Similarly, we also have to rewind the time a little.
The first thing we have to see is that there was no sect in the era of Prophet Muhammad (s).
Then we shall fast forward the story to find out what happened later...
How were the sects created?
The Establishment of the Sects.
Around 30 years ago, the VCR was popular.
You would insert a VHS cassette in the VCR
and you were able to rewind and rewatch any scene whenever you wanted
or you could fast-forward the scenes.
Similarly, we also have to rewind the time a little.
The first thing we have to see is that there was no sect in the era of Prophet Muhammad (s).
Then we shall fast forward the story to find out what happened later...
How were the sects created?
Then we shall find out that the religion granted to us by Prophet Muhammad (s)
was equipped not only with material and esoteric knowledge but also an instruction manual on generating divine energy.
'Iqrarul bil lissan wa tasdeequn bil qalb'
Our tongues must affirm the truth -
for instance, 'God is one'.
This is not faith, it is an affirmation of the truth.
When you declare 'La Ilaha Illa Allah - There is no creator but God',
it has not yet become faith, it is rather the affirmation of the truth.
This is an affirmation, it is not faith.
[Muslims] think this is faith.
Verbally reciting God's name or the Kalima is an affirmation of the truth.
When shall it become faith?
'Wa tasdeequn bil qalb'.
When the truth of the Kalima you have recited settles in your heart.
You shall recite 'La Ilaha Illa Allah' and the divine energy of the Kalima shall enter your heart - this is faith.
So when the Prophet (s) had people recite the Kalima, he taught their tongues and hearts to recite the Kalima.
And then the Prophet (s) said, 'Look: man kunto maula hu fahaza aliyun maula hu'.
Meaning, just as I have raised you and am your guardian, similarly, Ali too is your guardian and shall raise you.
By 'you', the Prophet (s) meant the nation of Islam.
So, for those who remained attached to Maula Ali, Maula Ali taught both them and their hearts to recite the Kalima
and those who became distanced, the Kalima remained confined to their tongues and did not enter their hearts.
When the Kalima remained on the tongue and did not settle in the hearts, it meant the hearts were becoming devoid of divine energy.
That is one reason.
What is the other reason?
The other reason is that when Prophet Muhammad (s) announced 'man kunto maula hu fahaza aliyun maula hu'
which means 'whoever takes me as their guardian must also accept Ali as their guardian',
so when people, the companions of the Prophet (s) did not accept this announcement wholeheartedly,
divine energy exited their hearts.
Their faith was seized.
When their faith was seized, they became divided into sects.
They did not believe in Maula Ali.
They had faith in others, they would rely on the ahadith in the books
and they would recite the Qur'an aloud.
All of these things are good
but you were supposed to remember 'iqrarul bil lissan wa tasdeequn bil qalb' before every deed.
You were supposed to remember this every step of the way.
Divine energy continued exiting the hearts and the hearts became empty.
So what became of their fasts, salah and recitations?
There is a condition for salah: la salata illa bi huzoori qalb (salah is invalid without the presence of the spiritual heart).
When divine energy exited your heart and your salah was performed sans the presence of the heart, your salah became invalid.
Therefore, you did not benefit from the salah at all.
Then what happened?
Now you must listen attentively to this.
If I have any issue and I ask you, for example, 'Man, my iPhone isn't turning on, what should I do?'
Most people have a habit of giving advice even if they have no clue what to do.
'Do this or do that'
They will definitely say something.
Now, when individuals whose hearts were devoid of divine energy began to teach the Qur'an in the madrassas,
so when they began to read the interpretations of the verses, Satan began to advise them.
Their thoughts were intercepted by satanic thoughts which gave them an alternate meaning of the verse.
Remember well! There is no madrassa which can provide the understanding [of the religion] to you.
No saint, no fakir, no prophet can provide that understanding to you.
The understanding of the religion comes from God.
When the spiritual heart of a human being is awakened and enlightened,
it is prepared to receive the divine grace,
that is when the understanding of the religion and the Qur'an is descended upon the spiritual heart by God.
And if you do not possess divine energy in the heart then those thoughts are transferred to you from Satan.
Now, when the thoughts are being sent by Satan, the individual having those thoughts does not realise this.
He believes the thoughts are divine revelations.
God certainly sends divine revelations, however, there is a divine law in place.
The one who receives them must have an enlightened spiritual heart.
The one who receives the divine revelations - where will it descend?
On the heart.
For instance, if a country does not have an airport, where would the planes land?
When you go to any country, you have to get there on a plane, right?
But does the plane land at your house?
It will land at an airport, right? Then you will make your way home from the airport.
Similarly, a divine revelation does not land just anywhere, it lands in an enlightened and purified heart.
The airport is important but if the runway is faulty, the plane still cannot land.
The runway where the plane lands must be repaired.
The heart where the divine revelations land must be purified and enlightened.
When the heart is purified and enlightened, then you should recite the Qur'an
because then, the meanings of the verses of the Qur'an shall descend upon your heart as divine light from God.
A verse of the Qur'an states: 'And we have simplified the Qur'an for you...'
'wa laqad yassarnal Qur'ana'
So God said, 'And indeed, we have made the Qur'an simple'.
Now, the meaning you took for this verse was that God has made it easy for us to read the Qur'an.
No, God has made it easy for us to understand! How was it made easy?
You don't need to look at anyone's interpretation.
You don't need to go to any madrassa.
You just need to enlighten your heart and then read the Qur'an.
God shall descend the meaning on your heart directly - that's how easy it is.
Simply purify your heart and the meaning of the Qur'an shall begin to descend on your heart directly from God.
And when your heart is empty of divine energy, Satan will instil wrong interpretations of the Qur'an into your heart.
That's when you shall become either Mirza Ghulam Ahmad Qadiani or Maulana Diesel or Maulana Taki Usmani
or Muhammad Ali Engineer - and create more corruption in the world.
This is how your religion will be destroyed.
Then you shall use your Qur'an to profess the eminence of the companions of the Prophet (s)
and you will use verses of the Qur'an to prove the validity of your sect.
Satan is the greatest scholar and he shall teach you the ways to distort the verses of the Qur'an to prove to people that the Sunni sect is the best.
Or 'Look, the Qur'an says Shias are the best'.
Where is this coming from?
It's coming from Satan.
There is only one solution to sectarianism...
To purify and enlighten your heart through the knowledge of spirituality
so that divine revelations and the understanding of the religion can directly be descended unto the heart by God.
Whosoever purifies and enlightens his heart shall find liberation from sectarianism.
And there is a hadith of Prophet Muhammad (s) - it is also mentioned in Bukhari -
'O Son of Adam, there is a lump of flesh in your body and if it is corrected, the entire body is corrected
and if it is corrupted, the entire body remains corrupted.
Remember well: it is your heart'.
The only solution to sectarianism is found in esoteric knowledge.
For you to purify and enlighten your hearts.