Tafsir of Al Imran 3:105

"And do not be like those who became divided"—they are the Jews and the Christians, as stated by al-Hasan and al-Rabi'.

Ibn Majah recorded from 'Awf ibn Malik that the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) said: "The Jews split into seventy-one sects: one is in Paradise and seventy are in the Fire. The Christians split into seventy-two sects: seventy-one are in the Fire and one is in Paradise. By Him in whose hand is my soul, my Ummah will surely split into seventy-three sects: one will be in Paradise and seventy-two in the Fire." It was asked, "O Messenger of Allah, who are they?" He replied, "The Jama'ah (the community)." In a narration by Ahmad from Mu'awiyah, attributed to the Prophet (marfu'), it is stated: "The People of the Book split in their religion into seventy-two sects, and this Ummah will split into seventy-three; all of them are in the Fire except one." In another narration of his from Anas, also marfu', it states: "The Children of Israel split into seventy-one sects, seventy of which perished and one was saved. And my Ummah will split into seventy-two sects; seventy-one will perish and one will be saved." There is no contradiction between these narrations, for the splitting occurred for those who were present according to what transpired among them at certain times, and that is sufficient for truthfulness, even if the number increased or decreased at another time.

"And differed"—in matters of monotheism, divine transcendence, and the states of the afterlife. It is said that this is the meaning of "became divided," and it was repeated for emphasis. It is also said that the "dividing" refers to enmity, while the "differing" refers to religious creed.

"After the clear proofs had come to them"—that is, the verses and arguments that clarify the truth and necessitate unity of word. Al-Hasan said: "The Torah." Qatadah and Abu Umamah said: "The Quran."

"And those"—a reference to those mentioned, considering their description by that which is in the relative clause—"will have a great punishment." This is an ominous warning to them and a threat to those who imitate them, for resemblance to those who have incurred anger necessitates anger. Furthermore, this blameworthy difference is understood, as has been said, to apply to differences in fundamentals (usul), not in branches (furu'). This specification is derived from the comparison. It is said that it is inclusive of both fundamentals and branches due to what we see of the differences among the People of Sunnah in them, such as the Maturidis and the Ash'aris. Thus, the meaning of the prohibition of differing, in this case, is the prohibition of differing where a text has arrived from the Lawgiver or upon which there is consensus, and this is not far-fetched.

It has been argued that there is no prohibition against differing in the branches by his (upon him be peace and prayer) statement: "The difference of my Ummah is a mercy," and by his (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) statement: "Whatever comes to you from the Book of Allah the Almighty, then act upon it; no one has an excuse to abandon it. If it is not in the Book of Allah the Almighty, then [look to] a past Sunnah of mine. If it is not in a Sunnah of mine, then what my Companions said: they are like stars in the sky; whichever of them you take, you will be guided, and the difference of my Companions is a mercy for you." He (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) meant by "them" their elite who attained the rank of Ijtihad (independent legal reasoning). The address is intended for those beneath them, so there is no difficulty in this, contrary to those who were confused. The narrations from the early generations (Salaf) regarding this meaning are numerous.

Al-Bayhaqi recorded in al-Madkhal from al-Qasim ibn Muhammad, saying: "The difference of the Companions of Muhammad is a mercy to the servants of Allah the Almighty." Ibn Sa'd recorded it in his Tabaqat with the wording: "The difference of the Companions of Muhammad was a mercy to the people." In al-Madkhal, from Umar ibn Abd al-Aziz, it is said: "It would not have pleased me if the Companions of Muhammad had not differed, because if they had not differed, there would have been no concession." Imam al-Subki objected, saying that "The difference of my Ummah is a mercy" is not known to the scholars of Hadith, and I have not found a chain of narration for it, neither authentic, nor weak, nor fabricated. I do not think it has a basis, unless it is from the speech of the people, where someone said "the difference of the Ummah is a mercy," then some took it and thought it was a Hadith, so they attributed it to prophetic speech. I have always believed that this Hadith has no basis. He argued for its invalidity based on verses and authentic Hadiths stating that mercy necessitates the absence of difference. The verses are too numerous to count. Among the Hadiths is his (upon him be peace and prayer) statement: "The Children of Israel only perished due to their excessive questioning and their differing against their prophets." And his (upon him be peace and prayer) statement: "Do not differ, for your hearts will differ." Even if this was said regarding the straightening of rows, the lesson is in the generality of the wording, not the specificity of the cause.

