Between Conflict and Harmony: Understanding Contestation o f Iftirāq Al -Ummah Hadiths in the Contemporary Era

Iftirāq al -ummah hadith in the contemporary era is considered a problematic hadith both at the level of understanding and practice. The meaning of the hadith is considered to be contrary to the Qur'an and other hadiths which uphold the spirit of unity and brotherhood. At the practical level, this hadith is considered to be a trigger for division and conflict among Muslims. This study aims to map contemporary scholars' understanding models of iftirāq al -ummah hadith. To track this understanding model, the main questions are: 1) what is the model for the tendency of contemporary scholars to understand the hadith, 2) what is the impact of each model of understanding on the scientific world of hadith and also the praxis of people's lives, and 3) how to construct arguments built. This research is a narrative-historical approach, as well as content analysis that combines descriptive, critical and hermeneutical analysis, this study shows that the understanding of contemporary scholars of the iftirāq al -ummah hadith can be grouped into three models, namely 1) exclusive understanding model; 2) rejective understanding model; 3) inclusive understanding model; 4) introspective understanding model. The first understanding tends to cause conflict among Muslims, while the other three are criticisms of the first model. Each understanding put forward coherent arguments and pragmatic arguments to strengthen his opinion.


INTRODUCTION
Information about the life of the Prophet -both verbal (qawlîy and hammîy) and visual (fi'lîy, taqrîry and halîy )-contained in hadith books is not only limited to legal-formal legal aspects, al-Jāmi's term which is widely used by the authors of primary hadith books -which etymologically means the collector -means that the book records hadiths related to ten themes, namely [1]  Among the hadith themes that are considered problematic in the books of hadith collections is the futuristic theme: the Prophet discussed events or phenomena that would occur long after his lifetime.Hadiths like this in classic hadith books are usually collected in discussions of al-fitan, al-malāḥim, asyrāṭ al-sā'ah and dalā`il al-nubuwwah.Meanwhile, in contemporary hadith studies, these traditions are usually called al-a ḥādīṡ al-mustaqbaliyyah.The problem that arises from this futuristic hadith concerns three domains at once, namely its ontological, methodological and axiological aspects.
One of the futuristic hadiths that continues to be debated is the hadith of iftiraq alummah, namely the words of the Prophet informing that his people will be divided into seventy-three groups.This hadith is being debated by academics both on its ontologicalauthenticity side, its method of understanding and also its axiological impact which has the potential to trigger the emergence of exclusive religious attitudes as well as the occurrence of divisions and conflicts among fellow Muslims.
Many studies discussing this hadith have been carried out, including Miski's article Iftirāq Hadith in Authoritative Literature: Portraits of Networks and Interests (2022); and False Hadith, Identity and Contestation of Thought: The Analysis of Hadith on the Division of Muhammad's Ummah in the Historical Dimension (2021).These two articles take a good picture of the spread of the iftirāq al-ummah hadith in the main hadith books among Sunnis and their editorial variants, then carry out a critical-historical analysis of the aspects of their sources and motives for their appearance.Meanwhile, in an article entitled The Firaq Ḥadīth amongst the Shī'is and Their Treatment of It, Mohamad Nasrin (2012) traces historically the existence of iftirāq al-ummah hadith in Shi'a literature.While Kāyid Yūsuf Qar'ūsy (2005) in an article entitled Ḥadīṡ Iftirāq al-Ummah wa al-Ṭā`ifah al-Nājiyah: Dirāsah Manhajiyyah Naqdiyyah after criticizing the editorial kulluhum fi al-nār illa wāḥidah (everything in hell except one) and considers its emergence due to political factors, it offers a proportional meaning so that the hadith is in harmony with the spirit of unity and brotherhood emphasized by Islam.In addition to historical aspects, authenticity and meaning, this hadith is also examined in terms of the response of Muslims towards it.Hasan Su'aidi (2010) for example examines the views of two major mass organizations in Indonesia on this hadith in his article entitled Pandangan NU-Muhammadiyah tentang Hadits Iftiraq al-Ummah.
