'The Saved Sect: The Illusion of Being the Chosen' – A Deep Intellectual Exploration of Concept and Its Implications in Islamic History
- 2025-Apr-07
HE Dr. Mohamed Bechari, Secretary-General of The World Muslim Communities Council (TWMCC), presented his book "The Saved Sect: The Illusion of Being the Chosen" during an academic seminar at Mohamed Bin Zayed University for Humanities. In this session, he offered a critical perspective on the concept of the "Saved Sect" and its historical dimensions in Islamic thought, emphasising Islam’s role in promoting unity and rejecting exclusion.
Dr. Bechari addressed the well-known prophetic hadith that mentions the destruction of 72 sects and the salvation of one. He explained that the "Saved Sect" refers to the Ummah of Response—that is, the entire Muslim community, not any single group in particular. He stressed that the numerous and varied versions of the hadith render it inconsistent, thus weakening its reliability, especially when compared to definitive Qur'anic texts.
He further clarified that salvation (najāh) is not as difficult as some religious groups portray. Rather, other prophetic sayings illustrate the simplicity of attaining salvation, citing the hadith of the Prophet ﷺ: “Whoever says ‘There is no true god but Allah’ will enter Paradise.”
He also discussed the intellectual crisis that gave rise to ideologically driven religious groups, arguing that such groups emerged due to conceptual confusion after the cessation of divine revelation, and that they aim to distort history and monopolise the path to salvation. In contrast, Islam affirms the values of mercy and inclusivity.
