Is Sectarianism Permissible in Islam?
This is a question whose answer is found in the negative in the Quran. The Divine command is:
(وَاعْتَصِمُوا بِحَبْلِ اللَّهِ جَمِيعًا وَلَا تَفَرَّقُوا )
And hold firmly to the rope of Allah all together and do not become divided.
اَنْ اَقِیْمُوا الدِّیْنَ وَ لَا تَتَفَرَّقُوْا فِیْهِؕ
To establish the religion and not to create division in it.
Despite these Divine commands, divisions arose among Muslims, but these groups and factions emerged after the completion of the religion, because until the Four Imams were born, their followers did not exist. The beginning of sectarianism is due to turning away from the texts and interpreting them, as the Divine command states:
وَمَا تَفَرَّقَ الَّذِينَ أُوتُوا الْكِتَابَ إِلَّا مِن بَعْدِ مَا جَاءَتْهُمُ الْبَيِّنَةُ
And the People of the Book were divided into sects only after clear evidence had come to them.
This makes it clear that among the People of the Book there was no disagreement at the time of the revelation of the proofs (revelation); the disagreement occurred afterward when they followed their desires and whims. The Divine command is:
فَاحْكُم بَيْنَ النَّاسِ بِالْحَقِّ وَلَا تَتَّبِعِ الْهَوَىٰ فَيُضِلَّكَ عَن سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ
So judge between the people with justice and do not follow desire, lest it mislead you from the way of Allah.
Not following desire—what does this mean? The meaning of the verse is clear that a person first forms a stance in his heart and then follows it, searching for two evidences from the Quran and Sunnah. For example, the Kharijites always interpret or even distort the Quran and Hadith, but they do not interpret in Hanafi jurisprudence. This is following desire, and from this very thing sectarianism is born. But our benefactors overlook all these things and say: If this is not the sect of Hanafi or Shafi’i Islam, then what are the sects of disbelief?
Answer:-
Firstly:-
Do you consider only those things unlawful and forbidden which fall under the categories of disbelief? If not, certainly not, then repeatedly reflect on the reasonableness of this question about what you are stating.
(2) The issues you have discussed or the issues in which you have tried to prove disagreement among Ahl al-Hadith, are these categories of disbelief? If not, certainly not, then what justification do you have for refuting them?
(3) We clearly and unequivocally say that blind imitation (taqlid) in Islam is a dangerous innovation, and these four methods are all innovations. اللہ اللہ خیر سلا
(4) As for your statement that there is also an advertisement against taqlid in Saudi Arabia, brother, we do not need that because there are many Arabic books published against taqlid, and especially in Saudi Arabia there are those who refute taqlid. Moreover, be clear that the Hanbali school of thought only mentions the name of taqlid, but in reality, these people give preference to the Quran and Sunnah and subordinate the sayings of their Imam to the texts. If you do not believe this, then study the work of Maulvi Hussain Ahmad Madani.
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In short, among the imitators, the Hanbali school of thought has the greatest love for the Sunnah; they neither interpret texts allegorically nor are they allegorists in beliefs.