Unlike the previous writings, this paper discusses the latest developments in attitude towards the iftiraq al-umma hadith.Debates about differences in creed, fiqh opinion, da'wah methods, religious understanding and political attitudes are phenomena that surface in the Islamic world.Debates at the level of this discourse sometimes escalate to become hostility, hatred and even conflict.In this context, the iftirāq al-ummah hadith is often used as a basis to strengthen group exclusivity and at the same time reinforce the dividing line between true and false teachings.The two terms in the hadith, namely ahl al-sunnah and ahl al-bid'ah, serve as ammunition for determining who is the survivor group (al-firah al-nājiyah) and who is the survivor.heretical group (ahl al-ḍalāl).
In the midst of a conflicting constellation of contemporary Islamic thoughts and movements like this, Muslim scholars try to re-read the iftirāq al-ummah hadith, to seek a proportional understanding that does not cause problems at the practical level.The attitude towards this hadith was not singular, figures representing several groups of Islamic sectswhich among one another often experienced polemics and even conflicts-had different attitudes towards this hadith.This article seeks to map these developing understanding models, then analyze approaches, methods, arguments and their impact on the lives of Muslims.
The figures studied are contemporary figures whose opinions have had a major influence on the formation of contemporary thoughts and movements in the Islamic world.By using qualitative methods and content analysis, it is hoped that there will be a tendency to categorize attitudes towards the iftirāq al-ummah hadith in the contemporary era, it can clarify the characteristics of each developing understanding model, and which model needs to be mainstreamed to strengthen the harmony of Muslim life.

Iftirāq al-ummah Hadith: Sources and Attitudes of Classical Scholars
Searching for the existence of iftirāq al-ummah hadith in the books of hadith has been done by many experts.Iftiraq al-ummah hadith not only found in hadith books among Sunnis, this hadith is also found in the main Shi'ah Ibā ḍiyyah literature, namely in al-Musnad by al-Rabī' ibn Ḥabīb (80-175 H) through his friend 'Abd 'Allāh ibn 'Abbās (68 AH).The editorial contained in the book is: This is the oldest data found so far.Among the Sunnis this hadith is found in many books written in the third century Hijri.Looking at the domicile of the authors of the book, it shows that this hadith at that time spread to various regions of the Islamic world as shown in the following In the fourth century, this hadith was also widely narrated by Sunni hadith scholars in their books, such as Abū Ya'lā al-Mū ṣ ilīy (307 H), Ibn Jarīr al-Ṭ abarī (310 H), Ibn Abī Ḥ atim al-Rāzī (327 H), al-Ṭabrānī (360 H), and Ibn Baṭṭah (387 H).In this century also the hadith of al-iftiraāq -with the same editorial as those circulating among Sunnis-began to be found in primary hadith literature among the Shi'aiṡnā 'Asyariyyah, including in the book Man Lā Yaḥḍuruhu al-Faqīh by al-Shaykh al-Ṣadūq (329 H) (Mohamad Nasrin,212: 362).The recording of this hadith and its chain of transmission among Sunnis continued until the fifth century.Among those recorded as narrating this hadith in the fifth century include al-Ḥākim al-Naisābūrī (405 H), Abū Nu'aim al-A ṣ fihānī (430 H), al-Bihāqī (458 H), and al-Khaṭīb al-Baghdādī (463 H).In these books, the editor of the iftirāq al-ummah hadith is included with different paths of sanad.One of the important data found in the collection of various sanad paths is the number of narrators of generations of companions who narrated this hadith.Muhammad ibn Ja'far al-Kattānī identified as many as 8 companions (al-Kattānī, tt: 45 ), Salmān al-'Audah 14 companions (al-'Audah, 1990: 19-50), and Mu ḥ ammad ibn Ibrāhīm ibn 'Abd al-Bā'ī ṡ al-Kattānī made an inventory of 16 companions (al-Kattānī, 1997: 21-27).This data is the argumentation of most scholars to categorize the hadith al-iftiraq as mutawatir hadith.
Another interesting data related to this al-iftiraq hadith is the variety of editorials in the text.This hadith has been narrated in different ways.In general, the form of declarativeinformative information informs three things, namely [1] Information that the people will be divided into several schools of thought; [2] information that only one firqah survived, while the others went to hell; [3] information about the criteria for surviving firqah.The first component that informs the occurrence of divisions among the ummah is found in all the editorials of the matan in the Sunni hadith books.The difference that sometimes appears is only in the number of groups that will appear between 70, 71, 72 and 73.The second or third component does not always appear in the editorial matan.The third component which explains the criteria for surviving groups is also stated differently.Some mention aljamā'ah, al-sawād al-a'żam, and mā anā 'alaihi wa aṣḥābī.
