Series of Answers by the Eminent Scholar Ata Bin Khalil Abu Al-Rashtah, Amir of Hizb ut-Tahrir, to Questions from Visitors to his Facebook Page "Fiqhi"
Answer to Question
Hadiths on the Division of the Ummah
To: Mohsen Al-Athamat
Question:
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
Our Amir, may Allah protect you. Peace be upon you and the mercy of Allah and His blessings. I have been exhausted by the grading (takhrij) of the hadith of division in its second narration, which states "all of them are in Paradise except one." I read that Al-Hakim authenticated this narration with a strange wording, and Al-Maqdisi said it is more authentic than the narration "all of them are in the Fire except one," which is more famous. If you have some time, please guide me. May Allah bless you in your knowledge and your time.
Our Amir, regarding the phrase "authenticated by Al-Hakim," it appeared in the book Kashf al-Khafa (p. 150) by Al-Ajluni, stating: "Ash-Sha’rani narrated it in Al-Mizan from the hadith of Ibn al-Najjar. Al-Hakim authenticated it with a strange wording, which is: 'My Ummah will split into seventy-odd sects, all of them in Paradise except one.' In a narration by Ad-Daylami: 'The perished one among them is one,' and the scholars said: they are the heretics (Zanadiqah)." I realize that the addition mentioning they are the heretics is fabricated (mawdu), but what I want to know is: where did Al-Hakim authenticate the narration without the addition of the heretics?
Answer:
Walaikum Assalam wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh,
First: Regarding your question about the division of the Ummah, the hadiths narrated on this subject fall into three categories:
- A category that mentions the division of the Ummah into seventy-three sects.
- A category that mentions seventy-three sects with the addition "all of them are in the Fire except one."
- A category that mentions seventy-three sects with the addition "all of them are in Paradise except one."
As for the first category—the hadith without the addition—it is authentic (sahih), and I have not seen anyone who weakened it, as far as I know:
- Abu Dawood narrated in his Sunan from Abu Hurairah that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
افْتَرَقَتْ الْيَهُودُ عَلَى إِحْدَى أَوْ ثِنْتَيْنِ وَسَبْعِينَ فِرْقَةً وَتَفَرَّقَتْ النَّصَارَى عَلَى إِحْدَى أَوْ ثِنْتَيْنِ وَسَبْعِينَ فِرْقَةً وَتَفْتَرِقُ أُمَّتِي عَلَى ثَلَاثٍ وَسَبْعِينَ فِرْقَةً
"The Jews split into seventy-one or seventy-two sects, and the Christians split into seventy-one or seventy-two sects, and my Ummah will split into seventy-three sects." (Sunan Abi Dawood)
- At-Tirmidhi narrated in his Sunan from Abu Hurairah that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
تَفَرَّقَتْ الْيَهُودُ عَلَى إِحْدَى وَسَبْعِينَ أَوْ اثْنَتَيْنِ وَسَبْعِينَ فِرْقَةً وَالنَّصَارَى مِثْلَ ذَلِكَ وَتَفْتَرِقُ أُمَّتِي عَلَى ثَلَاثٍ وَسَبْعِينَ فِرْقَةً
"The Jews split into seventy-one or seventy-two sects, and the Christians likewise, and my Ummah will split into seventy-three sects." Abu Isa (At-Tirmidhi) said: The hadith of Abu Hurairah is a good-authentic (hasan sahih) hadith. (Sunan At-Tirmidhi)
- Al-Hakim narrated in his Mustadrak from Abu Hurairah that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
