Do you see Islam separating into many different denominations like Christianity has? (heaven, hell)
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What do you think? Are Shi'ite and Sunni the only two branches of Islam? Are there significant divisions among these branches that will result in different branches?
According to this there are 73 sects within Islam. As a non muslim myself I always thought there were 2 Sunni and Shia. I guess religion will always evolve into different sects over a period of time. It's in mankinds nature never to agree on everything and put their own interpretation of the facts.
What do you think? Are Shi'ite and Sunni the only two branches of Islam? Are there significant divisions among these branches that will result in different branches?
About 90% of us are Sunni, 8% are Shi'ite. Nearly half of all Shi'ite live in Iran.
Currently there are 3 major divisions. Sunni, Shi'ite and Sufi. However it is not that clear as a Sufi can be Sunni or Shi'ite or neither. Some consider the Sufi to be a legitimate Madhab of Sunni. some consider it to be a Shi'ite Madhab and some Sufi do not follow any Madhab. The Sufi make up about 1% of all Muslims possibly more as there probably are Sunni that follow Sufi'ism as a Madhab. At one time Sufi was a legitimate Sunni Madhab and many of us (Myself included) still consider them to be such.
There are several other divisions of Islam but the numbers of all them combined will make up less than 1% of all Muslims.
Both the Qur'an and Ahadith state Islam will divide into sects but only those that follow the Sunnah will find Heaven. (This being the Sunni)
It is actually difficult for any separate divisions to occur as we have no central dogma. no central earthly authority, no ordained clergy and are a religion based upon personal responsibility. As long as a person tries to follow the 5 pillars of faith they are considered Muslim and if they are following the 5 pillars we are not to see any differences and among our self there is no room for adjectives. We should see each other as members of one Ummah no matter what we get labelled.
There are other religions that have a strong resemblance to Islam and non-Muslims often call them Muslims those Being:
NOI (Nation of Islam, an American Religion Founded in Chicago by Elijah Poole) the members do believe they are Muslims
Ahmadiyya (A Pakistan religion that is very similar to Islam) The members do believe they are Muslims and some of us Sunni do accept them as being Muslim.
Yazidi (A predominately Iraqi religion that is based on Judaism, Christianity and Islam along with various ancient Iraqi religions)
Sikhism (Sikhs are often mistaken for Muslims in many countries. But they make no claims of being such)
According to this there are 73 sects within Islam. As a non muslim myself I always thought there were 2 Sunni and Shia. I guess religion will always evolve into different sects over a period of time. It's in mankinds nature never to agree on everything and put their own interpretation of the facts.
While that is True. The numbers are more of a metaphor meaning many and are not necessarily meaning a specific number. I can think of at least 5 others that are not on that list of 73
There are at least 5 different Ahadith that speak of this dividing all saying similar to
The Jews will divide into 71 divisions (Meaning many) but only one will Find Jannah. The Christians will divide into 71 or 72 divisions (Meaning more) but only one will find Jannah and the Muslims will divide into 73 divisions (meaning The most) but onlyone will find Jannah.
Two of the most commonly Quoted:
Dawud :: Book 40 : Hadith 4579 Narrated AbuHurayrah:
The Prophet (peace_be_upon_him) said: The Jews were split up into seventy-one or seventy-two sects; and the Christians were split up into seventy one or seventy-two sects; and my community will be split up into seventy-three sects.
Reported by Awf ibn Malik Al Ashja'l:
The Prophet said, "How will you be O Awf when this nation is divided into 73 sects. One sect will be in Paradise and the rest in Hell."
I asked: "When will this be O Messenger of Allah?"
He answered, saying: "When the police increase and slave girls take authority, and when the lambs (weak authorities) sit on the pulpit, and when the Qu'ran is used as flutes and mosques decorated and the spoils of war manipulated, and the obligatory charity becomes an excessive debt, and trust is taken like spoils of war, and religious study is not for the Sake of Allah and when husbands obey their wives, and disobeys his mother, and banishes his father, and the last of this nation curses the beginning of it, and when the tribe is mastered by a deviator, and the leader of the nation is the worst of them and a man is treated generously to avoid his evil. Upon that day it will happen and men will run to Syria to the City of Damascus, which is one of the best cities in Syria that protects them from their enemy ... " I asked: "Will Syria be opened?"
