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had split into seventy-two sects” (1), one of which was saved (2). Yet according to what has been stated (3), after the death of the Prophet [peace and blessings be upon him] (4), this Ummah had no community that upheld the truth (5) or established justice by it.
If no such community existed during the best of their generations, then this was all the more the case thereafter. It necessarily follows that, even after abrogation and alteration, the Jews and Christians would be better than the best community ever raised for humanity. This is an inescapable implication of what these fabricators say.
If this is the state of his account of what occurred immediately after the death of the Prophet—peace and blessings be upon him—
(1) A and B read: “into more than seventy.”
(2) The hadith—with variations in wording—is narrated from Abū Hurayra, Abd Allāh ibn Amr, Muāwiya, and other Companions—may Allah be pleased with them—and is found in: *Sunan Abī Dāwūd*, 4/276 (Book of the Sunnah, chapter “The Exposition of the Sunnah”), where it is narrated from Abū Hurayra and Muāwiya; *Sunan al-Tirmidhī*, 4/134–135 (Book of Faith, chapter “The Division of This Ummah”), where it is narrated from Abū Hurayra. Al-Tirmidhī said: “Reports on this subject are also narrated from Sad, Abd Allāh ibn Amr, and Awf ibn Mālik. The hadith of Abū Hurayra is *hasan sahīh* (good and authentic).” It is also found in *Sunan Ibn Mājah*, 2/1321–1322 (Book of Tribulations, chapter “The Division of the Ummah”), where it is narrated from Abū Hurayra, Awf ibn Mālik, and Anas ibn Mālik; and in *al-Musnad* (al-Maārif ed.), 17/169, from Abū Hurayra, concerning which the editor said: “Its chain of transmission is authentic”; 3/120–145 (al-Halabī ed.), from Anas ibn Mālik; and 4/102 (al-Halabī ed.), from Muāwiya. The wording of the hadith narrated from Abū Hurayra in *Sunan Abī Dāwūd* is: “The Jews split into seventy-one or seventy-two sects, the Christians split into seventy-one or seventy-two sects, and my Ummah will split into seventy-three sects.” The narration of Muāwiya adds: “Seventy-two will be in the Fire and one in Paradise; it is *al-jamāa* (the united community).”
(3) A and B read: “what they mentioned”; M reads: “what you mentioned.”
(4) N and M read: “after the death of their prophet.”
(5) N reads: “speaks the truth.”
افْتَرَقَتْ عَلَى اثْنَتَيْنِ وَسَبْعِينَ»
(١)
فَرِقَّةً فِيهَا وَاحِدَةٌ نَاجِيَةٌ
(٢)
، وَهَذِهِ الْأُمَّةُ عَلَى مُوجَبِ مَا ذُكِرَ
(٣)
لَمْ يَكُنْ فِيهِمْ بَعْدَ مَوْتِ النَّبِيِّ
[صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ]
(٤)
أُمَّةٌ تَقُومُ بِالْحَقِّ
(٥)
وَلَا تَعْدِلُ بِهِ.
وَإِذَا لَمْ يَكُنْ ذَلِكَ فِي خِيَارِ قُرُونِهِمْ، فَفِيمَا بَعْدَ ذَلِكَ أَوْلَى. فَيَلْزَمُ مِنْ ذَلِكَ أَنْ يَكُونَ الْيَهُودُ وَالنَّصَارَى بَعْدَ النَّسْخِ وَالتَّبْدِيلِ خَيْرًا مِنْ خَيْرِ أُمَّةٍ أُخْرِجَتْ لِلنَّاسِ، فَهَذَا لَازِمٌ لِمَا يَقُولُهُ هَؤُلَاءِ الْمُفْتَرُونَ.
فَإِنْ كَانَ هَذَا فِي حِكَايَتِهِ لَمَا جَرَى عَقِبَ مَوْتِ النَّبِيِّ - صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ -
(١) أ، ب: عَلَى أَكْثَرَ مِنْ سَبْعِينَ.
(٢) الْحَدِيثَ - مَعَ اخْتِلَافٍ فِي اللَّفْظِ - عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ، وَعَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ عَمْرٍو، وَمُعَاوِيَةَ، وَغَيْرِهِمْ مِنَ الصَّحَابَةِ - رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُمْ - فِي: سُنَنِ أَبِي دَاوُدَ ٤/٢٧٦ (كِتَابُ السُّنَّةِ، بَابُ شَرْحِ السُّنَّةِ) وَهُوَ فِيهَا عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ وَمُعَاوِيَةَ ; سُنَنِ التِّرْمِذِيِّ ٤/١٣٤ - ١٣٥ (كِتَابُ الْإِيمَانِ بَابُ افْتِرَاقِ هَذِهِ الْأُمَّةِ) وَهُوَ فِيهَا عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ وَقَالَ التِّرْمِذِيُّ: " وَفِي الْبَابِ عَنْ سَعْدٍ، وَعَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ عَمْرٍو، وَعَوْفِ بْنِ مَالِكٍ. حَدِيثُ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ حَسَنٌ صَحِيحٌ " ; سُنَنِ ابْنِ مَاجَهْ ٢/١٣٢١ - ١٣٢٢ (كِتَابُ الْفِتَنِ بَابُ افْتِرَاقِ الْأُمَّةِ) وَهُوَ فِيهَا عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ، وَعَوْفِ بْنِ مَالِكٍ، وَأَنَسِ بْنِ مَالِكٍ ; الْمُسْنَدِ (ط. الْمَعَارِفِ) ١٧/١٦٩ " عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ " وَقَالَ الْمُحَقِّقُ: " وَإِسْنَادُهُ صَحِيحٌ " ٣/١٢٠ - ١٤٥ (ط. الْحَلَبِيِّ) عَنْ أَنَسِ بْنِ مَالِكٍ ٤/١٠٢ (ط. الْحَلَبِيِّ) عَنْ مُعَاوِيَةَ. وَنَصُّ الْحَدِيثِ فِي سُنَنِ أَبِي دَاوُدَ عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ " افْتَرَقَتِ الْيَهُودُ عَلَى إِحْدَى أَوْ ثِنْتَيْنِ وَسَبْعِينَ فِرْقَةً وَتَفَرَّقَتِ النَّصَارَى عَلَى إِحْدَى أَوْ ثِنْتَيْنِ وَسَبْعِينَ فِرْقَةً، وَتَفْتَرِقُ أُمَّتِي عَلَى ثَلَاثٍ وَسَبْعِينَ فِرْقَةً " وَفِي رِوَايَةِ مُعَاوِيَةَ زَادَ: " ثِنْتَانِ وَسَبْعُونَ فِي النَّارِ وَوَاحِدَةٌ فِي الْجَنَّةِ وَهِيَ الْجَمَاعَةُ ".
(٣) أ، ب: مَا ذَكَرُوهُ ; م: مَا ذَكَرْتُمْ.
(٤) ن، م: بَعْدَ مَوْتِ نَبِيِّهِمْ.
(٥) ن: تَقُولُ بِالْحَقِّ.