Will all groups (sects) enter Jannah except one?

بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ

In the Name of Allah Most Merciful Most Kind

Short Answer

No, there is no Sahih Hadith in which it states that all sects (groups) will enter Jannah (Paradise) except one. Rather, there is Sahih hadith in which it states that all sects (groups) will go to Jahannam (Hell) except one. Further, the Sahih narrations state the opposite. Namely, all the sects (groups) will be in the fire except one.

عَنْ أَنَسِ بْنِ مَالِكٍ، قَالَ: قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: إِنَّ بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ افْتَرَقَتْ عَلَى إِحْدَى وَسَبْعِينَ فِرْقَةً، وَإِنَّ أُمَّتِي سَتَفْتَرِقُ عَلَى ثِنْتَيْنِ وَسَبْعِينَ فِرْقَةً، كُلُّهَا فِي النَّارِ، إِلَّا وَاحِدَةً وَهِيَ الْجَمَاعَةُ

(Sayidina) Anas bin Malik (May Allah Most High be pleased with him) narrated that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, ‘The Children of Israel split into seventy-one sects. Indeed, my (Ummah) nation will split into seventy-two sects.  All of them will be in the fire except one. That (one) is the majority.’ (Sunan Ibn Maja 3993, Sahih).

There are many authentic narrations of the above Hadith with slightly variant wording. However, they all establish the fact that all the sects are in the fire except one. The opposite of this is not authentic. Rather, many scholars have considered it to be a fabrication. Namely, we will explore the opinions of the classical scholars: Imam al-Shawkani; Imam Ibn al-Jawzi; Imam al-Suyuti; and Imam ibn Hajr al-Asqalani.

Imam al-Shawkani

تَفْتَرِقُ أُمَّتِي عَلَى سَبْعِينَ، أَوْ إِحْدَى وَسَبْعِينَ فِرْقَةً، كُلُّهُمْ فِي الْجَنَّةِ إِلا فِرْقَةً وَاحِدَةً. قَالُوا: يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ، مَنْ هُمْ؟ قَالَ: الزَّنَادِقَةُ وَالْقَدَرِيَّةُ. رواه العقيلي عَنْ أَنَسٍ مَرْفُوعًا، وَفِي إِسْنَادِهِ: رجل مجهول. وقال العقيلي: هذا حديث لا يرجع منه إلى صحة. ورواه الدارقطني. قال العلماء: وضعه الأبرد بن الأشرس. قال في الميزان: هو كذاب وضاع. (الفوائد المجموعة في الأحاديث الموضوعة)

This (Ummah) nation will split into seventy or seventy-one sects. All of them will be in the fire except one. They said, O Messenger of Allah ﷺ, who are they? He ﷺ said, the Zanadiqah (heretics) and the Qadariyah. It was narrated by al-Uqayli as a prophetic narration from (Sayidina) Anas (May Allah Most High be pleased with him). However, it has an unknow narrator in the chain. (Imam) al-Uqayli said, this has no authenticity to it. It was narrated by al-Darqutni. The scholars said, it was fabricated by al-Abrad bin al-Ashras. He (Imam al-Dhahabi) said in al-Mizan, he (al-Abrad) is a liar and a fabricator.  (Imam al-Shawkani, al-Fawaid al-Majmoo’ah).

The Nass (text) above is incredibly significant. Since, some of those who claim that the Hadith saying, ‘all the sects will be in Jannah except one’ is Sahih, cite Imam al-Shawkani as their source. We find above that Imam al-Shawkani has made reference to significant Hadith scholars in proving that the narration is baseless and contains a fabricator in the chain.

Imam Ibn al-Jawzi

Imam Abd al-Rahman Ibn al-Jawzi addressed the issue in more detail. He mentioned three different chains for this narration in his celebrated work, al-Mawdu’aat. He then clarified that there is one or more defective narrator in each chain. In the first, he confirmed that al-Abrad ibn al-Ashras was a fabricator.

هَذَا الحَدِيث لَا يَصِحُّ عَنْ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ. قَالَ عُلَمَاء الصِّنَاعَة: وَضعه الْأَبْرَد وَكَانَ وضاعا كذابا. (الموضوعات)

This Hadith is not authentic from the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. Scholars of this science said that al-Abrad was a fabricator and liar. (Imam Abd al-Rahman ibn al-Jawzi, al-Mawdu’aat).

The second chain has Yaseen al-Zayaat in it. He is rejected (Munkar) as a narrator. Thus, his narrations have no strength or authenticity.

وَأما ياسين فَقَالَ يحيى: لَيْسَ حَدِيثه بشيء. وَقَالَ النسائي: مَتْرُوك الحَدِيث. (الموضوعات)

As for Yasin, Yahya said: His Hadith narrations are nothing. (Imam) al-Nasai said: His Hadith are abandoned (Matrook). (Imam Abd al-Rahman ibn al-Jawzi, al-Mawdu’aat).

The third narration has Uthman bin Affan (not the Sahabi) and Hafs bin Umar. Uthman was abandoned as a narrator (Matrook) and Hafs was considered a fabricator.

