The Authenticity of the Hadith on the Division of the Ummah and Its Meaning

The questioner:
He says: Our religion encourages unity and warns against division, and this is evident in the texts of the Book and the Sunnah. He says: But it is established from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) that he said , so is this hadith authentic, because I have heard some shaykhs weaken it?

The Shaykh:
The hadith is authentic in the aggregate of its chains, and the scholars of hadith have explained that it has many chains and that it is authentic.
The hadith is authentic. Its meaning is a report and a warning; it is a report in the sense of a warning, not merely a report that the ummah (the Muslim community) will divide. Rather, its meaning is a warning: if division occurs, hold fast to the truth. This is the meaning of the saying of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him): if division occurs, hold fast to the truth and the Sunnah. For this reason, he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: they will divide . What does his statement "except one" mean? It means that we are to be with this one group and not follow the sects. They asked: Who is that, O Messenger of Allah? He said: The one who is upon what I and my Companions are upon. And he (peace and blessings be upon him) informed about this so that the Muslim would be on guard. If this thing happens, he is to be with the people of the Sunnah and the community, those who are upon what the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) and his Companions were upon. This is part of the perfection of his advice (peace and blessings be upon him), and that he conveyed the clear message, and he left nothing without explaining it to the people (peace and blessings be upon him). He did not leave them in division to be lost; rather, he drew the line for them. He said: The one who is upon , this is the line. And Allah (Exalted and Majestic is He) says , rather, it is necessary that there be paths .

The questioner:
May Allah reward him with good. And what about those who argue with this hadith, since the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) described his ummah as one that will burn? This indicates that these disbelievers have a point of view, so we must respect it.

The Shaykh:
This is not an approval by the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) of division. This is not an approval; rather, it is a condemnation of division and an advice that if it happens, we hold fast to the correct path.
Did he say that everyone remains as they are? He did not say this. Is it like saying that everyone excuses the other? No, we do not excuse the one who differs; we do not excuse him, but we advise him to return to the truth. This is what the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) wanted: that we return the difference to what the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) and his Companions were upon, and we hold fast to it. And this is the saying of Allah (Exalted and Majestic is He) . So those who say that opinions and statements should be respected are wrong. Only the truth is respected, while falsehood is not respected; rather, it is clarified, its falsity is explained, it is refuted, and people are warned against it. The ummah would perish if everyone remained in their error and said "he is excused," and you said nothing to him and did not clarify. The ummah would perish in this. Yes.