Hadith with a complete component of which was narrated by Abū Dāwud in al-Sunan "Know, indeed the People of the Book before you were divided into seventy-two groups, and indeed this millah (this religion) will be divided into seventy-three groups.Seventy-two of them will be in hell, and one group will be in heaven, namely al-jamā'ah." The complexity of the sanad paths and also the various variations of this matan are one of the factors why the authenticity of this hadith is widely debated by scholars.In the classical and medieval periods, the scholars differed on the validity of this hadith.Among the scholars who declared valid or at least hasan were al-Tirmiżī (d.Ṣaukānī, 2010: j. 3, 110;al-Syaḥūd, tt: 26-31) rejects the additional editorial Kulluhā fī al-Nār illā wāḥidah (al-Ṣaukānī, 2010: j. 3, 110;al-Syaḥūd, tt: 26-31).

Four Models of Contemporary Understanding of Iftirāq al-ummah Hadith
Iftiraq al-ummah hadith continues to be the talk of Muslim scholars in the contemporary era today.The initial debate about this hadith is of course about its authenticity, whether the hadith which explains the futuristic event of the division of the ummah after the Prophet Muhammad was true the words of the Prophet or not.For those who acknowledge its authenticity, the discussion continues on the problem of interpretation.There are at least five points that are debated in the realm of this interpretation, namely 1) Differences (al-iftirāq) as to what is meant in the hadith, whether differences in matters of faith, fiqh, manhaj da'wah, or even political attitudes; 2) Who is meant by ummah in the word ummatī in the hadith; 3) The number of seventy-three mentioned in the hadith is whether it is an exact count or is it just an expression of the maza which shows the number of divisions; 4) Of the several groups, which ones survived and what were the criteria; 5) From a number of groups, which of them belong to the heretical group, and will they go to hell forever or be considered as perpetrators of disobedience?('uṣāh) who has the potential to enter heaven.
The discussion that is no less interesting regarding this hadith is also the discussion at the level of reality-praxis.Which groups or sects in the contemporary era are included in alfirqah al-nājiyah (true groups) and which are included in al-firqah al-ḍāllah (misguided groups).It is in this realm that often triggers hostility and conflict among Muslim groups, because each group by adhering to the hadith claims to be the most correct while the other group is a misguided group.
It is on these themes that the iftirāq al-ummah hadith is discussed and debated by contemporary Muslim academics, whose tendencies can be categorized into four models of understanding, namely 1) Exclusive understanding; 2) Rejective understanding; 3) Inclusive Understanding; 4) Introspective Understanding.In the following, the four reading models will be described which include the characters, the characteristics of understanding the hadith, as well as their practical implications in the interaction of religious communities.

a. Exclusive Understanding
Reading This exclusivity stems from the notion that the decline of Muslims is because they move away from the pure teachings of the Koran and Hadith.In the view of this group, the salvation and progress of Muslims is by returning to the pure teachings of Islam which were understood and practiced by the early generations of Muslims, commonly called al-salaf al-ṣāliḥ.Therefore, the agenda of purifying Islamic creed and law from various kinds of polytheism and bid'ah is the top priority for this preaching model of reading.In this context, hadis al-iftir'aq is then used as a jargon to reinforce group identity and internal loyalty, and at the same time reinforce hostility towards other groups.The internal group is the survivor group (al-firqah al-nājiyah), while the other group is the heretical group who is misguided (al-firqah al-ḍāllah).
This kind of reading model can be seen in the understanding of two contemporary salafi figures from Saudi Arabia, namely Shaykh Sa'd b. 'Abd Allāh al-Sa'd ānd ān Shaykh al -Rabīb.Hādī al-Madkhalī (1932).Of course, these two figures disagree with the group that criticizes the authenticity of the hadith al-iftirāq.They confirmed that Hadith al-iftirāq is authentic and has been narrated by many Companions.To strengthen his view, al-Sa'dān himself mentions the names of 14 companions who narrated this hadith (al-Sa'dān, 1415 H: 20-21).So, there is no reason to reject this hadith which is in the mutawatir category.This group's exclusive view appears when they begin to interpret one of the key words in the hadith, namely the word ummatī (my ummat).They are of the view that the ummat is meant in the hadith is ummat al-ijabah, people who fulfill the call of Islamic teachings, so the divisions alluded to by the hadith are divisions that occur within the internal Muslim community.They do not interpret it as ummat al-da'wah, all human beings who were the target of the Prophet's da'wah whether they accepted and converted to Islam or not.Al-Sa'd ān strengthens his argument by giving the reason that the word ummat in most of the hadiths refers to ummat al-ijābah, not ummat al-da'wah, so this hadith must be interpreted in the same way (al-Sa'dān, 1415 H: 56 ).
