STARTED GIVING FATWA (CALLED IJTIHAD) IN LIGHT OF HADEETH THEY KNEW.
E.G IF IN UK WE HAVE INSURANCE ISSUE MEAN ITS ALLOWED OR NOT ALLOWED THEN OUR IMAMS IN LIGHT OF HADITH GIVE SOME FATWA ETC. BUT AS SOON THEY KNEW CLEAR HADITH FROM BOOK (RELATING TO INSURANCE) THEN THEY SAID THIS HADITH EXPLAINS MORE BETTER SO DO IT ACCORDING TO THIS HADITH. NOTE: I AM GIVING THIS EXAMPLE ONLY TO UNDERSTAND A VIEW OF PREVIOUS TIME BECAUSE INSURANCE STARTED FEW YEARS AGO.
SO ALL IMAMS(IMAMA HANIFA, IMAM AHMED, IMAM SHAFI ETC) OF THAT PERIOD TOLD THAT IF YOU FOUND ANY HADITH ABOUT THIS MATTER THEN YOU LEAVE MY SAYING FOR THAT MATTER AND DO ACCORDIND TO HADITH. THIS SEEMS BECAUSE OF TWO REASONS. EACH IMAM KNOWS A CERTAIN NUMBER OF HADITH E.G IF ONE KNOWS 90,000 HADITHS THEN HE WILL GIVE GIVE FATWA OR STATEMENT ACCORDING TO 90,000 HADITH HE KNEW. ALSO THERE ARE SO MANY HADITH WERE DAI'F. SO THERE IS A WAY TO CHECK AUTHNTICITY OF EACH HADITH. E.G IN "SAHIH BUKHARI" ONLY THOSE HADITH ARE ADDED WHICH IMAM BUKHARI BELIEVED TO BE SAHIH AND HASAN. HE TOOK SO MUCH CARE IN ADDING ANY HADITH IN HIS FIRST BOOK.
SO WHEN ISLAM SPREAD OUT TO OTHER COUNTRIES PEOPLE OF THAT IMAM KEEP PRACTICING ACCORDING TO WHAT THEIR IMAMS SAID. BUT A GROUP OF PEOPLE KEEP CHANGING THEMSELVES ACCORDING TO WHAT THEY RECIEVED A HADITH ABOUT THAT MATTER ( BECAUSE OF AFTER BUKHARI MANY OTHER HADITH BOOKS ARE WRITTEN LIKE TIRMIDI, MUSLIM, ABU DAWOOD, ETC.).
E.G The madhhab of Abu Haneefah (may Allaah have mercy on him) is the most widespread madhhab among the Muslims, and perhaps one of the reasons for that is that the Ottoman caliphs followed this madhhab and they ruled the Muslim lands for more than six centuries. That does not mean that the madhhab of Abu Haneefah is the most sound madhhab or that every ijtihaad in it is correct, rather like other madhhabs it contains some things that are correct and some that are incorrect. What the believer must do is to follow the truth and what is correct, regardless of who says it.
NOW YOU CAN SEE CLEARLY IF YOU GO TO DIFFERENT COUNTRY THEY FOLLOWING A DIFFERENT IMAMS. E.G IN USA AND UK THERE ARE PEOPLE FROM ALL AROUND THE WORLD SO YOU CAN SEE MORE GROUPS IN USA AND UK COMPARE TO OTHER COUNTRIES LIKE PAKISTAN. THIS IS BECAUSE GROUP IN OTHER COUNTRIES LIKE IRAN, IRAQ, LEBANON, AFGHANISTAN, SYRIA MIGHT BE DIFFERENT. E.G IF YOU GO TO LEBABNON THEN PROBABLY THEIR WILL BE MALIKI (IMAM MALIK FOLLOWER), PAKISTAN DEOBAND(IMAM HANIFA FOLLOWER), SUNNI(IMAM AHMED FOLLOWER) AND SAME EXAMPLE CAN BE SEEN IN IRAN, AFGHANISTAN, SYRIA, IRAQ ETC.
AFTER 1400 YEARS MEAN TODAY YOU CAN SEE PEOPLE WHO BEEN FOLLOWING IMAM ARE STILL FOLLOWING OR DOING MORE THAN WHAT THEIR IMAM SAID(e.g eid milad, Khatam, Giyarvi Sharif etc. ). MANY THINGS AS I MENTIONED (MILAD, KHATAM, GRAVE WORSHIP, PROSTRATION IN FRONT OF GRAVE ETC.) ARE NOT IN ANY OF IMAM MADHAB BUT PEOPLE ARE ADDING THEM UP. ANYTHING ASSOCIATING WITH ALLAH IS SHIRK AND IT TAKES HIM/HER OUT OF ISLAM AND PEOPLE DO NOT REALIZE THAT THIS ACTION CAN TAKE THEM TO HELL FIRE FOREVER.
