Surah Al Imran Tafseer

وَلَا تَكُونُواْ كَالَّذِينَ تَفَرَّقُواْ وَاخْتَلَفُواْ مِن بَعْدِ مَا جَاءهُمُ الْبَيِّنَاتُ

And be not as those who divided and differed among themselves after the clear proofs had come to them.

In this Ayah, Allah forbids this Ummah from imitating the division and discord of the nations that came before them. These nations also abandoned enjoining righteousness and forbidding evil, although they had proof of its necessity.

وَأُوْلَـيِكَ لَهُمْ عَذَابٌ عَظِيمٌ

It is they for whom there is an awful torment.

Imam Ahmad recorded that Abu Amir Abdullah bin Luhay said,

"We performed Hajj with Muawiyah bin Abi Sufyan. When we arrived at Makkah, he stood up after praying Zuhr and said, `The Messenger of Allah said,

إِنَّ أَهْلَ الْكِتَابَيْنِ افْتَرَقُوا فِي دِينِهِمْ عَلى ثِنْتَيْنِ وَسَبْعِينَ مِلَّةً وَإِنَّ هذِهِ الاُْمَّةَ سَتَفْتَرِقُ عَلى ثَلَثٍ وَسَبْعِينَ مِلَّةً يَعْنِي الاَْهْوَاءَ كُلُّهَا فِي النَّارِ إِلاَّ وَاحِدَةً وَهِيَ الْجَمَاعَةُ

وَإِنَّهُ سَيَخْرُجُ فِي أُمَّتِي أَقْوَامٌ تَجَارَى بِهِمْ تِلْكَ الاْإَهْوَاءُ كَمَا يَتَجَارَى الْكَلَبُ بِصَاحِبِه لَاإ يَبْقَى مِنْهُ عِرْقٌ وَلَاإ مَفْصِلٌ إِلاَّ دَخَلَه

The People of the Two Scriptures divided into seventy-two sects. This Ummah will divide into seventy-three sects, all in the Fire except one, that is, the Jama`ah.

Some of my Ummah will be guided by desire, like one who is infected by rabies; no vein or joint will be saved from these desires.

Muawiyah said next:

By Allah, O Arabs! If you do not adhere to what came to you from your Prophet then other people are even more prone not to adhere to it."

Similar was recorded by Abu Dawud from Ahmad bin Hanbal and Muhammad bin Yahya.

The Benefits of Brotherly Ties and Unity and the Consequence of Division on the Day of the Gathering

Allah said next