16
all of them has opposed the Book, the Sunnah, and the consensus of the Companions and those who followed them faithfully. This is despite the fact that the hadith concerning the seventy-two sects is not found in the two Sahih collections. Ibn Hazm and others deemed it weak, while others deemed it sound or authentic, as did al-Hākim and others. The compilers of the Sunan collections transmitted it, and it has been narrated through multiple chains (1).
His statement, “Seventy-two will be in the Fire, and one in Paradise,” is no more severe than the words of Allah Most High:
“Indeed, those who unjustly consume the wealth of orphans are only consuming fire into their bellies, and they will burn in a blazing Fire.”
[Surah al-Nisā: 10]
And His words:
“Whoever does that out of aggression and injustice, We shall cast him into the Fire; and that is easy for Allah.”
[Surah al-Nisā: 30]
The same applies to similar texts that explicitly state that whoever commits such acts will enter the Fire.
(1) I discussed this hadith in the introduction to the first volume, pp. 20–29 of the first edition. It is narrated from Abū Hurayra—may Allah be pleased with him—with the wording: “The Jews divided into seventy-one or seventy-two sects; the Christians divided into seventy-one or seventy-two sects; and my community will divide into seventy-three sects.” Al-Albānī discussed it in detail in Silsilat al-Ahādīth al-Sahīha, vol. 1, hadith no. 203.
This wording is recorded in Sunan Abī Dāwūd, 4/276, Book of Sunnah, chapter “Explanation of the Sunnah”; and Sunan al-Tirmidhī, 4/134–135, Book of Faith, chapter “The Division of This Community.” Al-Tirmidhī said: “The hadith of Abū Hurayra is sound and authentic.” It is also found in Sunan Ibn Mājah, 2/1321, Book of Tribulations, chapter “The Division of the Nations”; al-Musnad, al-Maārif edition, 16/169—Ahmad Shākir authenticated it and noted that al-Suyūtī had also authenticated it; and al-Mustadrak by al-Hākim, 1/128. Al-Hākim said: “It is authentic according to Muslim’s criteria,” and al-Dhahabī concurred.
The hadith is also narrated in other wordings from Muāwiya ibn Abī Sufyān, Anas ibn Mālik, Awf ibn Mālik, and Abd Allāh ibn Amr—may Allah be pleased with them. See also al-Albānī’s discussion in Silsilat al-Ahādīth al-Sahīha, vol. 1, hadith no. 204; and see Sunan Abī Dāwūd, 4/276–277; Sunan al-Tirmidhī, 4/135; Sunan Ibn Mājah, 2/1322; Sunan al-Dārimī, 2/241, Book of Military Expeditions, chapter “The Division of This Community”; al-Mustadrak by al-Hākim, 1/128; and al-Musnad, al-Halabī edition, 3/145. See also Ibn Hazm’s discussion of the hadith in al-Fisal, 3/292.
كُلَّهُمْ فَقَدْ خَالَفَ الْكِتَابَ وَالسُّنَّةَ وَإِجْمَاعَ الصَّحَابَةِ وَالتَّابِعِينَ لَهُمْ بِإِحْسَانٍ، مَعَ أَنَّ حَدِيثَ الثِّنْتَيْنِ وَالسَبْعِينَ فِرْقَةً لَيْسَ فِي الصَّحِيحَيْنِ، وَقَدْ ضَعَّفَهُ ابْنُ حَزْمٍ وَغَيْرُهُ لَكِنْ حَسَّنَهُ غَيْرُهُ أَوْ صَحَّحَهُ، كَمَا صَحَّحَهُ الْحَاكِمُ وَغَيْرُهُ، وَقَدْ رَوَاهُ أَهْلُ السُّنَنِ، وَرُوِيَ مِنْ طُرُقٍ
(١)
.
وَلَيْسَ قَوْلُهُ:
"
«ثِنْتَانِ وَسَبْعُونَ فِي النَّارِ وَوَاحِدَةٌ فِي الْجَنَّةِ»
"
بِأَعْظَمَ مِنْ قَوْلِهِ تَعَالَى:
{إِنَّ الَّذِينَ يَأْكُلُونَ أَمْوَالَ الْيَتَامَى ظُلْمًا إِنَّمَا يَأْكُلُونَ فِي بُطُونِهِمْ نَارًا وَسَيَصْلَوْنَ سَعِيرًا}
[سُورَةُ النِّسَاءِ: ١٠]
وَقَوْلِهِ:
{وَمَنْ يَفْعَلْ ذَلِكَ عُدْوَانًا وَظُلْمًا فَسَوْفَ نُصْلِيهِ نَارًا وَكَانَ ذَلِكَ عَلَى اللَّهِ يَسِيرًا}
[سُورَةُ النِّسَاءِ: ٣٠]
، وَأَمْثَالُ ذَلِكَ مِنَ النُّصُوصِ الصَّرِيحَةِ بِدُخُولِ مَنْ فَعَلَ ذَلِكَ النَّارَ.
