Purge All Faiths Of The Pests, Called Sects

By Sumit Paul, New Age Islam 2 January 2025 "Sectarian conflict is an unfortunate reality, despite the Quran's explicit prohibition against it. The Quran even excludes from the fold of Islam those who engage in such divisions. Why, then, does it persist? The reason lies in people abandoning the Quran in favour of man-made religions, as Ghulam Mohiyyudin sb. rightly points out. Sectarian theologies are human constructs that contradict the teachings of the Quran. Therefore, to truly be a Muslim, one must dissociate from every sect and adhere solely to the Quran. Every sect must dissolve, for they are all, without exception, misguided." The above-mentioned comment of a deluded 'polymath' (of course, ironically) appeared on Mr Ghulam Ghaus Siddiqi Saheb’s very balanced article, "Exploring the Role of Religion in Hatred and Conflict: Myth or Reality?" People like this 'polymath' will quickly call me an irreligious person but they don't understand that a religion, any faith for that matter, is condemned by people like me because religion/faith has become denominational and sectarian. He's criticising the sects in Islam but he himself categorically mentioned in one of his recent comments that he's a Sunni Muslim. This gets my goat. Why can't you just call yourself a Muslim? Why this Sunni, Shia, Shia sub-sect (Bohras), Ahmadiyas, Khojas and what not? Why do people use religious sub-identities like a Sunni Muslim or a Shia Muslim; a Methodist or a Pentecostal; a Shaivite or a Vaishnavite? I've interacted with lakhs of Muslims in my life and I'm not including those who're no longer in the fold of Islam. I'm talking of those who're still Muslims but who also flaunt their sub-identities like Sunni and Shia. Don't take umbrage if I ask a pointed question: Is there any Muslim on this site who calls himself just a Muslim sans any sect (not even calling himself a Sufi, for, that's also a sect or doctrine) that crept into Islam as sectarian interpolation? Mind you, we don't pigeonhole anyone. People love to pigeonhole themselves into religions, sects and subsects. I feel disgusted when I see Sunni graveyard/ Shia graveyard! What nonsense! Can't a Sunni be buried in a Shia graveyard and vice versa? You're discriminating against your fellow religionists even in death! Macabre, to say the least. Can Islam be devoid of its 73 warring sects; though the number of sects in Islam is debated, a Hadees attributed to Muhammad states that Islam will be divided into 73 sects? Can Christianity be shorn of its six main groups, or denominations, with many subdivisions: Catholicism, Protestantism, Eastern Orthodoxy, Oriental Orthodoxy, Church of the East, and Restorationism. The Protestant denomination includes many groups with different beliefs and practices, and no shared ecclesiastical governance. Some Protestant denominations include: Anglican, Lutheran, Reformed, Anabaptist, and Evangelical. What's this rank nonsense? Did the putative Jesus think of these denominations? The same can be said about Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism (known for its endless sects, sub-sects and quasi sects) and even Zoroastrianism (Masdayasani, Parsee, Khshnoomi, Zarathushtrian Assembly- A small Restorationist sect in southern California, and many more). No faithful just identifies himself with the broader rubric of a faith, e.g, no one says that he's a Muslim or a Christian. His/her sect or sub-sect eventually surfaces. This sectarianism has desecrated all faiths and wreaked havoc on mankind. Purge all faiths of these pests called sects to understand and imbibe the pristine essence of every religion. Then, no one will condemn religions. ---- A regular columnist for New Age Islam, Sumit Paul is a researcher in comparative religions, with special reference to Islam. He has contributed articles to the world's premier publications in several languages including Persian. URL: https://www.newageislam.com/spiritual-meditations/purge-faiths-pests-sects-islam/d/134221 New Age Islam, Islam Online, Islamic Website, African Muslim News, Arab World News, South Asia News, Indian Muslim News, World Muslim News, Women in Islam, Islamic Feminism, Arab Women, Women In Arab, Islamophobia in America, Muslim Women in West, Islam Women and Feminismest, Islam Women and Feminism