افترقت اليهود على إحدى أو اثنتين وسبعين فرقة، وافترقت النصارى على إحدى أو اثنتين وسبعين فرقة، وتفترق أمتي على ثلاث وسبعين فرقة
"The Jews split into seventy-one or seventy-two sects, and the Christians split into seventy-one or seventy-two sects, and my Ummah will split into seventy-three sects." Al-Hakim said: "This hadith is authentic according to the conditions of Muslim, though they [Bukhari and Muslim] did not narrate it, and it has supporting narrations (shawahid)." Ad-Dhahabi agreed with him. (Al-Mustadrak 'ala al-Sahihayn)
As for the second category with the addition "all of them are in the Fire except one," most narrations have been stated as authentic or good (hasan):
- At-Tirmidhi narrated in his Sunan: Mahmud bin Ghaylan told us, Abu Dawood al-Hafari told us, from Sufyan al-Thawri, from Abdur-Rahman bin Ziyad al-Afriqi, from Abdullah bin Yazid, from Abdullah bin 'Amr, who said that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
وَإِنَّ بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ تَفَرَّقَتْ عَلَى ثِنْتَيْنِ وَسَبْعِينَ مِلَّةً وَتَفْتَرِقُ أُمَّتِي عَلَى ثَلَاثٍ وَسَبْعِينَ مِلَّةً كُلُّهُمْ فِي النَّارِ إِلَّا مِلَّةً وَاحِدَةً قَالُوا وَمَنْ هِيَ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ قَالَ مَا أَنَا عَلَيْهِ وَأَصْحَابِي
"...And indeed the Children of Israel split into seventy-two sects, and my Ummah will split into seventy-three sects; all of them are in the Fire except one sect." They asked: "And who is it, O Messenger of Allah?" He said: "What I and my companions are upon." Abu Isa said: This hadith is good-strange (hasan gharib). (Sunan At-Tirmidhi)
- Ibn Majah narrated in his Sunan: 'Amr bin Uthman bin Sa'id bin Kathir bin Dinar al-Himsi told us, Abbad bin Yusuf told us, Safwan bin 'Amr told us, from Rashid bin Sa'd, from 'Awf bin Malik, who said that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
افْتَرَقَتْ الْيَهُودُ عَلَى إِحْدَى وَسَبْعِينَ فِرْقَةً فَوَاحِدَةٌ فِي الْجَنَّةِ وَسَبْعُونَ فِي النَّارِ وَافْتَرَقَتْ النَّارَى عَلَى ثِنْتَيْنِ وَسَبْعِينَ فِرْقَةً فَإِحْدَى وَسَبْعُونَ فِي النَّارِ وَوَاحِدَةٌ فِي الْجَنَّةِ وَالَّذِي نَفْسُ مُحَمَّدٍ بِيَدِهِ لَتَفْتَرِقَنَّ أُمَّتِي عَلَى ثَلَاثٍ وَسَبْعِينَ فِرْقَةً وَاحِدَةٌ فِي الْجَنَّةِ وَثِنْتَانِ وَسَبْعُونَ فِي النَّارِ قِيلَ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ مَنْ هُمْ قَالَ الْجَمَاعَةُ
"The Jews split into seventy-one sects: one is in Paradise and seventy are in the Fire. The Christians split into seventy-two sects: seventy-one are in the Fire and one is in Paradise. By the One in Whose Hand is the soul of Muhammad, my Ummah will split into seventy-three sects: one is in Paradise and seventy-two are in the Fire." It was asked: "O Messenger of Allah, who are they?" He said: "The Group (Al-Jama’ah)." (Sunan Ibn Majah)
- Ahmad narrated in his Musnad: Abu al-Mughira told us, Safwan told us, Azhar bin Abdullah al-Hawzani told us—Abu al-Mughira said in another place al-Harazi—from Abu 'Amir Abdullah bin Luhayy, who said: We performed Hajj with Mu’awiyah bin Abi Sufyan. When we arrived in Makkah, he stood up after the Dhuhr prayer and said that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
إِنَّ أَهْلَ الْكِتَابَيْنِ افْتَرَقُوا فِي دِينِهِمْ عَلَى ثِنْتَيْنِ وَسَبْعِينَ مِلَّةً وَإِنَّ هَذِهِ الْأُمَّةَ سَتَفْتَرِقُ عَلَى ثَلَاثٍ وَسَبْعِينَ مِلَّةً يَعْنِي الْأَهْوَاءَ كُلُّهَا فِي النَّارِ إِلَّا وَاحِدَةً وَهِيَ الْجَمَاعَةُ