For al-Sa'dān what is meant by iftirāq -which is the second key word in the hadithis not just a difference of opinion (al-ikhtilāf fi al-'ārā') but a difference that causes division and hostility.Specifically, what is meant by iftirāq is differences and divisions in the main issues of religion (uṣūl al-dīn) which can lead to departure from the understanding of ahl alsunnah wa al-jamā'ah .The difference in the field of fiqh (furu') is not what this hadith means (al-Sa'dān, 1415 H: 16, 17, 21).
In al-Sa'dān's view, the internal disunity of Muslims is a historical certainty, so what Muslims need to do is to cultivate an attitude of vigilance (tahdzir).against streams that deviate, by criticizing and hostile to it.Muslims must also realize that this condition is a test (al-ibtila') faith so that one must be patient in preaching against these heretical sects (al-Sa'dān, 1415 H: 20).Al-Sa'dān emphasized that there is only one group that survived hell.The concept of al-firqah al-nājiyah (group of survivors) this is the third concept in a very important hadith.Al -Sa'd ān understands the concept of al-firqah al-nājiyah in a limited and exclusive manner.The sentence in the hadith that reads illā wāhidah (except for one group that will enter heaven) emphasizes that only one group survived.Another argument put forward by al-Sa'd ān is the alignment of this single concept of salvation with the verses of the Qur'an "And verily, this is My straight path.Then follow!Do not follow (other) paths that will separate you from His path".(al-An' ām [06]: 153) In this case al -Sa'd ān does not agree with al-Ṣan'ānī (1099-1182) who argues that alfirqah al-nājiyah are all people who follow the teachings of the Prophet from the anywhere.He emphasized that al-firqah al-nājiyah mentioned in the hadith is clearly only one whose criteria have been clearly stated by the Prophet, namely al -jam ā'ah ( joining the right group), mākāna 'alaihi wa aṣḥābih (following the teachings of the Prophet and his companions), and al-sawād al-a'zham (the majority group).According to al-Sa'd ān the groups that meet these criteria are the ahl al-sunnah wa al-jamā'ah whose real form in history is among the companions, tabi'in, al-salaf al-sāliḥ , and hadith experts ( Ahl al-Ḥadīṡ) who collect, memorize and teach hadiths to the people (al-Sa'dān, 1415 H: 93).
The fourth concept contained in the hadith is the concept of heretical groups (alfirqah al-ḍāllah).In the hadith it is stated that Muhammad's people will be divided into several groups (firaq).The number mentioned in this hadith cannot be interpreted literally, the purpose of mentioning this number is to show the number of divisions that have occurred.The group that did not survive was called by the Prophet with the phrase, "kulluhā fi al-nār" (all go to hell).Al-Sa'd ān emphasized that heretical groups will go to hell but not forever, they are still considered Muslims and should not be punished as infidels (al-Sa'dān, 1415 H: 23).Their entry into hell is the same as the entry of the perpetrators of disobedience among Muslims.
Conceptually the view of al-Sa'd ān towards other groups like this in general it might be considered not to cause much of a problem, but at the practical level al-Sa'd ān explicitly mentions several groups which he considers heretical.Among them are the Sufi schools of ḥulūliyyah and manṣūriyah founded by Manṣūr al-Ḥallāj (d.858) which is considered by al-Sa'dān as an extreme ahl al-bid'ah, not including group of Muslims and not ahl al-qiblah.Al-Sa'dān also argues that the schools of al-Asy'āriyyah and Mu'tazilah are not included in alfirqah al-nājiyah (al-Sa'dān, 1415 H: 24, 91).
