There are 72 or more sects in different region of world.

See the link for 72 groups and what the crieria to add them in sects
http://www.real-islam.org/73_8.htm

The holy Prophet(Sallal laahu alaihi wasallam) said " There was disagreement amongst Jews and they split into 72 groups. In exactly the same way, there will be disagreement and divisions in my Ummah. It will split into 73 groups. Apart from one of those groups, all the remaining 72 will be thrown into Hell." Also few more references from quran about sects "Verily those who split up their religion and became sects, you have absolutely nothing to do with them." [Holy Qur'an 6:159] [30:32] (Do not fall in idol worship,) like those who divide their religion into sects; each party rejoicing with what they have. [42:14] Ironically, they broke up into sects only after the knowledge had come to them, due to jealousy and resentment among themselves. If it were not for a predetermined decision from your Lord to respite them for a definite interim, they would have been judged immediately. Indeed, the later generations who inherited the scripture are full of doubts. So we can see clearly Allah Warned about sects 1400 years ago and today we can clearly see the sects in islam are more than 72 Now BIG Question is how can we know that we born in right sect family? and how we know that we are on the right path? Everyone claiming to be right here and no one even wants to think about anything else. First I will say Allah gave us a brain to use. We can't just believe blindly on the sect (group) we have born. On judgment day we can not just blame to our parents, brothers or sisters and this will not help us in anyway. I have seen and heard from new muslims (who converted from other religions to islam) that how they researched and found the right path. If you listen to them then you will find that there first big question mark when they converted to Islam was? which group to follow? But they tried, studied and prayed from Allah and find the right path So condition is that we have to try our best ( by learning quran and hadith) and then keep praying from Allah. Inshallah Allah will guide us (Ameen). Because we already born as a muslim so we have more knowledge compare to new muslims and

we have to try more by learning quran and knowledge of hadith. Quran gives us a direction in every parts of life. So understanding of quran is must. Think that how can we correct our life according to quran ? if we do not have any knowledge of quran. Leaving our habits as they are we can not find the right path. As Quran says itself: And hold fast, all together to the rope of Allah(Quran) and do not separate. Al-Imran:103) The last sermon of the prophet witnessed by the thousands has three versions are listed below. 1) I leave with you Quran and Sunnah Muwatta, 46/3 2) I leave with you Quran and Ahl al-bayt Muslim 44/4, Nu2408; ibn hanbal 4/366; darimi 23/1, nu 3319. 3) I leave you for the Quran alone you shall uphold it. Muslim 15/19, nu 1218; ibn Majah 25/84, Abu dawud 11/56. NOW IF YOU LOOK AT PROPHET'S HADEETH OR ABOVE VERSES. THEY STRESS ON TWO THINGS QURAN & SUNNAH FIRST QUESTION? QURAN HOW MANY KNOWS THE QURAN? WE HAVE TO READ AND THINK ABOUT QURAN VERSES. JUST READING ARABIC WE CAN NOT UNDERSTAND AND GET ON RIGHT PATH. LOOK AT MANY EDUCATED PEOPLE THEY SPENT 20 YEARS OF THEIR BEST PART OF LIFE SPENT ON EDUCATION AND THEY DONT KNOW QURAN. I SEEN MANY HIGH QUALIFIED PEOPLE DOING TAXI, WORKING IN FACTORIES ETC. SO WORLDS HIGH QUALIFIED EDUCATION COULD NOT FOUND FOR HIM GOOD JOB SO ITS NOT A GAURENTEE THAT IF SOMEONE IS HIGHLY QUALIFIED AND HE WILL GET A JOB OF HIS FIELD. BUT IF WE LEARN QURAN THEN IT WILL GIVE US HADAYAT IN THIS WORLD, SHAFAT IN JUDGEMENT DAY. QURAN DESCRIBLES THAT DEGREE HOLDER ARE UNEDUCATED PEOPLE (READ CHAPTER ONE WORD USED UMEYOON). SCIENTIST ARE PROVING THEIR THEORIES ACCORDING TO QURAN. SCIENTISTS THEORIES CAN BE WRONG BUT NOT THE QURAN. IT IS BECAUSE QURAN IS ALLAH 'S WORD AND THERE IS HADAYAT AND LIGHT FOR EVERYONE IF HE/SHE WANTS TO GET IT. A VERY GOOD SCHOLAR OF TODAY SAID HE WAS ON FIRST FEW CHAPTERS OF QURAN WHEN HE ACCEPTED ISLAM. SOME LISTENED ONLY ONE VERSE AND ACCEPTED ISLAM.

