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Advice of Scholars - THE SEVENTY-TWO GROUPS OF BID’AT HOLDERS

Hadrat Imâm-i Rabbânî says in the  67th letter of the second volume of his Maktûbât:

Of Muslims, those who have deviated from the right way are called holders of bid’at. The right way is the way of Hadrat Muhammad ‘sallallâhu alaihi wa sallam’ and his four Khalîfas. It is written in the book Ghunya by Abd-ul-qâdir Geilanî: “The origins of the seventy-two sects of bid’at are nine groups, which are the Khârijî, Râfidî, Mu’tazila, Murji’a, Mushabbiha, Juhaymiyya, Dirâriyya, Najjâriyya and Kilâybiyya. None of these existed during the time of our Prophet and Chihâr Yâr-i guzîn (the four Khalîfas). Their appearing and deviating into different ways happened many years after the deaths of the Sahâba, the Tâbi’în and the Fuqahâ-i sab’a. ”

Our Prophet declared: “After me, there will be many differences among Muslims. Those who will live in those times should hold fast to my way and to the way of the Khulafâ-i râshidîn! They should avoid the things that will appear and will be fashionable afterwards? For, renovation, reform in Islam means to deviate from the right way. Changes that will be made in Islam after me are irreligious. ”

This hadîth shows that all the things invented in Islam after our Prophet and the Khulefâ-i râsihidîn are worthless. They are not reliable. Let us thank Allâhu ta’âlâ very much because He has included us in the group of Ahl as-sunnat wa ’l-jamâ’at, who will be saved from Hell. He has not let us join one of the seventy-two groups of bid’at, who will go to Hell. He has so graciously protected us from falling for their corrupt beliefs. [Nor has He let us join those who, by saying, “You created, we ask for a religion from you,’ exalt some people up to the rank of Allah. ] Nor has He made us one of those who say that man creates his own work and action. He has not made us one of those who disbelieve seeing Allâhu ta’âlâ in Paradise, either. In fact, this seeing is the greatest of all the blessings of this world and the next.