The Hadith that ‘The community will split into seventy-three groups’ does not support Takfirism and Sectarian Supremacism
By
Grace Mubashir, New Age Islam
14
October 2023
Forged
Hadith Is Often Deployed by Radical Islamists to Preach Takfirism And Sectarian
Supremacism to Institutionalize Sectarianism in Islam and justify sectarian
murders and massacres.
Major
points:
1. The prophetic Hadith saying that ‘The
Muslim community will split into seventy-three factions and all but one of them
will be in Hell’ is misrepresented by radicals to preach Takfirism and
sectarian Supremacism to prop up their versions of Islam.
2. This Hadith is not authentic according to
many scholars.
3. The thematic study of Hadith also does not
signify Takfirism.
4. Islam is a plural religion that allows has
room for multiple interpretations.
---------
The
Prophet is quoted as saying that ‘the Muslim community will split into
seventy-three factions and all but one of them will be in Hell’. This Hadith
has been used by radical Islamist sects to declare Jihad against Muslim sects
and mercilessly murder them, as seen from ISIS activities. Besides, this Hadith
has caused a widespread scourge of Takfirism. Using this Hadith, radical
Islamist sects justify violence against other Muslims as they are described as
apostates and thus legible to be killed. In India, this Hadith is deployed by
every sect to denigrate others and claim monopoly to truth.
A true
reading of this Hadith will render invalid the arguments of radical preachers.
Along with refuting the supremacist arguments of all sects.
The
Hadith is not very authentic
There
has been much discussion regarding the validity and authenticity of this
prophetic saying. These arguments can be summarized as follows:
1. The first thing to understand is that this
hadith does not appear in the authentic hadith collections/Sahihs of Bukhari
and Muslim. This is because the criteria they put forward for the Hadith to be
acceptable, although it is a matter of considerable debate, is not met by this
Hadith. One may ask whether the entire Sahih Hadiths are not in Bukhari and
Muslim. That is correct. But if it is a scholarly discussion of great
importance, they will not fail to provide at least one hadith related to it.
2. There is no mention of 'all the groups in
Hell except one' in this prophetic saying which has come down through some
chain of narrators. It only mentions the number of groups that split after they
said they would split. Abu Dawud, Tirmidhi, Ibn Majah, Ibn Hibban, Hakim, etc.
quoted from Abu Huraira that the Prophet said: “The Jewish community was
divided into seventy-one (or seventy-two) groups. The Christian community was
also divided into seventy-one (or seventy-two) sects. My community will be
divided into seventy-three groups.” No mention of all splinter groups being in
hell.
Tirmidhi
has given this as hadith number 4596 in his collection, chapter 'Al-Iman'.
Although he says it is 'Hasan' and 'Sahih', and Ibn Hibban and Hakim attest
that it is Sahih, Muhammad ibn Amribni Alkhamabni Waqqas Allaisi in that chain
of narrators is problematic. It is said that when his biographical notes were
given in Tahdeed Tahdeeb (a critical work on Hadith narrators), everyone
doubted his credibility. It is also said that they mentioned his name because
the other narrators were weaker (untrustworthy) than him. Ibn Hajar says only
this in his Takhrib: 'Truthful with some illusions.' (swadukhun lahu auham)
means faithful but at a lower level.
One
more thing to note. Reporters such as Tirmidhi and Ibn Hibban take a very
liberal approach when it comes to the question of whether a hadith is weak or
not. Hakim is also described as one who jumps the threshold of acceptance.
Although this hadith has been narrated by many Companions such as Abdullah ibn
Amr, Muawiyah, Auf ibn Malik and Anas, its chain of transmission is weak. There
is also an argument that when a hadith is transmitted through multiple sources,
the hadith is accepted even though the chain of narrators is weak. I have a
different opinion: it is not a general principle that it can be accepted if it
is reported in several ways. How many hadiths reported in many ways have been
judged Da'eef/weak by scholars of Hadith? Sometimes the problem is with the
reporting network, and sometimes with its concept. There may be contradiction
and ambiguity in the concept.
Hadith
does not support Takfirism
Let's
take the idea of this hadith. The thematic study of the Hadith too repudiates
the arguments of radicals and supremacists.
