What is the validity of some people’s saying: “The disagreement of scholars is a mercy”?
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Question:
May Allah reward you. Your Eminence, the father, the questioner says: Some people say that the disagreement of scholars is a mercy. Is this saying correct?
Answer:
Disagreement is not a mercy; rather, disagreement is a torment, and division is a torment. The mercy lies in agreement and unity.[Hud 11:118-119] Meaning, those whom Allah showed mercy to did not differ. So disagreement is blameworthy. However, if the disagreement is a disagreement of ijtihad (independent legal reasoning), then one looks at the evidence upon which it is based, takes what is supported by the evidence, and leaves what contradicts the evidence. Yes.
May Allah reward you. Your Eminence, the father, the questioner says: Some people say that the disagreement of scholars is a mercy. Is this saying correct?
Answer:
Disagreement is not a mercy; rather, disagreement is a torment, and division is a torment. The mercy lies in agreement and unity.
but they will not cease to differ. (119) Except whom your Lord has given mercy
وَلَا يَزَالُونَ مُخْتَلِفِينَ إِلَّا مَن رَّحِمَ رَبُّكَ
Source
قناة «العلامة الدكتور صالح الفوزان»، [2675- 4717] ما صحة قول بعضهم: اختلاف العلماء رحمة؟ - الشيخ صالح الفوزان — youtube.com
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.