Differences between schisms according to Abd al-Qahir al Baghdadi:

The book "Differences between schisms" by Abd al-Qahir al Baghdadi is a reference on the question of divisions relating to the foundations of the Islamic religion. According to al-Baghdadi, this work is, in principle, intended to explain the tradition of the Prophet that we all know: "the Jews were divided into seventy-one schisms, the Christians as for them were divided into seventy-two , and my community shall be divided into seventy-three parts."

In this book, the author relates the points of divergence which took place from the first period of Islam, in other words from the death of the Messenger of Allah, then the points of contention concerning the foundations of the religion which appeared very early and deeply divided the Muslim community.

The author has divided this book into 4 main parts which are divided into several chapters:

§                            Part I: The hadith relating to the splitting of the community into seventy-three schisms.

§                            Part II: The reason that led the community to split into seventy-three parts.

- Chapter 1: What the different schisms have in common and which makes them an integral part of the nation of Islam.

- Chapter 2: The reason which led the community to split, and how the number of schisms reached that of seventy-three.

§                            Part III

- Chapter 1: Description of the different categories of traditionalists.

- Chapter 2: Proofs that Allah has preserved the traditionalists from mutual accusations of disbelief.

- Chapter 3: Description of the principles on which the traditionalists have united.

§                            Part IV:

- Chapter IV: The virtues of the traditionalists and the different aspects of their knowledge and their various imams.

- Chapter VII: The achievements of the traditionalists in the religious and temporal domain and a summary of the pride they derive from them.