Musannaf Ibn Abi Shaybah

Hazrat Abu Ghalib narrates that I was in the Grand Mosque of Damascus when people brought the heads of seventy Khawarij (Haruriyyah). These heads were placed on the steps of the mosque. When Hazrat Abu Umamah arrived and saw their heads, he said, "These are the dogs of Hell. Under the sky, these are the worst of creation who have been killed. And those whom they killed are the best of those slain under the sky." Then he wept, looked towards me, and said, "O Abu Ghalib! Are you from the city of these people?" I said, "Yes." He said, "Allah has protected you." Then he said, "Do you recite Surah Aal-e-Imran?" I said, "Yes." He said, "Allah the Exalted says: { مِنْہُ آیَاتٌ مُحْکَمَاتٌ ہُنَّ أُمُّ الْکِتَابِ وَأُخَرُ مُتَشَابِہَاتٌ فَأَمَّا الَّذِینَ فِی قُلُوبِہِمْ زَیْغٌ فَیَتَّبِعُونَ مَا تَشَابَہَ مِنْہُ ابْتِغَائَ الْفِتْنَۃِ وَابْتِغَائَ تَأْوِیلِہِ ، وَمَا یَعْلَمُ تَأْوِیلَہُ إِلاَّ اللَّہُ وَالرَّاسِخُونَ فِی الْعِلْمِ } and Allah the Exalted says: { یَوْمَ تَبْیَضُّ وُجُوہٌ وَتَسْوَدُّ وُجُوہٌ فَأَمَّا الَّذِینَ اسْوَدَّتْ وُجُوہُہُمْ أَکَفَرْتُمْ بَعْدَ إیمَانِکُمْ فَذُوقُوا الْعَذَابَ بِمَا کُنْتُمْ تَکْفُرُونَ }." Hazrat Abu Ghalib narrates that I said, "O Abu Umamah! I saw tears flowing from your eyes, what is the reason for this?" He replied, "Yes! Tears are flowing from my eyes out of mercy for them. They were from among the people of Islam. The Israelites were divided into seventy-one sects, and there will be one more sect in this Ummah; all will go to Hell except the main group. Upon them is that which they have been made responsible for, and upon you is that which you have been made responsible for. If you obey this main group, you will be guided, and it is upon the messenger only to convey the message clearly. Listening and obeying is better than falling into sectarianism and disobedience." A man said to him, "O Abu Umamah! Are you saying this from your own opinion or have you heard it from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him)?" He replied, "If I were to say this from my own opinion, I would be daring in matters of religion! I have heard this from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) not once or twice, but seven times."