1. One statement is that splinter groups are
more common in Muslim societies than in Jewish-Christian societies. Then it
says that all but one of these are in hell. This allows each group to claim
that they are the winners and that the other groups are doomed. This opens the
door to disintegration and recrimination. This will weaken all factions and
strengthen the enemy. So, Ibn al-Wazir (d. 840 AH) says that this hadith in
general and the part added to it, in particular, would become completely
counterintuitive. It will lead to members of the community accusing each other
of misguidance and infidels. Ibnul Wazir talks about the virtues of the Muslim
community in his book Al-Awaswim. It also warns that no sect should make
another sect kafir. He says: 'Everything is destroyed; Don't let the phrase
"except one" fool you. Too much of that part is destructive. Against
principles. It could be the secret plan of the forgerers.'
He
records that Ibn Hazm said: 'This is a false hadith. Hadith is Maukhufu (the
chain of narrators reaches the Sahabi) is not the same as Marfu (the chain of
narrators reaches the Prophet). Much has also been said about the Qadriyya,
Murjiyya and Ash'ariyya sects (major sects in medieval Islamic history). All
these are false hadiths without any basis' (Al Awaswim Walkhawaswim 1/186).
2. Among the later and earlier scholars some
rejected it not only on the basis of the chain of narrators but also on the
basis of its concept. Muslims are a community entrusted with the great
responsibility of being witnesses to the truth. They have been described as the
best community in the Qur'an. In this verse attributed to the Prophet, it is
said that they will cross the Judeo-Christian communities in terms of division
and disunity. What the Qur'an says about the Jewish-Christian communities (see
verses al-Ma'idah: 64; 14) does not at all agree with this idea. Those verses
speak of severe disunity and enmity among them. Nowhere does the Qur'an make
such references to the Muslim community. It is only a reminder that you should
not be divided as those who were before you.
Abu
Muhammad Ibn Hazm (died 456 AH) was a scholar who took a strong stand against
the apostasy of one section of the Muslim community due to ideological
differences. He points out that two sayings attributed to the Prophet are cited
as evidence by the disbelieving sect.
One:
'The Qadriyas and Murjiyas are the Magus/Fire worshipers of this community.'
Two:
'This community will split into seventy-odd groups. All but one of these are in
Hell. Only that one group in heaven.'
Later
he notes that both of these are not established sayings of the Prophet (Ibn
Hasam's Alfaswlu Fil Milali Vannihal 3/292).
The
aforementioned scholar Ibn al-Wazir also mentions that non-believers joined the
chain of narration of this verse attributed to the Prophet. It also says that
no criterion of hadith acceptance (Swihhat) is met in it. That is why Bukhari
and Muslim did not include that verse in their compilations. 'All sects in
hell; Ibn Hazm has no doubt that the passage 'except for one section' is
completely false.
3. Ibn Hajar and Ibn Taymiyyah said that there
is no problem with this hadith (Hasan) and that it can be accepted because it
was reported in many ways, but that verse does not mean that the Muslim
community should remain divided in such numbers until the end of the world. At
some point in history, if there were such a large number of groups, what was
said in it would be true. It is true that there will be few groups in the
community. Those groups do not last forever. Only truthful groups will survive.
Those that are not will perish in the course of time. It will never come back.
Examples of such groups can be found in Islamic history that have gone astray
and subsequently disappeared.
And if
we look closely at that Hadith, there is an indication that all the splinter
groups are part of the Muslim Ummah. The expression 'My Ummah will be divided'
implies that even if they carry heresies, those groups are not outside the
limits of the Muslim community body. Even when it is said that 'all are in
hell, except one', it does not mean that they are in hell for a period of time
like criminals and adulterers. It is enough to consider it as a punishment for
their deviation while they were believers. We can hope that there will be
Prophets, Angels and virtuous pious souls to ask for forgiveness of such
mistakes and that the Lord of the world will spare them the punishment due to
the good deeds they have done. Tried to know the truth with purity of intention
but got lost. If this is the reason for the split, then this expectation may
not be misplaced.
Conclusion
The
Hadith is supposed to be forged in the politically turbulent early years of
Islam. And the meaning also does not suggest sectarianism is supported by
Islam. The radicals and sectarian supremacists are misusing this Hadith to
support their nefarious ideas. Islam is a plural religion which accommodates
various interpretations of religion. Takfirism often sold using this Hadith is
seriously untenable.
…
A
regular columnist for NewAgeIslam.com, Mubashir V.P. is a PhD scholar in
Islamic Studies at Jamia Millia Islamia and a freelance journalist.
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