Did the Sayings of the Companions ﵃ Become the Cause of Sectarian Division?

Question

Your brief answer is insufficient for the guidance of a person of little knowledge like myself — especially the hadith which you wrote by way of explanation, namely: “the way upon which (in respect of belief, practice and morals) I am and my Companions are — the group that remains upon this way will attain salvation.

Answer

The gist of your question is this: there is contradiction in the sayings of the Companions; this very contradiction became the cause of sectarian division in the Umma, to the point that the Umma split into seventy-three sects, of which only one is saved and seventy-two are of Hell; most of these [sayings], if not all, have been attributed to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ; therefore…

Source: Fatawa Mahmudiyya

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