He then said: "That which we are certain of is that agreement is better than difference, and that difference is of three types: First, in the fundamentals, and there is no doubt that it is misguidance and the cause of all corruption, and it is what is referred to in the Quran. Second, in opinions and warfare, and this is indicated by his (upon him be peace and prayer) statement to Mu'adh and Abu Musa when he sent them to Yemen: 'Be in agreement and do not differ.' There is no doubt that it is also forbidden, because it involves the loss of religious and worldly interests. Third, in the branches, such as differences regarding the lawful and the prohibited and the like. That which we are certain of is that agreement is better than this as well. However, is it misguidance like the first two types or not? There is a difference of opinion. The speech of Ibn Hazm and those who followed his path—those who prohibit taqlid (imitation)—implies the former. As for us, we permit taqlid for the ignorant and taking the concession from the opinions of some scholars when needed, without seeking out concessions, and this implies the latter. From this perspective, it may be correct to say: 'Difference is a mercy,' for the concessions are undoubtedly part of it. This does not contradict the certainty that agreement is better than difference. There is no contradiction between the two statements because the aspect of 'goodness' differs and the aspect of 'mercy' differs. Goodness is in knowing the true religion that Allah the Almighty has obligated His servants to follow, which is what is correct in His sight. Mercy is in the concession for him and the permission to proceed with taqlid based on that."

"Mercy" (rahmah) is an indefinite noun in the context of affirmation, which does not necessitate generality. Therefore, for its validity, it is sufficient that mercy occurs in a difference at some time, in some state, and in some manner. If it is a Hadith, it is interpreted this way, and if it is not, the same applies. In any case, we do not say that difference is commanded. The statement that agreement is commanded depends on whether the correct one is singular or not. If we say the correct one is singular—which is the truth—then the truth in itself is one, and all people are commanded to seek it, and their agreement upon it is required; thus, difference is forbidden, even if the mistaken one is excused and rewarded for his ijtihad and the exertion of his effort to seek the truth.

Al-Bukhari, Muslim, Abu Dawood, al-Nasa'i, and Ibn Majah recorded from the Hadith of 'Amr ibn al-'As: "When a judge judges and performs ijtihad and hits the mark, he has two rewards; and when he judges and performs ijtihad and misses, he has one reward." This is also the case if we say [it is] by shabah (resemblance), as is the opinion of some scholars of Usul. But if we say: "Every mujtahid is correct," then everyone is commanded to perform ijtihad and to follow what prevails in his estimation; it does not follow that they are all commanded to agree, nor that their differing is forbidden. The application of "mercy" to difference, by this estimation, is stronger than its application by our statement: "The correct one is singular."

This is all if we interpret the "difference" in the report as the difference in branches. But if we say the intended meaning is the difference in trades and crafts, then there is no doubt that it is among the favors of Allah the Almighty for which the servant is required to be grateful, as al-Halimi said in Shu'ab al-Iman. However, in this case, it would be more appropriate to say: "The difference of people is a mercy," as there is no exclusivity for the Ummah in that, for all nations differ in trades and crafts, not just this Ummah. Therefore, there must be an aspect to specify the Ummah, and the Imam of the Two Holy Cities (al-Haramayn) explained its aspect: that the ranks and positions given to his (upon him be peace and prayer) Ummah were not given to any of the nations, so it is from the mercy of Allah the Almighty to them and His grace upon them. However, one does not immediately understand the word "difference" to mean that, nor the trades and crafts. Thus, the path of caution is to adhere to the apparent, immediate meaning, and to interpret the report as previously mentioned.

This is the summary of his words, and it is not hidden that there is nothing wrong with it. Indeed, the fact that the Hadith is not known at all to the scholars of Hadith is not without significance. Al-Zarkashi attributed it in al-Ahadith al-Mushtaharah to the book al-Hujjah by Nasr al-Maqdisi, but he did not mention its chain of narration or its authenticity. However, there is some evidence that strengthens it, as reported from the speech of the Salaf. The Hadith we mentioned earlier, even if recorded by al-Tabari and al-Bayhaqi in al-Madkhal with a weak chain of narration from Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both), is sufficient in this chapter, as is the Hadith recorded by the two Shaykhs (al-Bukhari and Muslim) and others. Therefore, the truth from which there is no escaping is that the intended meaning is the difference of the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) and those who shared with them in Ijtihad, such as the reliable mujtahid scholars of the religion who are not innovators. That this is a mercy to the weak of the Ummah and those who are not at their rank is something that no two rams should butt heads over, and no two should dispute. So understand.