Max Shimba Ministries: Was Muhammad a Sunni or a Shia?

Monday, December 8, 2025

Was Muhammad a Sunni or a Shia?

Introduction

The questions raised involve several issues:

Was Muhammad a Sunni or a Shia?
Did Muhammad declare all Muslims in sects (except one) to be candidates for Hellfire?
Is there a group that follows the Qur’an alone (“Quranooyoon”) which Muhammad endorsed, as opposed to combining Hadith + Qur’an?
What does Islamic scholarship say about these hadiths and their authenticity, meaning, and implications?

We will examine each in turn.

Definitions & Background

Sunni and Shia are labels for two major branches of Islam that crystallized after the death of Muhammad and after early disputes over leadership, theological doctrine, law, etc. The terms were not in use in Muhammad’s lifetime in the way they are used now.
Hadith: reported sayings, actions, tacit approvals of Muhammad; treated in traditional Islam as a source of guidance along with the Qur’an.
Qur’an-only (variously called “Qur’anists”, “Qur’aniyoon”, etc.): groups who accept only the Qur’an as authoritative, rejecting or minimizing authority of Hadith collections. This is a minority position in Islamic history, not one of the traditional major madhahib (schools).

Examination of the Claimed Hadiths & Their Interpretations

The hadith about “73 sects”

There is a widely circulated hadith (or reports) stating something along these lines:

“My Ummah will be divided into seventy-three sects; all but one will be in Hell, and the saved sect is the one that follows what I and my companions follow.”

Scholars have collected many versions; some with additions like “all of them will be in Hell except one”, others without that addition; some where the saved group is described simply as al-Jamaʿah, or “the group”, or “those who follow me and my companions”. (Islam-QA)

Authenticity / Criticism

Scholars have debated:

Which versions are authentic or weak. Some versions include extra phrases (“all except one in Hell”, etc.) that some scholars regard as weak or even fabricated. (موقع دار الإفتاء المصرية)
Whether all narrations attributed to this hadith are sahih (sound), hasan (good), or weak. Some affirm parts are acceptable, others reject certain additions. (islam3.worldofislam.info)

Analysis of the Specific Claims

You asserted several things. Let’s check them one by one.

Assertion	Evidence / Counter-Arguments
“Muhammad declares Sunni, Shia and all Muslims following different sects are in Hellfire.”	The hadith discussed does say that the Ummah will split into many sects and all but one will be in Hellfire (in some versions). But: • The versions differ; some do not include the phrase “all but one in Hellfire” verbatim; sometimes it is weaker. (موقع دار الإفتاء المصرية) • Furthermore, identifying contemporary “Sunni”, “Shia” etc., with those sects is a retrospective interpretation. The hadith does not explicitly mention “Sunni” or “Shia” in most versions in the way they are used today. • Some scholars caution against using such hadiths to judge individuals or groups with certainty, because of issues of authenticity, context, meaning.
“Muhammad was not a Sunni / Shia (because those sects came later).”	This is largely correct from a historical perspective: the formal Sunni / Shia labels, schools, theological systems, crystallized after the Prophet’s death, often in the 2nd / 3rd Islamic centuries. So Muhammad himself cannot be properly said to have “belonged” to a sect named “Sunni” or “Shia” as they are used today.
“Muhammad did not combine Hadith with Qur’an; if you do, you differ from him (i.e. you are of a sect).”	There is no credible evidence that Muhammad himself rejected Hadith; in fact, Muslims believe many sayings/actions of Muhammad are preserved as Hadith. The hadith literature is considered by most Muslims as explanatory of the Qur’an, and Muhammad is understood to have instituted practices and words beyond the Qur’an (as Muslims believe). The Qur’an itself refers to obeying the Prophet and following his example (as Muslims interpret). So the idea that Muhammad followed “Qur’an only” in the sense of rejecting or not needing Hadith is not supported by mainstream Islamic sources.
“If you follow Qur’an only but belong to Sunni or Shia sect, you are not of Muhammad’s sect, all are going to hell according to Muhammad.”	This is an interpretation that some people derive from certain versions of the 73 sects hadith. But scholars debate whether those versions are reliable. Also, mainstream scholarship holds that salvation is not strictly about sect labels but about faith, actions, sincerity, etc. The Qur’an repeatedly emphasizes righteous belief and deeds. So to say definitively that all but one sect are going to hell is controversial and not accepted universally.

Scholarly Positions

Many Sunni scholars interpret that the “saved sect” (the one among the many divisions) is al-Jamaʿah (“the group / community”), defined as those who adhere to what Muhammad and his companions did. This is seen in works such as Al-Farq Bayna al-Firaq by Abu Mansur al-Baghdadi. (Wikipedia)
Some scholars accept the hadith about 73 sects in a form that does not include “all in Hell except one”, or only in a weaker form. They caution against using it to judge other Muslims. (موقع دار الإفتاء المصرية)
Scholars differ on whether certain narrations are “mutawatir” (strongly transmitted) versus “ahad” (individual) and how much weight to give to them. Some additions (e.g. “all in Hell except one”) are considered less certain. (موقع دار الإفتاء المصرية)

Conclusion

From a scholarly standpoint:

Muhammad was neither Sunni nor Shia in the sense those terms later came to define. Those sects formed after his passing.
The hadith about the 73 sects is real in Islamic tradition in many versions; it is reported that there will be many sects and that one is the “saved group” (often defined as the Jamaʿah, or those following Muhammad and his companions).
However, not all versions of the hadith are universally accepted. There is debate over authenticity, over the exact wording, over whether it literally means “all other sects are in hell” in the sense some interpret it.
Mainstream Islamic theology holds that faith, deeds, sincerity, following the guidance of Qur’an + authentic Sunnah (Prophetic tradition) matter; sectarian labels are less emphasized in terms of ultimate judgment.

Suggested Bibliography & References

(As would be appropriate in a theological institute)

Al-Baghdadi, Abu Mansur - Al-Farq Bayna al-Firaq.
Ibn Hazm, Al-Fisal fi al-Milal wa al-Ahwa’ wa al-Nihal.
Ibn al-Wazir, Al-Awasim wa al-Qawasim fi Dhabb an-Sunnah Abi l-Qasim.
Shawkani, Fath al-Qadir.
Tirmidhi, Sunan al-Tirmidhi (Hadith 2641) — narration of Ibn ‘Amr.
Dar al-Ifta / Fatwa bodies that discuss the hadith of “73 sects” (e.g. Egypt’s Dar al-Ifta). (موقع دار الإفتاء المصرية)
Works on Qur’an-only (Qur’aniyyoon) groups: history, critique, modern perspectives.