Q: Which one is the saved sect?
As salam aleikum, According prophet Muhammed may the peace of Allah be upon Him said ….The muslims will be divided into many numbers and the one on top will be in right way please kindly explain
All praise be to Allah, and may his peace and blessings be on the last and best prophet and messenger, Muhammad.
You are likely referring to the following hadeeth:
ุนู ุนุจุฏ ุงูููููู ุจู ุนูู
ูุฑูู ูุงู: ูุงู ุฑุณูู ุงูููููู (ุตูู ุงููู ุนููู ูุณูู
): “ููููุฃูุชูููููู ุนูู ุฃูู
ููุชูู ู
ุง ุฃุชู ุนูู ุจูููู ุฅูุณูุฑูุงุฆูููู ุญูุฐููู ุงููููุนููู ุจูุงููููุนูููุ ุญุชู ุฅู ูุงู ู
ููู
ู
ู ุฃุชู ุฃูู
ูููู ุนูููุงููููุฉู ููููุงูู ูู ุฃูู
ููุชูู ู
ู ููุตูููุนู ุฐูู ููุฅูููู ุจูููู ุฅูุณูุฑูุงุฆูููู ุชูููุฑููููุชู ุนูู ุซูููุชููููู ููุณูุจูุนูููู ู
ููููุฉู ููุชูููุชูุฑููู ุฃูู
ููุชูู ุนูู ุซูููุงุซู ููุณูุจูุนูููู ู
ููููุฉู ูููู
ูู ุงููููุงุฑู ุฅูุง ู
ููููุฉู ููุงุญูุฏูุฉู ูุงููุง ููู
ููู ูููู ูุง ุฑูุณูููู ุงูููููู ูุงู ู
ุง ุฃูุง ุนููู ููุฃูุตูุญูุงุจูู.” ูุงู ุฃุจู ุนููุณูู ูุฐุง ุญูุฏููุซู ู
ูููุณููุฑู ุบุฑูุจ ููุง ููุนูุฑููููู ู
ูุซููู ูุฐุง ุฅูุง ู
ู ูุฐุง ุงููููุฌููู โโโ.โ
ููู ุฑูุงูุฉ ูุงู “ูู ุงูุฌู
ุงุนุฉุ ูุฏ ุงููู ุนูู ุงูุฌู
ุงุนุฉโ”.โ
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: โMy nation will experience everything that the Children of Israel had experienced, following in their footsteps exactly, so much so that if one of them had approached his mother publicly for sex, one of my nation will do the same. The Children of Israel divided into 72 sects. My nation will divide into 73 sects, and all of them will be in the Hellfire save one.โ The people asked him: โAnd which one will that be? He replied: โThe one that follows what I and my Companions are upon right now.โ And in a different narration, he said about that group: “It is the group/mainstream; Allah’s hand is with the group.”
This hadeeth has been authentically reported โ though some disagreed with its authenticity - by Ahmad and the books called as-Sunan, including at-Tirmidhi from which is the above mentioned wording.
According to the hadeeth, the group that is guided is that one that understands the text of the revelation (Quran and Sunnah) according to the understanding of the best generation, that of the companions. It is also the mainstream and the group that works for unity amongst the Muslims and calls to orthodoxy of faith and practice and unity of the ranks of the Muslims.
You may be able to point them out from the rest by the following signs:
โข They follow the revelation (Quran and Sunnah) and quote it appropriately. And they are keen to seek out the authentic sunnah of our most beloved, Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him).
โข They understand the revelation according to the understanding of the righteous predecessors, which are the companions, and those who followed in their footsteps.
โข They don’t reject or defy the consensus of the previous generations.
โข In matters of aqeedah, They receive their faith from the pure sources of the Quran and Sunnah. They don’t liken Allah to his creatures, nor do they negate his attributes. They believe Allah’s rule (shari’ah) is supreme, and work for its implementation in their societies. They believe in predestination without negating man’s choice…etc.
โข In matters of fiqh, they may โ or may not - follow a madhhab, but are always keen to abide by the Sunnah when it is clear. They don’t fish for illegitimate concessions, nor do they neglect to enjoy legitimate ones. They follow a path of moderation between extremism and laxity. And most importantly, they do what they say and vice versa.
โข In matters of the history of Islam and the companions and the great imams, they speak well of them and abstain from any mention of them that is belittling or defaming. They respect the scholars of Islam, particularly the ones whose leadership is agreed upon, such as the four imams, Abu Haneefah, Malik, ash-Shafe’ee and Ahmad. And they do so without giving any of them the position of the Messenger of Allah, who is obeyed without questioning in all matters. They are moderate in their following of the madhahib between the extremes of excessive zeal and contempt.