وَأما عُثْمَان فَقَالَ عُلَمَاء النَّقْل: مَتْرُوك الحَدِيث لَا يَحِلُّ كَتْبُ حَدِيثِهِ إِلا عَلَى سَبِيل الِاعْتِبَار. وَأما حَفْص بن عمر فَقَالَ أَبُو حَاتِمٍ الرَّازِيُّ: كَانَ كذابا وَقَالَ الْعقيلِيّ: يحدث عَن الْأَئِمَّة بِالْبَوَاطِيل. قَالَ المُصَنّف: وَهَذَا الحَدِيث على هَذَا اللَّفْظ لَا أَصْلَ لَهُ. (الموضوعات)

As for Uthman, the scholars of transmission said: His Hadith narrations are abandoned (Matrook). It is not permitted to write his Hadith except by way of consideration. As for Hafs bin Omar, Abu Hatim Al-Razi said he was a liar. Al-Uqayli said, he narrates falsehoods from Imams. The author said, this hadith with this wording is baseless. (Imam Abd al-Rahman ibn al-Jawzi, al-Mowdo’aat).

After mentioning the various fabrications, Imam Ibn al-Jawzi affirmed that the sound narration of this Hadith has numerous chains of narration. Since some of these chains are authentic, it renders the Hadith incredibly strong. Therefore, not only is the version that states, ‘all will be in paradise except one,’ extremely flawed, it is further flawed by contradicting the authentic narrations.

بلَى قد رَوَاهُ عَن رَسُول الله صلى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ عَليّ بن أبي طَالب وَسعد بن أبي وَقاص وَابْن عمر وَأَبُو الدَّرْدَاء وَمُعَاوِيَة وَابْن عَبَّاس وَجَابِر وَأَبُو هُرَيْرَة وَأَبُو أُمَامَة وواثلة وعَوْف بن مَالك وَعَمْرو بن عَوْف الْمُزنِيّ، قَالُوا فِيهِ ” وَاحِدَة فِي الْجنَّة وهي الْجَمَاعَة “. (الموضوعات)

Indeed, Ali bin Abi Talib, Saad bin Abi Waqqas, Ibn Omar, Abu Darda, Muawiya, Ibn Abbas, Jabir, Abu Huraira, and Abu Umamah, Wathilah, Awf bin Malik and Amr bin Awf al-Muzani (May Allah Most High be pleased with them all) narrated it from the Messenger of Allah ﷺ saying: “One (group will be) in Paradise. It is the majority.” (Imam Abd al-Rahman ibn al-Jawzi, al-Mawdu’aat).

Imam al-Sayuti

Imam al-Sayuti declared the narration baseless, and included it in one of his renowned works on fabricated Hadith.

قَالَ الْعقيلِيّ الصَّباح شَامي مَجْهُول ينْقل الحَدِيث لَا يعرف إِلَّا بِهَذَا وَلَا يُتَابع عَلَيْهِ وَلَا أَصْلَ لِهذا الحَدِيث. (اللآلىء المصنوعة في الأحاديث الموضوعة)

(Imam) al-Uqayli said al-Sabah al-Shami who narrates this hadith is not known for this narration, and he is not followed up on it. There is no basis for this hadith. (Imam Jalal al-Deen al-Sayuti, al-La’ali al-Masno’ah).

In Kashf al-Khafa, Imam al-Ajluni quoted Imam al-Sayuti position and seemed to concur. He also highlighted that the correct narration has different wording (see above).

قال في اللآلئ: لا أصل له أي بهذا اللفظ، وإلا فالحديث روي من أوجه مقبولة بغير هذا اللفظ. (كشف الخفاء ومزيل الإلباس)

He (Imam al-Sayuti), in al-La’ali, said there is no basis for it with this wording. However, the Hadith has been narrated from in an acceptable manner with different wording. (Imam Abu al-Fida al-Ajlooni, Kashf al-Khafa).

Imam Ibn Hajr al-Asqalani

وهذا اضطراب شديد سندا ومتنا والمحفوظ في المتن تفترق أمتي على ثلاث وسبعين فرقة كلها في النار إلا واحدة قال وما تلك الفرقة قال ما أنا عليه اليوم وأصحابي وهذا من مثله مقلوب المتن والله أعلم. (لسان الميزان)

It is Mudtarib (contradictory) in Sanad (the chain) and Matn (wording). The sound narration is: My (Ummah) nation will split into seventy-three sects.  All of them will be in the fire except one. He said, which group is that? He ﷺ said, what I am upon today, and my companions. This and the like of it have the sound wording. (Imam Abu al-Fadl bin Hajr al-Asqalani, Lisaan al-Mizaan).

In the Nass (text) above, Imam Ibn Hajr al-Asqalani highlights the contradiction in the dubious narration. He declares that the sound version is the one restricting one group to paradise.

Conclusion

As we have seen above, major Hadith scholars of Ahl al-Sunnah have considered the narration stating that ‘all groups (sects) are in Jannah (Paradise) except one’ is baseless. Rather, the sound narration affirms the opposite. Namely, all the sects (groups) will be in the fire except one. Therefore, it is not permitted to propagate the baseless version. One must promote the sound version alone. It is especially important to highlight this in communities where the baseless version is propagated.

And Allah Most High Knows Best.

–Answered by Shaykh Noorud-deen Rashid (04.08.23)