I am learning that there are so many braches of Islam, why so many? Which one is correct?
I only know what I am guided to. I gave it a month of trying to figure out the various beliefs and their differences before I simply stopped trying to place myself within one of them.
Quran is the correct path, for all who would consider themselves muslim. This much I know is true, this much I follow, this much makes me muslim. As far as the branches or sects… if a person within them follows Quran, I am willing to accept they are muslim, and I will not judge them for what we disagree with outside of Quran. I leave the judging to God, only he knows the truth.
I go back and forth with everything outside of Quran. The thing is, there are those in every sect I both believe make a lot of sense, as well as those I think sound a bit… crazy in their beliefs. When two set of beliefs begin to argue, I find valid points in both, and I find I disagree with both as well in some regard. Though perhaps what I disagree with most is the fact everyone goes around calling each other non-believers, kafir, etc. It turns me off from labeling or grouping myself with anything, other than a muslim who follows Quran, and learns from wherever there is knowledge.
I rely on Quran, and I rely on guidance from God. Wherever that takes me, it is where I'm meant to be. If God guided me to find the Quran… I don't see why I should trust the different branches to guide me into their ways, over trusting God to guide me there if it's where I need to be.
I do not know that anyone can honestly look at another person, and say they are not guided to where they are by God as well. "Which path is correct?" is a good question, but I think only God knows this, and I think everyone is relying on too many other sources other than God to figure it out.