Unity

3 items across 3 content types

Questions (1)

intermediate

Theology & Belief

Why are Muslims divided into sects?

Islam itself commands Muslims to be united and not to create divisions. The Qur'an explicitly warns against sectarianism. The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ predicted that his ummah would divide into 73 sects, with only one following the correct path — those who follow the Qur'an and authentic Sunnah. Muslims should identify themselves simply as 'Muslims' and use the Qur'an and authentic hadith as the criteria to judge any group's claims.

Theology & Belief Unity Sects

Qur'an Verses (1)

Qur'an

Surah Al-Hujurat (49:13)

يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلنَّاسُ إِنَّا خَلَقْنَـٰكُم مِّن ذَكَرٍ وَأُنثَىٰ وَجَعَلْنَـٰكُمْ شُعُوبًا وَقَبَآئِلَ لِتَعَارَفُوٓا۟ ۚ إِنَّ أَكْرَمَكُمْ عِندَ ٱللَّهِ أَتْقَىٰكُمْ ۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ عَلِيمٌ خَبِيرٌ

Ya ayyuhan-nasu inna khalaqnakum min dhakarin wa untha wa ja'alnakum shu'uban wa qaba'ila lita'arafu. Inna akramakum 'indallahi atqakum. Innallaha 'Alimun Khabir

“O mankind, indeed We have created you from male and female and made you peoples and tribes that you may know one another. Indeed, the most noble of you in the sight of Allah is the most righteous of you. Indeed, Allah is Knowing and Aware.”

This verse is the Qur'an's most direct statement on human equality. It addresses all of humanity ('ya ayyuha al-nas'), not just Muslims, and demolishes racial, tribal, and ethnic hierarchies by establishing that the only criterion of superiority before God is taqwa (God-consciousness/righteousness) — an internal quality invisible to others. The Prophet Muhammad reinforced this in his Farewell Sermon: 'No Arab has any superiority over a non-Arab, nor does a non-Arab have any superiority over an Arab... except by taqwa.'

Hadith (1)

Hadith

Sahih al-Bukhari 2587

Sahih

مَثَلُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ فِي تَوَادِّهِمْ وَتَرَاحُمِهِمْ وَتَعَاطُفِهِمْ مَثَلُ الْجَسَدِ إِذَا اشْتَكَى مِنْهُ عُضْوٌ تَدَاعَى لَهُ سَائِرُ الْجَسَدِ بِالسَّهَرِ وَالْحُمَّى

Mathal al-mu'minina fi tawaddihim wa tarahumihim wa ta'atufihim mathal al-jasad, idha ishtaka minhu 'udwun tada'a lahu sa'ir al-jasadi bis-sahari wal-humma

The Prophet said: 'The believers in their mutual kindness, compassion, and sympathy are like one body. When one limb suffers, the whole body responds to it with wakefulness and fever.'

Narrated by An-Nu'man ibn Bashir

This hadith uses a powerful biological metaphor to describe the ideal Muslim community: an interconnected organism where the suffering of any part triggers a collective response. It establishes communal solidarity and empathy not as optional virtues but as natural expressions of genuine faith.