Hadith 20

(The book) ‘Al Fazail of Ibn Shazan’ (and) the book ‘Al Rawza’, by the chain raising it to Suleym Bin Qays who said, ‘I entered to see Ali-asws Bin Abu Talib-asws in Masjid Al-Kufa, and the people were around him-asws, and a chief of the Jews and a chief of the Christians entered to see him-asws. They greeted and sat down. A group said, ‘O our Master-asws! Ask them until we see what they are doing’. He-asws said to chief of the Jews: ‘O Jewish brother! ’ He said, ‘Here I am! ’ He-asws said: ‘Upon how many has the community of your Prophet-as divided into? ’ He said, ‘It is with us in a hidden book’. He-asws said: ‘May Allah-azwj Curse a people whose leader you are, he is asked about his religion so he says, ‘It is with me in a hidden book’’. Then he-asws turned around to chief of the Christians and said to him: ‘How many has the community of your Prophet-as divided into? ’ He said, ‘Upon such and such’, and was mistaken. He-asws said: ‘If you had said similar to the words of your companion, it would have been better for you than for you to say and err, and you don’t know’. Then he-asws turned during that and said: ‘O you people! I-asws am more knowing than the people of the Torah are with their Torah, and more knowing than the people of the Evangel are with their Evangel, and more knowing than the people of the Quran are with their Quran. I-asws am more recognising of the division of the communities. My-asws brother-saww and beloved and delight of my-asws eyes Rasool-Allah-saww informed me-asws with it. He-saww said: ‘The Jews would divide into seventy-one sects, seventy sects would be in the Fire and one sect in the Paradise, and it is which followed his-as (Musa-as’s) successor-as; and the Christians would divide into seventy-two sects, seventy-one sects would be in the Fire and one sect would be in the Paradise, and it is which follow his-as (Isa-as’s) successor-as; And my-saww community will be dividing into seventy-three sects, seventy-two of them would be in the Fire, and one in the Paradise, and it is which follows my-saww successor-asws’, and he-saww struck his-saww hand upon my-asws shoulder, then said: ‘Seventy-two sects would loosen a knot of God-azwj regarding you-asws, and one would be in the Paradise, and it is which would take to your-asws love and they are your-asws Shias’’. [20]