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بِسْمِ ٱللَّٰهِ ٱلرَّحْمَٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ Friday, 08 May 2026 Al Juma'a, 21 Dhū al-Qaʿdah 1447 AH
Hadith of the Day: الْمُسْلِمُ مَنْ سَلِمَ الْمُسْلِمُونَ مِنْ لِسَانِهِ وَيَدِهِ "A Muslim harms no one by tongue or hand." — Bukhari, Muslim
Faiths & Beliefs | May 07, 2026 | 1 min read

Why are there so many sects in islam?

Question

Islam is one religion so why does it have so many versions. Some people say we have to follow a certain school of thought, why can we follow Islam from the Quran, Sunnah and Hadith. Some sects of Islam include a lot of cultural and human preferences, they like to bend religion in their favour so why all the confusion, why don't we all practice Islam the way it is supposed to be practiced

Islamic Ruling & Answer

Verified

Islam, in its original essence, is one religion, and its foundation is the Quran and Sunnah. However, while understanding the Quran and Hadith, differences in interpretation and scholarly reasoning (ijtihad) sometimes occur among scholars, which led to the development of the various schools of Islamic jurisprudence (madhahib). These differences are not in the core beliefs of Islam, but mainly in secondary jurisprudential matters.

For an ordinary person, it is important to follow Islam under the guidance of a reliable and qualified scholar or recognized school of thought, because not everyone has the ability to derive correct rulings directly from the Quran and Hadith.

However, blind sectarianism, baseless divisions, and mixing personal desires or cultural practices into religion are not correct. A Muslim’s real effort should be to sincerely follow the authentic teachings of the Quran, Sunnah, and the righteous early generations (Salaf al-Saliheen).

Answered by

Mufti Tosif Qasmi

May 07, 2026