Those who differ return to the Book and the Sunnah

Question:
Islam is concerned with the safety of the Muslim community and the preservation of its entity. It warns against disagreement and conflict and urges all individuals to cooperate to bring the community out of discord and hostility. Tell us about the sayings of scholars and exegetes regarding the condemnation and harms of conflict, may you be rewarded?

Answer:
Answer: In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and may Allah send blessings and peace upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, and all his Companions. Allah (Exalted and Majestic is He) made this community, the Muslim community, one community: “Indeed, this community of yours is one community, and I am your Lord, so worship Me.” The community cannot be one community with excessive disagreement and divisive conflict. For this reason, Allah prohibited division and disagreement, saying (Glorified and Exalted is He): “And do not be like those who became divided and differed after the clear proofs had come to them. For those will be a great punishment.” He also said (Glorified and Exalted is He): “And do not dispute, lest you fail and lose your power.” And He said (Glorified and Exalted is He): “And they will continue to differ, except for those upon whom your Lord has had mercy.” The exception here refers to those who did not differ, for Allah has shown mercy to them. As for those who differ, they do not attain mercy; rather, mercy is for those who did not differ. Since disagreement is inevitable, Allah established the means to resolve it, which is returning to the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him). As He said (Glorified and Exalted is He): “And whatever you differ over, its judgment is to Allah.” And He said (Glorified and Exalted is He): “So if you differ over anything, refer it to Allah and the Messenger, if you should believe in Allah and the Last Day. That is the best [in outcome] and best in result.” Thus, those who differ return to the Book and the Sunnah. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “Whoever lives among you will see much disagreement, so hold fast to my Sunnah and the Sunnah of the Rightly Guided Caliphs after me.” Whoever does not accept the judgment of the Book and the Sunnah in matters of dispute and disagreement is not a Muslim: “So, by your Lord, they do not believe until they make you a judge concerning that over which they differ, then they find no discomfort in their souls from what you have judged and submit in [full] submission.” As for disagreement in matters of ijtihad (independent legal reasoning), this is not a disagreement in creed. Disagreement in matters of ijtihad, where each person takes what he understands from the evidence, may be correct or incorrect. This does not necessitate division; it is a difference of opinion, but it does not necessitate division. The Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) differed in some matters of ijtihad, yet they were one community and brothers, loving one another. The four Imams (may Allah have mercy on them) differed in some matters that admit of consideration, but they did not become enemies among themselves; they were brothers. Therefore, disagreement based on the understanding of the mujtahids (scholars qualified to derive rulings) from the evidence does not spoil the relationship, as they say, because the motivation for it is the desire to hit the truth, not the motivation of ego. Disagreement whose source is ego is the condemned one. As for disagreement whose source is the seeking of the truth, it is not condemned, and it does not divide the community or spoil the love among them.