al-Farq bayn al-Firaq
- Author died
- 429 AH
- Editions
- Dār al-Āfāq al-Jadīdah
al-Farq bayn al-Firaq (The Difference between the Sects) is a classical work on Islamic heresiography and doxography by the Ash'ari scholar and theologian Abu Mansur Abd al-Qahir al-Baghdadi (d. 429 AH / 1037–1038 CE) . The book classifies and evaluates the theological sects that emerged in Islamic history, defining the doctrinal boundaries of the mainstream community against heterodox movements .
Purpose and Composition
Al-Baghdadi composed the book in response to an inquiry requesting an explanation of the prophetic hadith regarding the division of the Muslim community into seventy-three sects, of which one is saved and the remaining seventy-two are destined for the Fire . The author sought to elucidate the meaning of this report, define who falls within the fold of the Islamic community (millat al-Islam), expose the errors of deviant theological movements, and establish the doctrinal validity and virtues of the saved sect (Ahl al-Sunnah wa-l-Jama'ah) .
Structure and Contents
The work is organized into five main chapters (abwab):
- The Hadith on Sectarian Division: An examination of the transmitted narrations concerning the division of the ummah into seventy-three sects, including the isnads recorded by the author and citations from various Companions .
- General Classification of the Sects: A broad overview detailing the overarching definitions of Islamic affiliation and explaining how the seventy-three sects are enumerated .
- Exposition of the Deviant Factions: A detailed breakdown of the doctrines and internal schisms of the principal errant groups within Islam, such as the Rawafid (Shi'a), the Kharijites, the Qadariyyah and Mu'tazilah, the Murji'ah, the Najjariyyah, the Jahmiyyah, and anthropomorphist groups (al-Mushabbihah) .
- Groups Outside the Pale of Islam: An analysis of extremist sects that claimed an affiliation with Islam but whose tenets—such as belief in the divinity of imams, incarnationism (hulul), transmigration of souls (tanasukh), or the abrogation of the Sharia—exclude them from the Muslim community, including the Batiniyyah, the Bayaniyyah, the Maymuniyyah, and the Yazidiyyah .
- The Saved Sect: An exposition of the creed of Ahl al-Sunnah wa-l-Jama'ah, demonstrating their salvation, their consensus across the fundamental pillars of religion (arkan al-din), and the contributions of their scholars across various branches of learning .
Method and Theological Perspective
Al-Baghdadi structured his taxonomy around the number seventy-three mentioned in the division hadith, enumerating seventy-two deviant factions and identifying the seventy-third as the saved sect . In presenting the doctrines, he generally took the faction leaders and principal ideologues as reference points before outlining their specific theological positions .
The author drew a clear distinction between fundamental matters of creed (usul al-din) and juristic derivation in legal details (furu'). He emphasized that the prophetic condemnation of sects targeted only those who deviated from consensus on foundational theological matters—such as divine attributes, justice, predetermination, and the conditions of prophecy—whereas differences among jurists regarding the rulings of lawful and prohibited matters do not entail deviance or declaring opponents to be unbelievers . Throughout the book, al-Baghdadi presented the Ash'ari school as the definitive embodiment of Ahl al-Sunnah wa-l-Jama'ah rather than a mere theological subgroup .
Abridgments and Editions
An abridgment of the work was edited and published by Philip Khuri Hitti in 1924 under the title Mukhtasar al-Farq bayn al-Firaq . The unabridged Arabic text has been published in multiple modern editions, including one edited by Muhammad Muhyi al-Din Abd al-Hamid .
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