BUT LOOK AT THOSE WHO READ WHOLE QURAN EACH YEAR BUT STILL CAN NOT GET OUT FROM GROUP. THIS IS BECAUSE THEY DONT TRY TO LOOK AT TRANSLATION AND THEY DONT TRY TO UNDERSTAND IT. WEHN WE LEARN AND COMPARE QURAN WITH OUR LIFES THEN WE CAN FIND MISTAKES IN US AND CAN CORRECT IT. THERE SHOULD NOT BE ANY QUESTION THAT QURAN IS DIFFICULT TO UNDERSTAND. IF A NON MUSLIM CAN READ, UNDERSTAND AND CONVERT TO ISLAM THEN WHY NOT WE? TODAYS QURAN CAN BE FOUND IN ALL MAJOR LANGUAGES. LOOK AT EXAMPLE OF NEW MUSLIM I HAVE MET. HIS COMPUTER WAS FULL WITH VERSES, QURANIC AND HADITH LITERATURE DOWNLOADED FROM INTERNET AND LOOK AT OUR COMPUTERS? So my first advice for myself and for everyone is to read and understand quran with translation and then implement it on our life. Second thing is SUNNAH. QURAN SAYS READ NAMAZ BUT HOW TO READ NAMAZ IS NOT IN THE QURAN. SO WE HAVE TO LOOK AT PROPHETS LIFE (BY READING HADEETH). HADITH COLLECTION (MEAN IN BOOK FORM Like Bukhari, Muslim, Abu Dawood etc) STARTED ABOUT 300 YEARS AFTER PROPHET'S (PBUH) DEATH. MANY GROUPS NOW FOLLOW IMAMS (E.G IMAM HANIFA, IMAM AHMED, IMAM HANBAL) WHICH WERE TABA TABEEN WHO ARE TABA TABEEN? PEOPLE WHO SAW PROPHET CALL SAHABA AND PEOPLE WHO SAW SAHABA CALLED TABEEN AND PEOPLE WHO SAW TABEEN ARE CALLED TABA TABBEEN (SO three generation after Mohammad (PBUH)). BECAUSE ALL HADITH WERE NOT WRITTEN IN ONE BOOK SO ISSUED ARISEN. SCHOLARS OF THAT TIME (LIKE IMAM BUKHARI) STARTED COLLECTION OF HADITH (LIKE BUKHARI, MUSLIM ETC.) TO OVERCOME ARISING ISSUE(NAMAZ ETC. ) THE IMAMS OF THAT PERIOD STARTED GIVING FATWA (CALLED IJTIHAD) IN LIGHT OF HADEETH THEY KNEW. E.G IF IN UK WE HAVE INSURANCE ISSUE MEAN ITS ALLOWED OR NOT ALLOWED THEN OUR IMAMS IN LIGHT OF HADITH GIVE SOME FATWA ETC. BUT AS SOON THEY KNEW CLEAR HADITH FROM BOOK (RELATING TO INSURANCE) THEN THEY SAID THIS HADITH EXPLAINS MORE BETTER SO DO IT ACCORDING TO THIS HADITH. NOTE: I AM GIVING THIS EXAMPLE ONLY TO UNDERSTAND A VIEW OF PREVIOUS TIME BECAUSE INSURANCE STARTED FEW YEARS AGO. SO ALL IMAMS(IMAMA HANIFA, IMAM AHMED, IMAM SHAFI ETC) OF THAT PERIOD TOLD THAT IF YOU FOUND ANY HADITH ABOUT THIS MATTER THEN

YOU LEAVE MY SAYING FOR THAT MATTER AND DO ACCORDIND TO HADITH. SOWHEN ISLAM SPREAD OUT TO OTHER COUNTRIES PEOPLE OF THAT IMAM KEEP PRACTICING WHAT THEIR IMAMS SAID. BUT A GROUP OF PEOPLE KEEP CHANGING THEMSELVES ACCORDING TO WHAT THEY RECIEVED A HADITH ABOUT THAT MATTER ( BECAUSE OF AFTER BUKHARI MANY OTHER HADITH BOOKS ARE WRITTEN LIKE TIRMIDI, MUSLIM, ABU DAWOOD, ETC.). NOW YOU CAN SEE CLEARLY IF YOU GO TO DIFFERENT COUNTRY THEY FOLLOWING A DIFFERENT IMAMS. E.G IN USA AND UK THERE ARE PEOPLE FROM ALL AROUND THE WORLD SO YOU CAN SEE MORE GROUPS IN USA AND UK COMPARE TO OTHER COUNTRIES LIKE PAKISTAN. THIS IS BECAUSE GROUP IN OTHER COUNTRIES LIKE IRAN, IRAQ, LEBANON, AFGHANISTAN, SYRIA MIGHT BE DIFFERENT. E.G IF YOU GO TO LEBABNON THEN PROBABLY THEIR WILL BE MALIKI (IMAM MALIK FOLLOWER), PAKISTAN DEOBAND(IMAM HANIFA FOLLOWER), SUNNI(IMAM AHMED FOLLOWER) AND SAME EXAMPLE CAN BE SEEN IN IRAN, AFGHANISTAN, SYRIA, IRAQ ETC. AFTER 1400 YEARS MEAN TODAY YOU CAN SEE PEOPLE WHO BEEN FOLLOWING IMAM ARE STILL FOLLOWING OR DOING MORE THAN WHAT THEIR IMAM SAID(e.g eid milad, Khatam, Giyarvi Sharif etc. )

HOW CAN MOHAMMAD'S (PBUH) UMMAH CAN BE TOGHTER AGAIN WHEN THEY ARE DIFFERENT IN SECTS, DIFFERENT IN LANGUAGES AND LIVING IN DIFFERENT COUNTRIES? HOW CAN A PERSON FIND A RIGHT PATH WHEN HE/SHE DO NOT ACCEPT HADITH? NOW HADEETH CAN BE STUDIED FROM BOOKS AND EVEN CAN FIND ON INTERNET. BUT SOME PEOPLE STILL DONT WANT TO ACCEPT PROPHET HADEETH AND STICKING TO SAYING (WHICH IS NOT HADEETH IN SOME CASES) OF THIER IMAMS. (NOTE EACH IMAM SAID IF YOU FIND A HADITH THEN LEAVE MY SAYING AND FOLLOW ACCORDING TO HADEETH) SO TO GET ON RIGHT PATH WE HAVE TO GET KNOWLEDGE OF HADITH. LIKE OUR PROPHET SAID 1) I leave with you Quran and Sunnah Muwatta, 46/3 THIS QURAN AND SUNNAH WILL BE TAUGHT BY IMAM MEHDI AND JESUS (A. S). HOPE THIS MY SMALL EFFORT GIVE YOU SOME KNOWLEDGE. MAY ALLAH SHOW US RIGHT PATH (AMEEN)