(١) تَكَلَّمْتُ عَلَى هَذَا الْحَدِيثِ فِي مُقَدِّمَةِ الْجُزْءِ الْأَوَّلِ ص [٠ - ٩] ٢ مِنَ الطَّبْعَةِ الْأَوْلَى، وَجَاءَ الْحَدِيثُ بِلَفْظِ: افْتَرَقَتِ الْيَهُودُ عَلَى إِحْدَى أَوِ اثْنَتَيْنِ وَسَبْعِينَ فِرْقَةً، وَتَفَرَّقَتِ النَّصَارَى عَلَى إِحْدَى أَوِ اثْنَتَيْنِ وَسَبْعِينَ فِرْقَةً، وَتَفْتَرِقُ أُمَّتِي عَلَى ثَلَاثٍ وَسَبْعِينَ فِرْقَةً، عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ، وَتَكَلَّمَ عَلَيْهِ الْأَلْبَانِيُّ فِي سِلْسِلَةِ الْأَحَادِيثِ الصَّحِيحَةِ الْمُجَلَّدِ الْأَوَّلِ حَدِيثٍ رَقْمِ ٢٠٣ كَلَامًا مُفَصَّلًا، وَالْحَدِيثُ بِهَذَا اللَّفْظِ فِي سُنَنِ أَبِي دَاوُدَ ٤/٢٧٦ كِتَابُ السُّنَّةِ، بَابُ شَرْحِ السُّنَّةِ، سُنَنَ التِّرْمِذِيِّ ٤/١٣٤ - ١٣٥ كِتَابُ الْإِيمَانِ، بَابُ افْتِرَاقِ هَذِهِ الْأُمَّةِ، وَقَالَ التِّرْمِذِيُّ: حَدِيثُ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ حَدِيثٌ حَسَنٌ صَحِيحٌ، سُنَنَ ابْنِ مَاجَهْ ٢/١٣٢١ كِتَابُ الْفِتَنِ، بَابُ افْتِرَاقِ الْأُمَمِ، الْمُسْنَدَ ط. الْمَعَارِفِ ١٦/١٦٩ وَصَحَّحَهُ أَحْمَدُ شَاكِر وَأَشَارَ إِلَى تَصْحِيحِ السُّيُوطِيِّ لَهُ، الْمُسْتَدْرَكِ لِلْحَاكِمِ ١/١٢٨ وَقَالَ الْحَاكِمُ: صَحِيحٌ عَلَى شَرْطِ مُسْلِمٍ، وَوَافَقَهُ الذَّهَبِيُّ، وَجَاءَ الْحَدِيثُ بِأَلْفَاظٍ أُخْرَى عَنْ مُعَاوِيَةَ بْنِ أَبِي سُفْيَانَ وَأَنَسِ بْنِ مَالِكٍ وَعَوْفِ بْنِ مَالِكٍ وَعَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ عَمْرٍو رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُمْ، وَانْظُرْ مَا ذَكَرَهُ الْأَلْبَانِيُّ فِي سِلْسِلَةِ الْأَحَادِيثِ الصَّحِيحَةِ الْمُجَلَّدِ الْأَوَّلِ الْحَدِيثِ رَقْمِ ٢٠٤ وَانْظُرْ: سُنَنَ أَبِي دَاوُدَ ٤/٢٧٦ - ٢٧٧ سُنَنَ التِّرْمِذِيِّ ٤/١٣٥، سُنَنَ ابْنِ مَاجَهْ ٢/١٣٢٢ سُنَنَ الدَّارِمِيِّ ٢/٢٤١، كِتَابُ السِّيَرِ، بَابٌ فِي افْتِرَاقِ هَذِهِ الْأُمَّةِ، الْمُسْتَدْرَكَ، لِلْحَاكِمِ ١/١٢٨ الْمَسْنَدَ ط. الْحَلَبِيِّ ٣/١٤٥، وَانْظُرْ إِلَى مَا ذَكَرَهُ ابْنُ حَزْمٍ عَنِ الْحَدِيثِ فِي الْفِصَلِ ٣/٢٩٢