Dhamm al-Furqa wal-Ikhtilaf fi al-Kitab wal-Sunna
- Author died
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- Editions
- Islamic University of Madinah
Dhamm al-Furqa wal-Ikhtilaf fi al-Kitab wal-Sunna (Censure of Division and Discord in the Book and the Sunna) is a scholarly treatise by the Saudi theologian Abd Allah ibn Muhammad al-Ghunayman examining the Islamic scriptural prohibitions against communal division, sectarianism, and factionalism, while establishing the theological and legal principles governing unity, authority, and civil discord.
Context and Purpose
The treatise was composed while al-Ghunayman served as the head of the Department of Higher Studies at the Islamic University of Madinah and was published in the university's journal. In the work, the author addresses the recurring causes of ideological and political fragmentation in the Muslim world, contrasting Islamic communal unity based on divine revelation with secular nationalisms and sectarian loyalties.
Content and Arguments
Scriptural Condemnation of Division
Al-Ghunayman opens by demonstrating that human affairs cannot prosper without harmony and adherence to an overarching divine law. Grounding his thesis in Quranic exegesis—specifically the command in Surah Al Imran: وَاعْتَصِمُوا بِحَبْلِ اللَّهِ جَمِيعًا وَلا تَفَرَّقُوا ("And hold firmly to the rope of Allah all together and do not become divided")—he cites classical authorities such as Ibn Jarir al-Tabari, Ibn Mas'ud, and Qatada ibn Di'ama to explain that the "rope of God" denotes the Quran, the covenant of God, adherence to pure monotheism (tawhid), and the consensus upon the truth. He asserts that true solidarity can only emerge from shared creedal conviction rather than narrow tribal allegiances, ethnic nationalisms, or man-made political ideologies. Drawing on Islamic history, he cites the fall of Islamic rule in al-Andalus as an example of ruin resulting from disunity and deviation from religious tenets.
Legitimate Legal Reasoning versus Blameworthy Discord
The text draws a distinction between permissible juristic disagreement (ikhtilaf sa'igh) and censured sectarian discord:
- Juristic Ijtihad: Disagreements among qualified jurists on subsidiary legal rulings (furu'), where scholars sincerely seek the truth without introducing heretical innovations, fall under rewarded legal reasoning (ijtihad); if an error is made, it is forgiven.
- Transgression (Baghy): Discord that generates factional strife, malice, and fragmentation arises from intentional transgression, personal desires, or obstinacy rather than a genuine search for proof.
Civil Strife and Political Authority
Al-Ghunayman dedicates a major portion of the treatise to Sunnite doctrine regarding political authority and armed rebellion:
- Abstention from Civil Strife (Fitna): Citing prophetic traditions related by Abu Bakrah, Abu Musa al-Ash'ari, and Muhammad ibn Maslama, he argues that during internal rebellions and ambiguous civil discord, Muslims are commanded to lay down arms, break their weapons, and avoid bloodshed rather than join either warring faction.
- Patience Under Unjust Rulers: He emphasizes the established consensus among classical Sunnite scholars obligating obedience to Muslim rulers in matters not involving sin, and enduring their tyranny or injustice rather than revolting. Removing allegiance is prohibited unless a ruler falls into explicit, manifest apostasy (kufr bawah).
- Prayer Behind Rulers: Validating congregational and Friday prayers behind both righteous and sinful rulers is affirmed as a core tenet distinguishing Sunnites from sectarian groups.
Principles of Excommunication (Takfir) and Sectarian Deviance
Addressing sectarian schisms, al-Ghunayman discusses the hadith concerning the division of the Muslim community into seventy-three sects. Drawing upon the rules laid down by Ibn Taymiyya, he underscores that:
- An erroneous interpretation (ta'wil) advanced by someone intending to follow the Prophet does not warrant declaration of apostasy or corruption, whether in subsidiary legal matters or in fundamental matters of dogma.
- Pronouncing general criticism on a specific erroneous doctrine does not automatically translate into declaring every individual proponent an apostate, because specific excommunication (takfir al-mu'ayyan) requires fulfilling established conditions and eliminating potential impediments.
- The seventy-two sects mentioned in the tradition remain within the broader fold of the Muslim nation, and their members are not deemed eternal inhabitants of the Fire or generalized apostates.
The work concludes by reasserting that the unified religion preached by all prophets is Islam, that absolute adherence belongs solely to the Prophet Muhammad and the collective consensus of his Companions, and that communal harmony is maintained through sincerity of intent and adherence to revelation.
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