The tendency to specify which groups are survivors and which are misguided, too clearly visible in the view of Shaykh al-Rabīb.Hādī al-Madkhalī when explaining the hadith of al-iftirāq.In relations and interactions with other groups, al-Madkhalī is known as a figure in the madrasa al-tajrīḥ.One school of thought in the salafi group who used to judge negatively and even denounced other groups or scholars who were considered deviated from Ahl al-Sunnah (Futūḥ, 2019: 5;Muḥammad, 2018: 11) Al-Madkhali prefer to call all these groups as ahl al-ḥadīṡ.Because the construction of their teachings is good in the fields of faith, worship, morals, politics and others in harmony with the manhaj of the Salaf which is based on the Book of Allah and the authentic hadiths of the Prophet.The division of his monotheistic teachings also comes from the Qur'an and Sunnah.Even though in reality many groups study and memorize hadiths and make them as guidelines, according to Al-Madkhalī ahl al-ḥadīṡ have the privilege that they adhere to and be faithful to the hadith of the Prophet in all religious discussions whether in matters of faith, worship, politics or others.To clarify his view, al-Madkhalī explained that the word al-jama'āh found in the hadith of al-iftirāq means al -jam ā'ah alladzīna ijtama'ū 'alā al-haq alladzī jā'abihi Muḥammad peace be upon him.(a group gathered in the truth as brought by the Prophet Muhammad), and they are none other than ahl alḥadīṡ which is the only group that corresponds to the character mentioned in the hadith: "man kāna'alā mā ana 'alaihi wa aṣḥābi."(Al-Madkhalī, 2009: 7, 9, 10, 15).
As a consequence of his exclusive view like that, al-Madkhalī then stated emphatically that Mu'tazilah, Khawarij, Rafidhah and Murji'ah are not included in al-firqah al-nājiyah ( al-Madkhalī, 2009: 14).The Sufis belonging to the Hanafi school of law in Bangladesh and Pakistan, as well as the Sufi schools of al-Tijaniyah, al-Marghaniyah, al-Naqsyabandiyah, al-Suhrawardiyah, al-Syadziliyyah and Burhamiyyah are also not included in al-firqah al-nājiyah (Al-Madkhalī, 2009: 13, 28, 29, 36).Al-Madkhalī's criticism of the currents that developed in the Islamic world led to the al-ikhwan al-muslimun group and the shufi tariqah, even in the book al-Firqah al-Nājiyah Uṣūluhā wa 'Aqā'iduhā, al-Madkhalī also specifically mentioned the

b. Rejective Understanding
On In the second half of the twentieth century in the Islamic world there was an Islamic awakening movement.A movement to awaken and encourage Muslims to rise from lagging behind in various fields, both economics, technology, science and politics.One of the conditions considered important for the revival of the people is unity and brotherhood.Therefore, the jargon ukhuwwah islamiyyah (Islamic brotherhood) and tau ḥ īd ṣ ufūf al-muslimīn (unification of the ranks of Muslims) are the jargons that are much buzzed about.But, contradictions and even conflicts still continue to occur in various parts of the Islamic world, whether caused by political problems, class fanaticism, or differences in religious thought.In the midst of this situation, some groups use the iftirāq al-ummah hadith as a basis for being pessimistic and apathetic towards the reality of the division of the ummah, and even used as justification for the reality of the division that has occurred.By another group this hadith is used as an argument to make a truth claim, that their group is the right one while the other group is wrong and heretical.This situation caused animosity among Muslims to increase, both at the elite level of the clergy and among the ummah.
