THE SECTARIAN PHENOMENON

In the light of this, one could say that the splitting up of a religion into factions that the Quran refers is about people following the religion fabricated by their leaders instead of the religion of God. When this happens, it does not mean that a religious community ceases to take the name of God and their prophet. Members of such a community continue to talk of God and their prophet, but, in reality, they follow the religion made by their leaders. They take the name of God and their prophet, but this is only to seek to back their claim, with the help of references to God and their prophet, that their particular sect is correct. It is undesirable, of course, for a community to be split up into rival sects. Such sects, no matter whether they call themselves ‘religious’ or ‘divine’, are guilty in God’s eyes of factionalism. Their case has nothing to do with genuine religious adherence. In God’s sight, they are followers of a religion that their elders have fabricated, and not the religion of God and God’s prophet. Individuals from different sects, who, in their individual capacity, remain firm on the straight path shown by God, will be deemed worthy of salvation in the Hereafter. This phenomenon of sectarianism is not something that was exclusive to religious communities in the past, before the advent of the Prophet Muhammad. In fact, it is something that happens with every religious community when it declines in its later period. The Prophet Muhammad predicted that this would certainly happen among the Muslim ummah, too. According to a Hadith report (recorded in the Sunan al-Tirmidhi), the Prophet said that the Children of Israel were divided into 72 sects, and his ummah would be divided into 73 sects. All of them will be in the fire of Hell except one. The Companions asked him who these chosen people were who would be saved from Hell, and he replied that they are those who follow his path and the path of his Companions. The figure of 73 mentioned in this report is not to be taken to indicate a particular number. Instead, it symbolizes a vast number. In other words, the report tells us that a vast number of sects would emerge among the Muslims. This Hadith also does not mean that all of the ‘73’ sects will be doomed and that only one sect will be saved. In accordance with God’s law, salvation is always of individuals, not of communities or groups.