Question:
assalamualikum
Is the Hadeeth of the 73 sects authentic?
Shukr. wasalam
Answer:
In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
1. Abu Hurayrah (radiyallahu’anhu) reports that Rasulullah (ﷺ) said: ‘The Jews were divided into seventy one or seventy two sects, and so were the Christians. My Ummah will be divided into seventy three sects.’ (Sunan Tirmidhi, Hadith: 2640 and Sahih Ibn Hibban, Hadith: 6247 & 6731)
Imam Tirmidhi and Imam Ibn Hibban (rahimahumallah) have declared this Hadith as authentic (hasan sahih & sahih).
2. Sayyiduna ‘Abdullah Ibn ‘Amr ibnul ‘As (radiyallahu’anhuma) reports that Rasulullah (ﷺ) said: ‘…indeed the Banu Israel (Jews) were divided into seventy two sects. My Ummah will be divided into seventy three. All of them will be [deserving of being] in the fire besides one sect. It was asked: ‘which one will that be?’ Nabi (ﷺ) replied: ‘The one who follows my way and the way of my Companions.’ (Sunan Tirmidhi, Hadith: 2641)
Imam Tirmidhi (rahimahullah) has declared this Hadith as sound (hasan).
3. Sayyiduna Mu’awiyah (radiyallahu’anhu) reports that Rasulullah (ﷺ) said: ‘Behold! Those before you were divided into seventy two sects. This Ummah will break into seventy three. Seventy two will be [deserving of being] in the fire, and one will be in Jannah. That’s the one that follows the Group (of my Sahabah and my way).’ (Sunan Abi Dawud, Hadith: 4587)
Therefore, the Ahadith regarding the 73 sects are authentic and correct narrations, especially when its various chains and wordings are gathered together. Various scholars of Ahadith have established its authenticity and soundness.
“The one who follows my way and the way of my Companions” is referring to the Ahlus Sunnah Wal Jama’ah (Adherents to the authentic Sunnah and the examples of the Companions of the Messenger ﷺ). The Ahlus Sunnah wal Jama’ah are that group of people whose belief and ideology conforms to that of the Sunnah as understood by the righteous Sahabah, a belief and ideology which has been passed on from generation to generation, and will remain protected by Allah till the advent of Qiyaamah. During the course of Islamic history, many groups and sects deviated from this path on account of various reasons and attempted to introduce into Islam deviations, innovations, alterations, incorrect ideas and fanciful interpretations, by which the very soul and objective of Islam would be destroyed. The Ulama of the Ahl us-Sunnah wal Jama’ah had always opposed such ideologies and worked tirelessly to eradicate or at least cripple them. Allah used them as a means of keeping aloft the light of Islam and the Sunnah, inspire of many efforts to extinguish it.
A person should seek knowledge of the Quran and Sunnah to be guided on the true path. Without knowledge one cannot be guided. Without knowing what is right from wrong, man will never be able to save himself from misguidance. Without the knowledge of Deen man is a vulnerable victim of shaytaan.
And Allah Ta’āla Knows Best.
Mufti Arshad Ali
Darul Iftaa, Jaamia Madinatul Uloom (Trinidad)