In this situation, some Muslim scholars tried to re-read the hadith of al-iftirāq which they considered not in line with the spirit of unity and became a trigger for hostility among the people.Among the figures who seriously criticized this hadith is Shaykh The attitude of al-Qaraḍāwī tends to reject the authenticity of the hadith.The arguments put forward are: 1) Iftirāq al-ummah hadith is not found in Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī and Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim, the two most authentic and most authoritative hadith books.Al-Qaraḍāwī realizes that not all authentic hadiths are summarized in these two books, but Imam al-Bukhārī and Imam Muslim cannot possibly leave out important hadiths in a topic of discussion.In fact, this hadith is not found in the books of these two great Imams; 2) The iftirāq al-ummah hadith is narrated with various editorials, some reports only inform the divisions that occur among the people without the addition of "kulluhā fi al-nār illā wāḥidah" (all go to hell except one), while other narrations contain the addition.Al-Qaraḍāwī criticizes both of them.The history without additions originating from Abū Hurairah is considered weak because the entire chain of transmission goes through a problematic narrator, namely Muḥammad ibn 'Amr ibn 'Alqamah ibn Waqqāṣ al-Laiṡī.Scholars consider the professionalism of this narrator's narration to be imperfect.Al-Qara ḍ āwī considers narrations accompanied by additional sentences to be weak.Even though the editorial was narrated through many friends, the quality of each channel is weak; 3) Al-Qaraḍāwī also criticizes the hadith from the point of view of its literal meaning.This hadith has a problematic meaning, which is to give the impression that Muslims are of inferior quality to Jews and Christians, because the hadith informs that the number of divisions within Muslims is greater than the divisions experienced by Jews and Christians.Another problem is a problem at the practical level, this hadith encourages each group to claim to be a safe group, and accuse other groups of being heretical.This of course further exacerbated the disunity of the Muslim community; 4) To strengthen his opinion, al-Qaraḍāwī also refers to the opinions of classical scholars who also criticize and assess the weak quality of the iftirāq al-ummah hadith, such as Ibn Ḥazm (d. 456), Ibn al-Wazir (d. 840 H) (al-Qaraḍāwī, 2001: 34-38).
Although al-Qara ḍ āwī tends to reject the validity of this hadith, he realizes that many great scholars such as Ibn Ḥajar al-'Asqānī consider it valid.Therefore al-Qara ḍ āwī provides two alternative meanings if the hadith is considered valid.The first alternative is that the divisions alluded to by the hadith have occurred in the past, so it is not appropriate if the hadith is used to read the reality of contemporary Muslims.The second alternative is to understand that groups (firqah) developed among the ummah are still considered part of the Islamic ummah.In the hadith it is recorded that all these groups were referred to by the prophet as ummatī (my people).Even if they go to hell as mentioned in the hadith, they will not last forever (al-Qaraḍāwī, 2001: 38-39).With this kind of understanding, the potential for conflict, hostility and hatred can be reduced.
Such a subjective view also appears in the opinion of Ṣalāḥ al-Ḍīn al-Idlibī (1948), a hadith scholar from Aleppo Syria.After mentioning the 12 companions of the Prophet who were recorded as having narrated the iftirāq al-ummah hadith and explaining all the paths of their sanad, al-Idlibī then criticized his sanad and mata.From the sanad side, al-Idlibī concludes that all the existing sanad paths are problematic, because each path goes through low professional quality narrators, so al-Idlibī concludes that all of these hadiths are weak (ḍa'if).The many chains of sanad that support this hadith cannot raise the quality of the hadith to be valid or hasan, because according to al-Idlibī the matan of this hadith contains irregularities due to contradictions with other stronger texts (syadz).Through an analysis of criticism like this, al-Idlibī then concluded that this hadith contradicts several verses of the Qur'an, namely al-Baqarah: 213, al-An'ām: 37, Ghāfir: 59, and al-Naml: 73.

c. Inclusive Understanding
After the Islamic world was released from colonialization, it actually became an opportunity to rise and catch up in various fields.However, one of the problems that hinders Muslims from rising is the emergence of contradictions, hostility, fanaticism and even conflicts between thoughts, schools of thought, and groups.Conditions like this occur at almost all levels of the social structure, both at the level of the religious elite and the ummah.This situation is exacerbated by exclusive understandings of religious texts which further exacerbate conflicts and disputes.One of the religious texts that is considered to be a trigger for division and conflict among the people is the hadith al-iftirāq.
In In situations like this, some Muslim scholars offer re-reading of the hadith al-iftiraq with the aim that divisions among Muslims will not get worse.Among the scholars who try to offer an inclusive reading of the hadith al-iftir ā q are Shaykh Muḥammad Ibn Ibrāhīm ibn 'Abd al-Bāiṡ al-Kattānī (1940), a hadith scholar as well as a Sufi from Alexandria of Egypt, and Shaykh Umar 'Abdallāh Kāmil (1952Kāmil ( -2015) ) a scholar from Makkah, Saudi Arabia who also has Sufistic tendencies.