"Indeed the People of the Two Books split in their religion into seventy-two sects, and this Ummah will split into seventy-three sects—meaning whims (al-ahwa)—all of them are in the Fire except one, and it is the Group (Al-Jama’ah)." (Musnad Ahmad)
- At-Tabarani narrated in Al-Saghir: Isa bin Muhammad al-Simsar al-Wasiti told us, Wahb bin Baqiyyah told us, Abdullah bin Sufyan al-Madani told us, from Yahya bin Sa'id al-Ansari, from Anas bin Malik, who said that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
تفترق هذه الأمة على ثلاث وسبعين فرقة كلهم في النار إلا واحدة، قالوا: وما هي تلك الفرقة؟ قال: ما أنا عليه اليوم وأصحابي
"This Ummah will split into seventy-three sects, all of them in the Fire except one." They asked: "What is that sect?" He said: "What I and my companions are upon today." None narrated it from Yahya except Abdullah bin Sufyan. (Al-Mu'jam al-Saghir)
- Al-Bayhaqi narrated in Dala'il al-Nubuwwah: Abu al-Husayn bin al-Fadl al-Qattan informed us, Abdullah bin Ja'far al-Nahwi informed us, Ya'qub bin Sufyan told us, Abu al-Yaman told us, Safwan told us, from al-Azhar bin Abdullah, from Abu 'Amir Abdullah bin Luhayy, who said: We performed Hajj with Mu’awiyah, and when we arrived in Makkah, he stood up after praying Dhuhr in Makkah and said: Indeed the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
إِنَّ أَهْلَ الْكِتَابِ افْتَرَقُوا فِي دِينِهِمْ عَلَى اثْنَتَيْنِ وَسَبْعِينَ مِلَّةً، وَإِنَّ هَذِهِ الْأُمَّةَ سَتَفْتَرِقُ عَلَى ثَلَاثٍ وَسَبْعِينَ مِلَّةً يَعْنِي الْأَهْوَاءَ، كُلُّهَا فِي النَّارِ إِلَّا وَاحِدَةً، وَهِيَ الْجَمَاعَةُ
"Indeed the People of the Book split in their religion into seventy-two sects, and this Ummah will split into seventy-three sects—meaning whims—all of them are in the Fire except one, and it is the Group (Al-Jama’ah)." (Dala'il al-Nubuwwah)
- Al-Hakim narrated in Al-Mustadrak 'ala al-Sahihayn: Abu al-Abbas Muhammad bin Ya'qub told us, Muhammad bin Ishaq al-Saghani told us, Abu al-Yaman al-Hakam bin Nafi' al-Bahrani told us, Safwan bin 'Amr told us, from al-Azhar bin Abdullah, from Abu 'Amir Abdullah bin Luhayy, who said: We performed Hajj with Mu’awiyah bin Abi Sufyan... then he stood up after praying Dhuhr in Makkah and said: The Prophet ﷺ said:
إِنَّ أَهْلَ الْكِتَابِ تَفَرَّقُوا فِي دِينِهِمْ عَلَى اثْنَتَيْنِ وَسَبْعِينَ مِلَّةً، وَتَفْتَرِقُ هَذِهِ الْأُمَّةُ عَلَى ثَلَاثٍ وَسَبْعِينَ كُلُّهَا فِي النَّارِ إِلَّا وَاحِدَةً وَهِيَ الْجَمَاعَةُ
"Indeed the People of the Book split in their religion into seventy-two sects, and this Ummah will split into seventy-three; all of them are in the Fire except one, and it is the Group (Al-Jama’ah)..." Al-Hakim said: "These are chains (asanid) by which proof is established in authenticating this hadith..." Ad-Dhahabi agreed with him. (Al-Mustadrak)
- Abu Dawood narrated in his Sunan: Ahmad bin Hanbal and Muhammad bin Yahya told us, they said: Abu al-Mughira told us, Safwan told us, (H) and 'Amr bin Uthman told us, Baqiyyah told us, who said: Safwan told me similarly, he said: Azhar bin Abdullah al-Harazi told me, from Abu 'Amir al-Hawzani, from Mu’awiyah bin Abi Sufyan, that he stood among us and said: "Behold, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ stood among us and said:
أَلَا إِنَّ مَنْ قَبْلَكُمْ مِنْ أَهْلِ الْكِتَابِ افْتَرَقُوا عَلَى ثِنْتَيْنِ وَسَبْعِينَ مِلَّةً، وَإِنَّ هَذِهِ الْمِلَّةَ سَتَفْتَرِقُ عَلَى ثَلَاثٍ وَسَبْعِينَ: ثِنْتَانِ وَسَبْعُونَ فِي النَّارِ، وَوَاحِدَةٌ فِي الْجَنَّةِ، وَهِيَ الْجَمَاعَةُ
'Behold, those before you of the People of the Book split into seventy-two sects, and this community will split into seventy-three: seventy-two are in the Fire and one is in Paradise, and it is the Group (Al-Jama’ah)'." Al-Albani classified it as good (hasan). (Sunan Abi Dawood)
As for the third category with the addition "all of them are in Paradise except one sect," many have weakened this narration, including:
- Al-Uqayli narrated in Ad-Du'afa al-Kabir:
Muhammad bin Marwan al-Qurashi told us, Muhammad bin Ubadah al-Wasiti told us, Musa bin Ismail al-Jabali told us, Mu'adh bin Yasin al-Zayyat told us, al-Abrad bin Abi al-Ashras told us, from Yahya bin Sa'id, from Anas bin Malik, may Allah be pleased with him, who said: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
تَفَرَّقُ أُمَّتِي عَلَى سَبْعِينَ أَوْ إِحْدَى وَسَبْعِينَ فِرْقَةً، كُلُّهُمْ فِي الْجَنَّةِ إِلَّا فِرْقَةً وَاحِدَةً، قَالُوا: يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ، مَنْ هُمْ؟ قَالَ: الزَّنَادِقَةُ وَهُمُ الْقَدَرِيَّةُ
"My Ummah will split into seventy or seventy-one sects, all of them in Paradise except one sect." They asked: "O Messenger of Allah, who are they?" He said: "The heretics (Zanadiqah), and they are the Qadariyyah." Al-Uqayli said: "Mu'adh bin Yasin al-Zayyat from al-Abrad bin al-Ashras: a man who is unknown (majhul) and his hadith is not preserved (ghayr mahfuz)."
- Al-Uqayli also narrated in Ad-Du'afa al-Kabir:
Al-Hasan bin Ali bin Khalid al-Laythi told us, Nu’aym bin Hammad told us, Yahya bin Yaman told us, from Yasin al-Zayyat, from Sa'd bin Sa'id, the brother of Yahya bin Sa'id al-Ansari, from Anas who said: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
تَفْتَرِقُ أُمَّتِي عَلَى بِضْعٍ وَسَبْعِينَ فِرْقَةً، كُلُّهَا فِي الْجَنَّةِ إِلَّا فِرْقَةً وَاحِدَةً، وَهِيَ الزَّنَادِقَةُ
"My Ummah will split into seventy-odd sects, all of them in Paradise except one sect, which is the heretics (Zanadiqah)."
Al-Uqayli said: "This hadith does not amount to being authentic; perhaps Yasin took it from his father or from this Abrad, and this hadith has no basis (asl) from the hadith of Yahya bin Sa'id nor from the hadith of Sa'd."
- It was mentioned in Al-Mawdu’at by Ibn al-Jawzi (1/267) - Book of Sunnah and Blaming Innovations - Chapter on the Division of this Ummah:
Abdul-Wahhab bin al-Mubarak informed us, Ibn Bakran informed us, al-Atiqi informed us, Muhammad bin Marwan al-Qurashi told us, Muhammad bin Ubadah al-Wasiti told us, Musa bin Ismail told us, Mu'adh bin Yasin al-Zayyat told us, al-Abrad bin al-Ashras told us, from Yahya bin Sa'id, from Anas bin Malik, who said: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
تَفْتَرِقُ أُمَّتِي عَلَى سَبْعِينَ أَوْ إِحْدَى وَسَبْعِينَ فِرْقَةً كُلُّهُمْ فِي الْجَنَّةِ إِلا فِرْقَةً وَاحِدَةً قَالُوا: يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ مَنْ هُمْ؟ قَالَ: الزَّنَادِقَةُ وَهُمُ الْقَدَرِيَّةُ
"My Ummah will split into seventy or seventy-one sects, all of them in Paradise except one sect." They asked: "O Messenger of Allah, who are they?" He said: "The heretics (Zanadiqah), and they are the Qadariyyah." Ahmad bin Adi the Hafiz narrated it from the hadith of Musa bin Ismail from Khalaf bin Yasin from al-Abrad.