QUESTION? Why are there differences of opinion among the imams concerning fiqhi matters? Is it essential to follow one of the madhhabs?
The Sahaabah (may Allah be pleased with them) used to refer to two sources(QURAN AND SUNNAH), then after the death of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), they took on the mission of teaching the people their religion. They scattered throughout the regions, and there is no doubt that they were not all the same in their memorising the Sunnah of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him). The fatwas of those who had memorised more were in accordance with the Sunnah, and those that had not memorised as much strove to work out the correct opinion. Hence the differences in the extent to which they had memorised became a cause of the differences between their fatwas.
Moreover, the same text may have been memorised by two Sahaabis, but each of them understood it differently from the other, and the text itself was such that it could be interpreted differently by each.
Then knowledge spread far and wide, and there emerged in this religion imams of knowledge and guidance, including the four imams (Abu Haneefah, Maalik, al-Shaafa’i and Ahmad, may Allah have mercy on them). So other reasons for their differences emerged, other than those mentioned above, such as their differences as to whether a hadeeth was sound or weak, and their differences with regard to the principles of understanding the text. This is what is called usool al-fiqh.
As for the reasons for the differences among the scholars, there are many, for example: none of them encompassed all of knowledge, so things that were known to others may have been hidden from one of them, and he may have understood the texts in a way that others did not understand them because the clear evidence was hidden from him.
Fataawa al-Lajnah al-Daa’imah, 2/178
Thus the following becomes clear:
1. It is obligatory for a Muslim to follow that which is in the Holy Qur'aan and that which is proven of the Prophet's Sunnah, and he does not have to follow a specific fiqhi madhhab.
2. There are many reasons for the differences between scholars, and these differences have been compiled in the book Raf’ al-Malaam ‘an al-Aâimmat al-A’laam, by Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allah have mercy on him), and Asbaab Ikhtilaaf al-Ulama wa Mawqifuna min dhaalika by Shaykh Muhammad ibn Saalih al-‘Uthaymeen (may Allaah have mercy on him).
3. The imams of Islam are not only four; rather they are many, but Allah has caused these four imams to become famous; may Allah have mercy on them.
4. The way of these four imams and other imams of the Muslims is based on following and revering the texts, and they enjoined us to do that and forbade us to imitate them blindly. The one who is pleased with them as imams should be pleased with their way. None of the imams of Islam called on people to adopt his view and give it precedence over the views of anyone else, and Allah has stated that they are above that. Indeed it is proven from all of them they warned against doing this and advised people to follow the Qur'aan and Sunnah.
5. These madhhabs are like schools of understanding of the Qur'aan and Sunnah. The imams strove to work out the rulings that they thought were closest to the Qur'aan and Sunnah and there is nothing wrong with the Muslim following one of these madhhabs, but that is on the condition that if it becomes clear to him that the Sunnah of the Prophet is something other than what he has learned from his madhhab, then what he is required to do is to ignore the view of the madhhab and follow the Sunnah. This is the advice of these imams, as Imam al-Shaafi (may Allah be pleased with him) and others said: If the hadeeth is saheeh, then that is my madhhab.
6. People are not equal in their study of the texts of Revelation and they are not equal in their ability to understand those texts. Hence many Muslims are content to follow these imams. As these four imams became famous and had students who propagated their views, therefore you find some people following the Hanafi or Maaliki or Shaafi or Hanbali madhhab. Usually the madhhab of the common folk is the madhhab of their Shaykh in their city or village. There is nothing wrong with what the common folk do, because they are enjoined to ask the people of knowledge. But they do not have the right to denounce others for adopting a different opinion or to issue fatwas or to adhere fanatically to the words of their Shaykh. Rather when the truth becomes clear to him he must act upon it and not do anything other than that.
HOW CAN MOHAMMAD'S (PBUH) UMMAH CAN BE TOGHTER AGAIN WHEN THEY ARE DIFFERENT IN SECTS, DIFFERENT IN LANGUAGES AND LIVING IN DIFFERENT COUNTRIES?
LIKE OUR PROPHET SAID
1) I leave with you Quran and Sunnah Muwatta, 46/3
AND THIS QURAN AND SUNNAH WILL BE TAUGHT BY IMAM MEHDI AND JESUS (A. S).
MAIN POINT TO REMEMBER THAT SAHABA, TABEEN, TABA TABEEN ALL PUT EFFORT TO DO THEIR ALL ACTIONS ACCORDING TO QURAN AND SUNNAH.
NOT EVERYONE IS EDUCATED WELL AND NOT ALL CAN UNDERSTAND QURAN AND HADITH. THERE ARE MANY HADITH WHICH ARE DAI'F. SOME SCHOLAR TAKE A TEXT OF QURAN AND HADITH AND TRANSLATE IT ACCORDING TO HIS OWN DESIRE/WHIM. I ASK PEOPLE THAT DO NOT MAKE YOUR RELIGION A BUSINESS. ANY ACT OF WORSHIP WE DO SHOULD BE ACCORDING TO QURAN AND SUNNAH.
