Maslak And Firqa
Maslak is an Arabic term derived from the root word ‘salaka’ which means to walk or to walk on a way. Maslak is a synonym for the term ‘madhab’ or way or school of thought. Thus if someone claims to follow the teachings or ways of Imam Abu Hanifa, his maslak or madhab would be termed ‘Hanafi’.
There are four famous Maslak in Islam i.e. Hanafi, Shafi,Maliki,Hanbalai.These all can be followed, A Muslim can be Hanafi, shafi, Maliki or Hanbali as Shaikh Sudais (Imam of Haram) has described it,his bayan can be watched here
https://youtu.be/pHUeDV-hees
And Firqa literally means a group,or a Jamaal'at,
Our beloved prophet SAW has predicted that the Ummah will be divided in 73 groups' All of them will be in Jahannam except one,that is called Firqa an_Najiyah
Firqa an-Najiyah means the community, the sect that is saved, that will be acquitted from any kind of punishment in the hereafter; it is also called Ahl as-Sunnah wa’l Jamaah. In other words, Firqa an-Najiyah means the large mass of people who accept and affirm and obey the decrees of the Qur’an and follow the same path of the Prophet (pbuh) and the his great Honored Companions.
In a hadith of the Prophet (pbuh) narrated by Abu Hurayra, the Prophet stated: “…My Ummah will divide into seventy-three different sects, all of which will be in Hell except the saved one ( Firqa an-Najiyah). He also described Firqa an-Najiyah to the Honored Companions who asked about it: “Those who follow my path and follow the path of Honored Companions who follow my path”.
This is why those who follow the path of Beloved Messenger of Allah, the Almighty are called Ahl as-Sunnah wa’l Jamaah, which means “the people of the Sunnah and the congregation”. In this sense, it is best to understand Firqa an-Najiyah as a large community believing in Allah’s Book, that is, in the Qur’an and straight path of the Prophet and the Honored Companions, and adopting and accepting the view of the community obedient to the Sunnah, that is, a majority of Muslims and believing in them.
