According to search-discovered classical Islamic scholarship, the formation of sects (Ar. shiya'an, firaq) is unequivocally condemned in the Quran as a grave deviation from the unified path of Islam. Ibn Kathir's tafsir on Surah Al-An'am 6:159 explains that the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ is entirely disassociated from those who divide their religion, highlighting the severity of this act. [2, 4] This is reinforced by Surah Ar-Rum 30:32, which, as Al-Qurtubi and other scholars note, explicitly links the act of splitting the religion into factions—each rejoicing in their own beliefs—to the practices of polytheists (shirk). [12, 17] The synthesis of these key verses demonstrates that sectarianism is not merely a social problem but a theological one, involving the rejection of the singular 'rope of Allah' in favor of partisan loyalties. It is crucial to distinguish this prohibited sectarianism from the valid scholarly differences found in schools of Islamic law (madhahib), which operate within a unified creed and are considered a mercy. [38]