NECESSARY STEPS:
1). ARABIC IS FIRST FUNDAMENTAL AND BASIC STEP BEFORE YOU START UNDERSTANDING ISLAM. NOT EVERYONE BUT ATLEAST ASK YOUR IMAM? DID HE KNOW ARABIC? DID HE UNDRSTAND AND LEARNED QURAN IN ARABIC LANGUAGE?. I HAVE SEEN MANY PEOPLE BLINDLY FOLLOWING IMAMS AND I HAVE REALIZED FROM THEIR IMAM SPEECH THAT THEY DON'T KNOW EVEN BASICS OF ISLAM. THEY SAYING SHIRK AND PEOPLE ARE HAPPY WITH THEIR SPEECH. THIS IS BECAUSE NONE OF KNOWS ARABIC. WHEN IMAM RECITES QURAN IMAM AND THEIR FOLLOWER BOTH DON'T KNOW WHAT ADVICE QURAN IS GIVING. E.G IN EACH SURAT FATIHA THEY SAY "O ALLAH WE ONLY ASK HELP FROM YOU AND WE ONLY WORSHIP YOU". BUT WHEN LOOK AT THEIR LIFES THEY ASKING FROM GRAVES, WORSHIPPING THEM, THEY HAVE THEIR SAINTS(PEER) WHO TELL ABOUT FUTURE ETC. ABOUT FUTURE ITS ONLY ALLAH WHO KNOWS AND IT IS VERY CLEAR VERSE OF QURAN. BUT THEY GO TO FIND OUT THEIR NEEDS LIKE ALLAH SAYS IN QURAN
Whoever goes to a soothsayer and believes what he says has disbelieved in that which was revealed to Muhammad PBUH is that the one who asks a soothsayer a question, believing that he tells the truth and that he knows the unseen, has committed an act of kufr, because he has gone against the Quraan in which Allaah Azo Gal says (interpretation of the meaning): Say: None in the heavens and the earth knows the Ghaib (Unseen) except Allah Azo Gal [al-Naml 27:65].
ONCE SOMEONE KNOWS ARABIC WELL THEN SECOND STEP IS UNDERSTANDING OF QURAN ACCORDING TO TEACHING OF PROPHET MUHAMMAD (PBUH) BY READING HADITH. NOT LIKE THOSE WHO TRANSLATING IT ACCORDING TO THEIR OWN UNDERSTANDING/DESIRE. SOME SCHOLAR KNOWS THE TRUTH BUT THEY CONCEAL IT BECAUSE IN THAT CASE THEIR BUSINESS OF LOOTING PEOPLE WILL BE ENDED. WE KNOW IN EACH LANGUAGE ONE SENTENCE CAN MAKE MANY MEANING SO UNDERSTAND QURAN ACCORDING TO CORRECT TEACHING OF PROPHET MUHAMMAD(PBUH) IS VERY IMPORTANT. E.G READ IBN KATHIR IS,
E.G TAFSIR IBN KATHIR. ( http://www.quran4u.com/Tafsir%20Ibn%20Kathir/Index.htm)
SECOND CHECK YOUR EACH ACTION ACCORDING TO QURAN AND SUNNAH (IF YOU REALY WANT TO GO TO PARADISE). ANY FESTIVAL OR IBADAT YOU DO SHOULD HAVE A REFERECE FROM QURAN AND SUNNAH. DO NOT SUPPORT WEAK HADITH WHEN YOU HAVE MAJORITY OF SAHIH HADITH IN FRONT OF YOU. THERE ARE MANY CASES THAT SOME PEOPLE GIVE PREFRENCE TO ONE/TWO WEAK HADITHS AGAINST MAJORITY OF SAHIH HADITH. IF YOU DO NOT KNOW THEN DISCUSS DIFFERENT SCHOLAR AND FIND THE TRUTH. ITS NOT HARD TO FIND THE TRUTH.
ASK SINCERELY ALLAH ( AZO GAL) FOR GUIDANCE AND IN-SHA-ALLAH HE WILL GUIDE YOU. IT IS ONLY ALLAH (AZO GAL ) WHO CAN GUIDE.
THIRD I HAVE SEEN MANY WAY OF IBADAT WHICH IS NOT PRACTICED BY MAJORITY. EVEN IMAM YOU FOLLOWING NEVER DID THAT BUT PEOPLE ARE DOING IT. IT MEANS THAT IS CLEARLY INNOVATION. SO SAVE YOURSELF FROM INNOVATION AND ALL INNOVATION ARE MISGUIDANCE AND TAKE TO HELL FIRE.