โข They work for unity amongst the Muslims. They love them and fear for the disobedient and misguided amongst them and seek to help them through advice (naseehah). They care about the Muslims and grieve over the afflictions the nation may encounter. And they have allegiance for the believers regardless of their race, color, language, nationality, tribe or social or economic status. They never aid their enemies against them.
โข The hadeeth, though, should be understood in the context of the entire revelation to make out a balanced view. It should not make us forget the many verses and ahadeeth praising the Muslim nation and indicating that it is a blessed and forgiven one; of those we should not forget Allah’s statement:
“ูููุชูู
ู ุฎูููุฑู ุฃูู
ููุฉู ุฃูุฎูุฑูุฌูุชู ููููููุงุณู ุชูุฃูู
ูุฑูููู ุจูุงููู
ูุนูุฑูููู ููุชููููููููู ุนููู ุงููู
ููููุฑู ููุชูุคูู
ูููููู ุจูุงููููู ูููููู ุขู
ููู ุฃููููู ุงููููุชูุงุจู ููููุงูู ุฎูููุฑุงู ูููููู
ู
ููููููู
ู ุงููู
ูุคูู
ูููููู ููุฃูููุซูุฑูููู
ู ุงููููุงุณูููููู”
Ye are the best of peoples, evolved for mankind, enjoining what is right, forbidding what is wrong, and believing in Allah. If only the People of the Book had faith, it were best for them: among them are some who have faith, but most of them are perverted transgressors. (3:110)
Nor should we forget the Prophet’s statement:
“ุฃู
ุชู ูุงูู
ุทุฑ ูุง ูุฏุฑู ุงููู ุฎูุฑ ุฃู
ุขุฎุฑู.”
“My nation is like rain, it is not known which part of it is better, the beginning or the end!” reported by at-Tabarani in al-Awsat.
โข It is of note here that some people may deviate on certain aspects from the path of Ahl-us-sunanh but would still be considered of them in general, albeit with certain departures from Ahl-us-sunnah’s path in the matters regarding which they disagreed with Ahl-us-sunnah.
โข This is true unless their deviation is extensive to bring them out of the fold of Ahl-us-sunnah, such as those who reject the sunnah or belittle it, curse the companions or some of them, claim the existence of prophets or infallible individuals after Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), claim to have knowledge given to them in secret or in ways not accessible to the rest of the Muslim public, or have sources of knowledge other than the Quran and sunnah…etc.
โข Such deviations and others vary in degree and severity, with some of them casting their upholders outside the fold of Islam entirely.
โข It is also noteworthy that Allah has forgiven this nation their mistakes committed because of ignorance, the Prophet said:
โข ” ุนูู ุนู ุฃู
ุชู ุงูุฎุทุฃ ูุงููุณูุงู ู ู
ุง ุงุณุชูุฑููุง ุนููู.”
โข โAllah has pardoned my community what it commits by mistake, out of forgetfulness, or out of compulsion.โ
โข This hadeeth has also a subtle meaning, which is that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said in reference to those deviant sects “my nation” which indicates that they are still Muslim and that belonging to a deviant sect doesn’t necessarily take you out of the fold of Islam unless your deviation is one that entails disbelief.
Imam Ibn Taymiyah has the following to say regarding those sects:
“Anyone from one of the 72 other sects who is a hypocrite is indeed an unbeliever in his heart. Anyone form among them who is not a hypocrite but who in fact believes in Allah and His Messenger is not an unbeliever, regardless of whatever mistakes in interpretation they may have. When a believer says: โOur Lord, forgive us and our brothers who have preceded us in faithโ [from Sรปrah al-Hashr: 10], he means all the Muslims of the past centuries, even those who made mistakes in interpretation, acted contrary to the Sunnah, or committed some sins. They are still from his brothers who preceded him in faith and they all come under the generality of his supplication, even if they had belonged to one of the 72 other sects. Each one of these sects contains within its ranks a large number of people who are not unbelievers. They are believers who have gone somewhat astray and have sinned, making them worthy of the threat of punishment.” [Translation obtained from www.islamtoday.net]
While Ahl-us-sunnah must be aware and hateful of the deviations of those sects and ready to defend the sunnah of the Prophet, they should be the most merciful towards the entire Muslim nation.
May Allah guide us all to the path of his last and best messenger, Muhammad (peace be upon him). Allah knows best.
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