The Jamaa’ah at-Tableegh and the Ikhwaan are amongst the 72 sects

His Excellency, Shaykh ‘Abdul ‘Azeez Ibn Baaz (Rahima-ullaah) was asked:

Question: May Allaah grant you the best (of His favours).

In the hadeeth of the Prophet , relating to the splitting of the Ummah, he says: ((…and my Ummah shall split into 72 sects…)).

So, is the Jamaa’ah at-Tableegh, with what they have in terms of shirk and innovations; and also the Jamaa’ah al-Ikhwaan al-Muslimeen, with what they have in terms of partisanship and revolting/rebelling against the leaders and lack of obedience; from the 72 sects?

So, he (the Shaykh) responded, may Allaah forgive him and bestow upon him His immense mercy:

They are from the 72 (sects). Whoever opposes the ‘aqeedah of Ahlus-Sunnah enters the fold of the 72 (sects). The meaning of the Prophet’s statement ((My Ummah)) is: the Ummah of Ijaabah, i.e. the Ummah of response; those who responded to the Prophet’s call and revealed their allegiance to him. And the meaning of 73 sects: the victorious sect which adhered to him and was upright in their religion and 72 of those sects – amongst them the kuffaar, the sinners and various innovators.

So, the questioners asked: Are these two groups (Jamaa’ah at-Tableegh and Jamaa’ah al-Ikhwaan al-Muslimeen) from amongst the 72 sects?

He responded: Yes, they are from the amongst the 72 sects, along with the Murji’ah and other than them; the Murji’ah and the Khawaarij – some of the people of knowledge regard the Khawaarij from amongst the kuffaar, out of the fold of Islaam although amongst the 72 sects.

[Taken from the recording of the Shaykh’s lessons in Sharh al-Muntaqaa in Ta’if approximately 2 years or less before his death].