The Criterion for Distinguishing the Seventy-Two Sects
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
Question:
The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: What is the criterion we should fear so that we do not become part of these sects? And how do we judge a specific sect to be one of the seventy-two sects?
Answer:
We have the Book and the Sunnah,[An-Nisa 4:59], so if a disagreement arises that causes division, we settle it by returning to the Book and the Sunnah. Whoever agrees with the Book and the Sunnah is upon the truth, and he is from the people of the Sunnah and the community. Whoever contradicts the Book and the Sunnah is not upon the truth; depending on the nature of his contradiction, it may be a major contradiction or a minor one. The important thing is that the scale that settles the disagreement and ends the dispute is referring to the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), whether in the matter of sects or otherwise.
The presenter:
May Allah reward you.
The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
My Ummah will split into seventy-two sects. The hadith,
تفترق أمتي إلى اثنين وسبعين فرقة الحديث،Answer:
We have the Book and the Sunnah,
And if you disagree over anything, refer it to Allah and the Messenger, if you should believe in Allah and the Last Day. That is the best [way] and best in result.
فَإِن تَنَازَعْتُمْ فِي شَيْءٍ فَرُدُّوهُ إِلَى اللَّهِ وَالرَّسُولِ إِن كُنتُمْ تُؤْمِنُونَ بِاللَّهِ وَالْيَوْمِ الْآخِرِ ذَٰلِكَ خَيْرٌ وَأَحْسَنُ تَأْوِيلًاThe presenter:
May Allah reward you.
Source
شرح كتاب التوحيد [ صالح الفوزان ]، باب قول الله - تعالى - : { إنك لا تهدي من أحببت } — islamhouse.com (47:12)
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.