He answered: "Yes, soon then after its opening the trials will start and a dark and dusty trial will come. Trials will follow one another until a man from the Family of my House called the Mahdi comes. If you reach him, follow him and be among those who are guided."(At-Tabarani)
According to this there are 73 sects within Islam. As a non muslim myself I always thought there were 2 Sunni and Shia. I guess religion will always evolve into different sects over a period of time. It's in mankinds nature never to agree on everything and put their own interpretation of the facts.
I forgot to mention the site the link is to is an Ahmadiyyat site. It is actually a very good site to learn about the Ahmadiyyah. I have a few Ahmadiyyah friends. Make for some interesting discussions. The Movement seems to be growing in the USA.
Personally I see them in much the same way Jews see Messianic Jews. A Hybrid form of Christianity.
The Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessing of Allah be upon him) said,
Those who came before you of the people of the Book split into seventy-two sects,
and this ummah will split into seventy-three:
seventy-two in Hell
and one in Paradise, and that is the jamaa’ah (Those who follow that which I and my companions follow).”
Those who came before you of the people of the Book split into seventy-two sects,
If that was prophecy I would say it has been proved wrong. It's a widely held belief that the number of sects if you are including Jews and Christians they would number in thousands...not seventy two.
If that was prophecy I would say it has been proved wrong. It's a widely held belief that the number of sects if you are including Jews and Christians they would number in thousands...not seventy two.
Points to keep in mind. This is from the Ahadith not the Qur'an. The Ahadith contain quite a few metaphors and other tidbits of typical Conversations of the time. They are from actual conversations spoken by Muhammad(saws) in his daily word usage, complete with the common grammar of the time and much usage of the idioms and metaphors used in daily conversations.. They are not the exact word of Allaah(swt)
I understand it as simply meaning there will be numerous divisions but only one will reach Heaven.
Others do differ as the word being translated as sect is Firqah and it has no actual meaning. It is a very hazy word that can be used for many things. Some, myself included, see this as indicating this is not referring to any specific number of sects but rather just a statement meaning a large number of divisions and disagreements with only one group adhering to what was revealed in the Qur'an.
Here are a few of the Ahadith that mention these firqah (in English)
The Messenger (SalAllahu ‘alaihi wasallam) said;
“The Jews were divided among themselves into seventy one or seventy two sects, and the Christians were divided among themselves into seventy one or seventy two sects. And My Ummah will be divided among itself into seventy three sects.” Abu Dawood, at-Tirmidhi, al-Hakim and Ahmad among several others, reported this Hadith. At-Tirmidhi said; “Hadeethun Hassanun Sahih”.
In another variation, Imam Ahmad recorded that Abu `Amir `Abdullah bin Luhay said; "We performed Hajj with Mu`awiyah bin Abi Sufyan. When we arrived at Makkah, he stood up after praying Dhuhr and said; ‘The Messenger of Allah (SalAllahu alaihi wasallam) said;
‘The People of the Two Scriptures divided into seventy-two sects. This Ummah will divide into seventy-three sects, all in the Fire except one, that is, the Jama’ah. Some of my Ummah will be guided by desire, like one who is infected by rabies; no vein or joint will be saved from these desires.’’”
This hadith was also narrated by Abu Dawood (2/503), Ahmad (4/102) and al-Haakim (1/128) among others, with similar wording but with the following addition;
“Seventy two in hell fire and one in the Jannah: that is the 'Jama’ah.'”
Have to admit I've not got into the hadiths in a major way. When I have questioned something in a Hadith that seemed not to add up I was told it was not an authentic or reliable Hadith. It seems a bit of a mine field to a non muslim person as to what is considered true and what is just someones opinion or interpretation.
Have to admit I've not got into the hadiths in a major way. When I have questioned something in a Hadith that seemed not to add up I was told it was not an authentic or reliable Hadith. It seems a bit of a mine field to a non muslim person as to what is considered true and what is just someones opinion or interpretation.
The Ahadith (Ahadith is the plural of hadith) are a very difficult area.There are ahadith that have high Authenticity but low reliability and very many that are unverified.
Actually to consider a Hadith true a person needs to search and find every source they can of a given Hadith and find a minimum of 4 different narrators. It gets to be a problem as the number of Ahadith collections is much larger than any one person could ever read.
But in general terms most Sunni Muslims accept the Collection by Bukhari to be of the highest reliability, but even there care must be taken as some only have one acknowledged witness, which gives those particular ones low reliability as to be the exact words Muhammad(saws) spoke. Although there is a very strong likelihood that if they are not the exact words, they are as the witness understood them.
I can sympathize with some Muslims being Hadith rejectors, it is a lot of work to study them. Yet, the Ahadith and the Sunnah are important to gain a better understanding of Islam.
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