(Part 23)
The Fourth Topic
The Second Speech: Islamic Sects
Linguistically, “firqah” (sect) comes from the root meaning “to separate, divide, or split.” Technically, a sect refers to a group that, while sharing the core beliefs of a religion, adopts unique perspectives that set them apart, without necessarily declaring them heretical.
The Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) is reported to have said: “The Offspring of Israel were divided into seventy-two sects, and my Ummah will be divided into seventy-three; all will be in Hellfire except one.” When asked which group that is, he replied: “The one that follows what I and my Companions follow.” (Tirmidhi, Hadith 2641)
One of the foundational principles of calling people to Allah is to protect and defend the religion by clarifying what contradicts it. The call to Islam has two aims:
- To follow the religion of Allah through teaching, spreading, and practicing it.
- To defend the religion by identifying and refuting what opposes it.
Preventing innovations and heresies is part of this effort and represents a high form of jihad and enjoining good and forbidding evil. Today, the most effective form of this jihad is through eloquent writing.
Ahl al-Sunnah wa’l-Jama’ah were the earliest body of Muslims. As a result of political and social developments and the influence of foreign philosophies, various sects emerged, splitting off from this main body. Today, Ahl al-Sunnah remain the largest group in the Muslim world due to their moderation. Their jurists, in general, follow a unified path in belief and practice. They respect one another and others, maintaining the principle: “We do not declare a person of the Qiblah (Muslim) to be a disbeliever due to sin unless they deem it lawful.”
Among the major causes of division among Muslims are both internal and external factors. Among the external factors are the Jews, who lived in Arabia before Islam and influenced the Arabs. After the Muslim migration to Medina, the Jews sought to divide the Muslims and eradicate Islam through various means, both overt and covert, including pretending to accept Islam to spread confusion from within.
In the emergence of Islamic sects, Christianity, the translation of Greek philosophy, Zoroastrian and Indian thought, as well as human intellectual factors, played significant roles. However, it cannot be claimed that all sects associated with Islam were created solely due to external influences; rather, the religious texts, especially the Qur’an and Sunnah, with their interpretive nature and ambiguous verses, offer grounds for various interpretations depending on time and place, especially for those answering opponents or deviants.
The first political conflict arose over the succession and caliphate of the Prophet of Islam (PBUH), which was peacefully resolved after his passing by the presence of honorable companions. However, the peak of this dispute appeared after the martyrdom of Uthman (RA), with the intervention of hypocrites and Jews, dividing Muslims into three major conflicting and neutral groups. During the Battle of Siffin and the issue of arbitration, a severe rift occurred in Imam Ali’s (RA) army, leading to the emergence of the Kharijites and the Shia. Initially, the Kharijites seemed like a political-military faction, but later they developed into a theological sect and gave rise to many other sects. This group, after separating from the rightful Caliph’s army, was severely defeated at Nahrawan but continued to stir unrest until Imam Ali (RA) was martyred by one of their members. In reality, this seditious sect consisted of those who had assassinated Uthman (RA) and infiltrated Imam Ali’s army with hypocritical intentions.