The Hadith of the Seventy-Three Sects: Ahl al-Sunnah, Orthodoxy, and the Ethics of Disagreement

Hosted by: Madina Institute & Dar Al-Hijrah Islamic Center
Instructor: Sh Dr. Muhammad bin Yahya al-Ninowy

Date: Sunday, June 28, 2026
Location: Dar Al-Hijrah Islamic Center
Time: 2:00 PM – 5:00 PM

Workshop Overview

The hadith of the seventy-three sects is among the most frequently cited and most frequently misunderstood narrations in Muslim discourse. In an age of confusion, fragmentation, and online polemics, Muslims need a principled Sunni understanding of orthodoxy, difference, salvation, and religious boundaries.

This intensive workshop will examine the hadith through the lens of Sunni scholarship, clarifying what it teaches, how scholars understood it, and how Muslims can hold firm to truth without falling into recklessness, harshness, or sectarian excess.

Learning Objectives

Participants will::

* Study the wording, meaning, and scholarly treatment of the hadith of the seventy-three sects
* Understand the meaning of Ahl al-Sunnah wa’l-Jamāʿah
* Distinguish between legitimate disagreement and theological deviation
* Learn how Sunni scholars approached salvation, orthodoxy, and religious boundaries
* Develop a principled ethic for discussing other Muslims with knowledge, justice, and adab

Workshop Schedule:

Session I: The Hadith and Its Meaning

* The wording and major narrations of the hadith
* What the hadith affirms and what it does not affirm
* Common misunderstandings and misuses

Session II: Who Are Ahl al-Sunnah wa’l-Jamāʿah?

* The meaning of Sunnah and Jamāʿah
* Creed, transmission, and scholarly continuity
* The place of legitimate disagreement within Sunni Islam

Session III: Orthodoxy with Adab

* Boundaries without recklessness
* Disagreement without relativism
* Speaking about other Muslims with knowledge and justice
* Q&A and closing reflections