QUESTION:
Could you please provide a concise list of the deviant Shi’a sects that have
Emerged and, if possible, a brief description of their beliefs and the reasons why they deviated?
ANSWER:
In the Name of Allah, the All-Beneficent, the All-Merciful.
May Allah bless Muhammad and his Family and damn their enemies.
There are many deviant, religious sects within every divinely-revealed religion, including the religion of Islam. Abu Bakr and Umar’s (may the curse of Allah be upon them) corruption of Islam led to the emergence of the ‘Sunni’ sect. Subsequently, another movement led by Dhul-Thadya and al-Ash’ath Ibn Qays (may the curse of Allah be upon them) birthed the Kharijite sect.
The third movement was led by Wasil bin Ata (may the curse of Allah be upon him), who established the Mu’tazila sect. Furthermore, Abul Hassan al-Ash’ari (may the curse of Allah be upon him) led another movement that established the Ash’ari sect, and so on.
Consequently, it was very likely that some sects would also emerge from the true Islam (Shi’a Islam) by those of worldly interests, and these include:
1. Kisanis [al-Kisaniyah], who claimed that Muhammad Ibn al-Hanafiya, one of the sons of Imam Ali (peace be upon him), was the true successor and Imam after Imam Ali or his son, Imam Hussain (peace be upon them). They rejected Imam Zainul Abideen’s (peace be upon him) authority.
2. Zaydis [al-Zaydiah], who claimed that Imam Zain al-Abideen’s (peace be upon him) son, Zayd, was the Imam after him in an attempt to get rid of Imam al-Sadiq (peace be upon him).
3. Batris [al-Batriya], who claimed that Abu Bakr and Umar (may the curse of Allah be upon them), as well as other notable deviants who are symbols of the ‘Sunni’ sect, were believers as a means of reconciliation with our theological opponents.
4. Mughairis [al-Mughairiya], who claimed that the Imam after Imam Muhammad al-Baqir (peace be upon him) was al-Mughaira Ibn Said (may the curse of Allah be upon him).
5. Muhammadis [al-Muhammadiyah], who claimed that the promised Imam Mehdi (peace be upon him) was Muhammad Ibn Abdullah Ibn al-Hassan, falsely known as al-Nafs al-Zakiya, who was killed during the time of Imam al-Sadiq (peace be upon him). They were denounced by Imam al-Sadiq (peace be upon him).
6. Nawousis [al-Nawousiyah], who claimed that the promised Imam Mehdi was Imam al-Sadiq (peace be upon them) and that he is still alive. They aimed to eliminate Musa al-Kadhim (peace be upon him), who exposed their deviations and denounced them.
7. Isma’ilis [al-Isma’iliya], who claimed that the son of Imam al-Sadiq (peace be upon), Isma’il, was the Imam after him, in another attempt by a deviant sect to dissociate from, and get rid of, Imam al-Kadhim who denounced them for their deviations.
8. Fathis [al-Fathiya], who claimed that the Imam after Imam al-Sadiq (peace be upon him) and before Imam al-Kadhim (peace be upon him) was Imam al-Sadiq’s son, Abdullah al-Aftah.
9. Waqifis [al-Waqifa], who claimed that the promised Imam Mehdi (peace be upon him) was Imam Musa al-Kadhim (peace be upon him) and that he did not die, as a means of rejecting the authority of Imam Ridha (peace be upon him).
10. Nusairis [al-Nusairiya], who rejected the authority of Imam Hassan al-Askari (peace be upon him) and claimed that Imam al-Hadi (peace be upon him) was the Almighty Allah and that Muhammad Ibn al-Nusair was his Prophet.
The Office of Sheikh al-Habib