What is meant by the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) regarding the Ummah: “All of them are in the Fire except one,” and what is that one?
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The questioner : This questioner says, “May the Shaykh be honored, what is meant by the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) regarding the Ummah, where he says in a hadith: Sunan Ibn Majah 3993Sahih (Darussalam) And what is the one? And are the seventy-two sects all eternally in the Fire? Please inform us, may you be rewarded.”
The Shaykh : The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) informed us that the Jews split into seventy-one sects and the Christians split into seventy-two sects, and that this Ummah will split into seventy-three sects, all of them in the Fire except one. And although the scholars have attempted to enumerate these sects, they did not reach a result except with difficulty. It is better that we keep ambiguous what the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) kept ambiguous. We say seventy-three sects. As for the manner of this splitting, it is very, very difficult to determine. His saying:Sunan Ibn Majah 3993Sahih (Darussalam) includes cases where the resulting sect is one that expels from the religion or one that does not, because some deeds are threatened with the Fire for their doer, even though he does not leave Islam. For example, his saying (peace and blessings be upon him and his family): Musannaf Ibn Abi Shaybah 17:195 And for example, His saying (Glorified and Exalted is He): [An-Nisa 4:10] And for example, his saying (peace and blessings be upon him): Sunan Ibn Majah 3573Sahih (Darussalam) meaning from the garment.
As for the one saved sect, the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) clarified that it is the one that is upon the same as he and his Companions. So whoever holds fast to the Sunnah of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) and the Sunnah of the Rightly Guided Caliphs after him, he is among the saved. The saved sect is the victorious one until the Hour comes, whether there is fighting between it and its opponent or not, because it is victorious by the manifestation of its affair and its Sunnah. This is what is implied by the words of Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah (may Allah have mercy on him), where he said in the beginning of al-'Aqidah al-Wasitiyyah: “As for what follows, this is the belief of the saved, victorious sect, the people of the Sunnah and the community, until the Hour comes”.
And based on this, it is obligatory for a person to seek out the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) and his Companions, and the Sunnah of the Rightly Guided Caliphs and the satisfied Companions, about whom Allah the Exalted said:[At-Tawbah 9:100] Yes.
The questioner : May Allah bless you.
all of which will be in Hell apart from one
كلهم في النار إلا واحدةThe Shaykh : The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) informed us that the Jews split into seventy-one sects and the Christians split into seventy-two sects, and that this Ummah will split into seventy-three sects, all of them in the Fire except one. And although the scholars have attempted to enumerate these sects, they did not reach a result except with difficulty. It is better that we keep ambiguous what the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) kept ambiguous. We say seventy-three sects. As for the manner of this splitting, it is very, very difficult to determine. His saying:
all of which will be in Hell apart from one
كلها في النار إلا واحدةThree whom Allah will not speak to on the Day of Resurrection, nor look at them, nor purify them, and for them is a painful punishment: the one who lets his garment hang below the ankles, the one who is stingy in giving, and the one who sells his goods with a false oath
ثلاثة لا يُكلّمهم الله يوم القيامة ولا ينظر إليهم ولا يزكيهم ولهم عذاب أليم المسبل والمنان والمنفق سلعته بالحلف الكاذبIndeed, those who devour the property of orphans unjustly are only consuming into their bellies fire. And they will be burned in a Blaze.
إِنَّ الَّذينَ يَأكُلونَ أَموالَ اليَتامى ظُلمًا إِنَّما يَأكُلونَ في بُطونِهِم نارًا وَسَيَصلَونَ سَعيرًاBut whatever is lower than the ankle is in the Fire
ما أسفل من الكعبين ففي النارAs for the one saved sect, the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) clarified that it is the one that is upon the same as he and his Companions. So whoever holds fast to the Sunnah of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) and the Sunnah of the Rightly Guided Caliphs after him, he is among the saved. The saved sect is the victorious one until the Hour comes, whether there is fighting between it and its opponent or not, because it is victorious by the manifestation of its affair and its Sunnah. This is what is implied by the words of Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah (may Allah have mercy on him), where he said in the beginning of al-'Aqidah al-Wasitiyyah: “As for what follows, this is the belief of the saved, victorious sect, the people of the Sunnah and the community, until the Hour comes”.
And based on this, it is obligatory for a person to seek out the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) and his Companions, and the Sunnah of the Rightly Guided Caliphs and the satisfied Companions, about whom Allah the Exalted said:
And the first forerunners [in the faith] among the Muhajireen and the Ansar and those who followed them with good conduct - Allah is pleased with them and they are pleased with Him
وَالسّابِقونَ الأَوَّلونَ مِنَ المُهاجِرينَ وَالأَنصارِ وَالَّذينَ اتَّبَعوهُم بِإِحسانٍ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنهُم وَرَضوا عَنهُThe questioner : May Allah bless you.