Second chain: Abdul-Wahhab informed us, Ibn Bakran informed us, al-Atiqi informed us, Yusuf bin al-Dakhil told us, al-Uqayli told us, al-Hasan bin Ali bin Khalid al-Laythi told us, Nu’aym bin Hammad told us, Yahya bin Yaman told us, from Yasin al-Zayyat, from Sa'd bin Sa'id, brother of Yahya bin Sa'id al-Ansari, from Anas, who said: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
تَفْتَرِقُ أُمَّتِي عَلَى بِضْعٍ وَسَبْعِينَ فِرْقَةً كُلُّهَا فِي الْجَنَّةِ إِلا فِرْقَةً وَاحِدَةً وَهِيَ الزَّنَادِقَةُ
"My Ummah will split into seventy-odd sects, all of them in Paradise except one sect, which is the heretics (Zanadiqah)."
Third chain: Al-Jariri informed us, al-Ashari informed us, al-Daraqutni told us, Abu Bakr Muhammad bin Uthman al-Saydalani told us, Ahmad bin Dawood al-Sijistani told us, Uthman bin Affan al-Qurashi told us, Abu Ismail al-Ayli Hafs bin Umar told us, from Mis’ar, from Sa'd bin Sa'id, who said: I heard Anas bin Malik say: I heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ say:
تَفْتَرِقُ أُمَّتِي عَلَى بِضْعٍ وَسَبْعِينَ فِرْقَةً كُلُّهَا فِي الْجَنَّةِ إِلا الزَّنَادِقَةِ
"My Ummah will split into seventy-odd sects, all of them in Paradise except the heretics (Zanadiqah)." Anas said: We used to consider them the Qadariyyah.
These hadiths are not authentic from the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, for in each of their chains, there is weakness in one or more places, and the clarification is as follows:
- Ibn al-Jawzi listed the three narrations above in Al-Mawdu’at and then said:
(The scholars of the craft said: Al-Abrad [one of the men in the chain of the first narration] was a fabricator and a liar. Yasin took it from him, flipped its chain, mixed it, and Uthman bin Affan [one of the men in the chain of the third narration above] stole it. As for Al-Abrad, Muhammad bin Ishaq bin Khuzaymah said: He is a liar and a fabricator. As for Yasin [one of the men in the chain of the second narration], Yahya said: His hadith is nothing. An-Nasa'i said: His hadith is rejected (matruk). As for Uthman, the scholars of transmission said: His hadith is rejected, and it is not permissible to write his hadith except for the purpose of consideration. As for Hafs bin Umar [one of the men in the chain of the third narration], Abu Hatim al-Razi said: He was a liar. Al-Uqayli said: He narrates falsehoods from the Imams.)
- It was mentioned in Lisan al-Mizan by Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani:
362 - Abrad bin Ashras - from Yahya bin Sa'id al-Ansari... Ibn Khuzaymah said: A liar and a fabricator.
Thus, the addition "all of them are in Paradise except one" is not authentic.
Second: As for what you mentioned in your question (and Al-Hakim authenticated it with a strange wording, which is: "My Ummah will split into seventy-odd sects, all of them in Paradise except one"), I have not found this authentication by Al-Hakim as far as I know. Nevertheless, even if what you mentioned exists in a place I do not know or my eyes have not fallen upon, it does not stand before the majority of investigators who have weakened that addition.
Third: The conclusion is that the hadith about the division of the Ummah into seventy-three sects without the additions is authentic... and the first addition, "all of them are in the Fire except one," has been classified as good (hasan) by many... whereas the second addition, "all of them are in Paradise except one," has been weakened by many, and those who authenticated or classified it as good are few. Therefore, what I prefer is that the addition to be taken is "all of them are in the Fire except one," while the other addition, "all of them are in Paradise except one," is not to be taken, in accordance with what we have mentioned of the narrations for both additions.
This is what I prefer, and Allah is All-Knowing and All-Wise.
Your brother, Ata Bin Khalil Abu Al-Rashtah
24 Rabi’ al-Akhir 1439 AH Corresponding to 11/01/2018 CE
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