Chapter 3: Divisions Within The Religion
Abu Hurayrah reported that the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said: The Jews will have split into seventy-one sects and my Ummah will divide into seventy-three. (Ibn Majah)
Awf ibn Malik narrated that the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said: The Jews are split into seventy-one sects, one will enter Paradise and seventy will enter Hell. The Christians are split into seventy-two sects, seventy-one will enter Hell and one will enter Paradise. By Him in Whose hand is my soul, my Ummah will split into seventy-three sects, one will enter Paradise and seventy-two will enter Hell.
A man then asked the Prophet: O Messenger of Allah, who will they be?
The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ replied: The main body of the Muslims (al-Jama’ah). (Abu Dawud)
Anas ibn Malik said: I shall tell you a Hadith which I heard from the Messenger of Allah and which no-one will tell you after me. I heard him say: Among the signs of the Hour will be the disappearance of knowledge and the appearance of ignorance. Adultery will be prevalent and the drinking of wine will be common. The number of men will decrease and the number of women will increase until there will be fifty women to be looked after by one man. (Bukhari, Muslim)
The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said: Just before the Hour, there will be days in which knowledge will disappear and ignorance will appear, and there will be much killing. (Ibn Majah, Bukhari, Muslim)
Hudhayfah ibn Al-Yaman reported that the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said: Islam will become worn out like clothes are, until there will be no one who knows what fasting, prayer, charity and rituals are. The Quran will disappear in one night and no Ayah will be left on earth. Some groups of old people will be left who will say: We heard our fathers saying La ilaha illa Allah, so we repeat it.
A man named Silah asked Hudhayfah: what will saying La ilaha illa Allah do for them when they do not know what prayer, fasting, ritual and charity are?
Hudhayfah ignored him but Silah then repeated this question three times and each time, Hudhayfah ignored him.
Eventually, Hudhayfah ibn Al-Yaman said: O Silah, it will save them from Hell!
Hudhayfah repeated this statement three times.