[1] Sects and Splinter Groups

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

In The Name of Allah, The Most Merciful, The Bestower of Mercy.

The Shia

The Jarudiyyah among the Zaydiyyah

Firstly: They are the followers of a person known as Abu al-Jārūd. They claimed that the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, appointed Alī as leader by description and not by name. They also claimed that the Companions disbelieved by abandoning the pledge of allegiance to Alī. Furthermore, they said that al-Ḥasan ibn Alī was the leader after Alī, and then his brother al-Ḥusayn became the leader after al-Ḥasan.

The Jarudiyyah divided into two sects with regards to this order of succession to leadership. One group said: Ali – by statement – appointed his son Al-Hasan as leader, then Al-Hasan appointed his brother Husayn as leader after him, and then the Imamate after Al-Hasan and Al-Husayn became a matter of consultation (shura) among the children of Al-Hasan and Al-Husayn. Whoever among them emerge, unsheathing his sword in support of his religion- a scholar and knowledgeable – he is the leader.

The second group among them claimed that it was the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, who clearly appointed Al-Hasan as leader after Ali, and Al- Husayn as leader after Al-Hasan. Thereafter, they split into sects regarding the awaited Imam. Some of them did not specify a person to be awaited, and said: “Whoever unsheathes his sword and calls to his religion among the children of al-Hasan and al-Husayn, he is the lmam.

Among them are those who await Muhammad ibn Abdillah ibn al-Hasan ibn al-Hasan ibn Ali ibn Abi Talib, and they neither believe that he was killed nor died, claiming that he is the awaited Mahdi who will emerge and rule the earth. The statement of these people about him is similar to what the Muhammadiyyah among the Imamiyyah say regarding their awaiting of Muhammad ibn Abdillah ibn al-Hasan ibn al-Hasan ibn Ali.

And among them are those who await Muhammad ibn al-Qasim, the governor of Talqan, and do not believe that he died.

And among them are those who await Muhammad ibn Umar, who departed from Kufa, and they neither believe that he was killed nor did he die.

This is the view of the Jarudiyyah, and making Takfir of them is an obligation because they make Takfir of the companions of Allāh’s Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.

To be continued InShaaAllah.

Source: An Excerpt from Al-Farq Bayna Al-Firaq 49-50. Publisher: Maktabah Imam Al-Wadi’ee 1st Edition 1434H (2012)