In contrast to the subjective reading model which rejects the authenticity of the hadith al-iftir'aq, inclusive readings still accept the authenticity of these hadiths, but they provide content of meaning that relatively does not cause problems both at the level of understanding and at the level of practice.To strengthen the validity of the hadith al-iftirāq, al-Kattānī displays the data of ten companions who narrated this hadith complete with their eyes and sources of existence in the primary hadith books (al-Kattaanī, 1997: 21-27).Even though they both regard it as an authentic and mutawatir hadith, al-Kattānī's model of reading the al-iftirāq hadith is different from the exclusive reading model, both in determining the main spirit contained in the hadith and in the meaning of several key terms in the hadith.Al-Kattānī emphasizes that the main message of the hadith of al-iftirāq is actually not an encouragement or recommendation to find fault or misguidance of other groups.The spirit ordered by the hadith is actually to raise vigilance so as not to leave the congregation of Muslims.
Among the key terms in the hadith that concern al-Kattānī is the word ummat.This word is interpreted by al-Kattānī as ummat al-da'wah, namely the people who were the target of the preaching of the Prophet Muhammad from when he was sent until the Day of Judgment, whether they accepted Islam or not.All humans who lived after the Prophet Muhammad was sent were the followers of the Prophet Muhammad (ummatu Muḥammad).On the basis of this interpretation, the division of the people that is alluded to by the hadith is not an internal division among Muslims, but a division that occurred among all mankind after the sending of the Prophet Muhammad (al-Kattānī, 1997: 30).On the other hand, in various editorials of the hadith it is stated that the divisions reached the number of 70, 71, 72 or 73.Al-Kattānī does not interpret this number as an essential number, so he does not believe that the number of divisions that occur must be the same as the number that occurs.mentioned in the hadith as understood by some classical scholars.Al-Kattānī considers that the numbers are just majazi expressions which mean there are many in number.So that this hadith should be understood that humanity as a whole, whether Muslim or not -all of whom are the people of the Prophet Muhammad -will experience many divisions.
The second key term that concerns al-Kattānī For building inclusive reading is the term al-firqah al-nājiyah.In the hadith it is clearly stated that groups are excluded (almustaṡnā) from hell.The various editorials used by the hadith to refer to this group, namely "Indeed al-firqah al-nājiyah are characteristics, properties and also principles.Anyone, both individuals and groups who stick to these characters, traits and principles, has the great potential to be safe.And anyone who is not in harmony with these characters, traits and principles, it is feared that they will be included in the wretched group.Every Muslim, both individually and as a group, has the potential to be safe according to his closeness to the characters that have been mentioned, and also depends on his efforts to implement these characters.Vice versa, they are feared that they will be harmed depending on their negligence and carelessness in implementing this character".(al-'Audah, 1990: 124).
Meanwhile with regard to the group of unsaved which in the hadith is referred to as the group that will go to hell (kulluhā fi al-nār), al-'Audah states that they cannot be considered as infidels, they are still part of the Muslim community and ahl They will not be in hell forever.The Prophet himself in the hadith referred to them as ummati, so that all of them are still considered as Muhammad's people (al-'Audah, 1990: 62).However, al-'Audah emphasized once again that this hadith is not appropriate if it is used as a tool to accuse other groups of being the experts in hell.According to al-'Audah, the correct attitude towards this hadith is that of the early generations of Islam.The companions of the Prophet after hearing this hadith which stated that Muslims would later be divided, what came to their minds was the question which of these groups would survive, and they hoped to be included in that group of survivors.After hearing this hadith, their initial response was not to look for which of them would be harmed and go to hell (al-'Audah, 1990: 59).The introspective perspective of friends like this makes them worry if they are included in the unfortunate group, and at the same time they try to qualify themselves to be a group of survivors.This is different from the phenomenon that is currently developing, where most people when they hear the hadith of al-iftirāq immediately look for who will get hurt, so that their attention is not on improving themselves but throwing accusations of heresy, disbelief, hypocrisy, ungodliness and bid'ah to other parties.Even felt that he was perfect without flaws (al-'Audah, 1990: 122).
(a) al-jamā'ah; (b)al-millah; (c) al-firqah; (d) al-sawād al-a'żam; (e) mā anā 'alaihi wa aṣḥābī.According to al-Kattānī, although the words used are different, they refer to one meaning, namely the people of al-ijābah or Muslims.Thus according to al-Kattānī's view what is meant by al-firqah al-nājiyah who will enter heaven are all Muslims who fulfill the call of the teachings of the Prophet Muhammad (ummat al-ijabah) regardless of their class and school of thought (al-Kattaanī, 1997: 30).