MERCY IN DISAGREEMENT
In Al-Jami‘ al-Saghir, a compilation of prophetic sayings, there is a report that states: “The differences among my followers are a mercy” (Hadith No. 1243). Some scholars have expressed doubts about the authenticity of this narration. Nevertheless, it remains an undeniable fact that the entire body of Quranic and Hadith literature available today is filled with scholarly disagreements. The commentaries on the Quran contain a wide range of interpretations, and the same applies to the explanations of hadith. It is rare to find a single hadith that has not been interpreted in multiple ways.
The question is: why do these differences exist? And were these differences a form of mercy or a source of hardship? The Quran could have been revealed in a mathematically precise language, leaving no possibility for differing interpretations. Similarly, the Prophet of Islam could have chosen words in his sayings that were as clear as two plus two equals four, making it impossible for anyone to draw differing conclusions in their explanation.
The truth is that disagreement is not something undesirable—in fact, it is exactly what was intended. It is through these differences that people have been able to reflect more deeply on the Quran and Hadith. This is what allowed Islam to become not something fixed and rigid, but a reality that each person could discover for themselves. This is what made it possible for intellectual engagement to continue and, ultimately, to turn every believer into a person capable of original and independent thought.
Blame and fault-finding are wrong. In fact, they reflect a kind of pettiness that is without doubt among the worst of moral traits. But intellectual disagreement, which arises from sincere thought and reflection, is a blessing—and a necessary condition for the progress of humanity. To the extent that it would be accurate to say that a society without disagreement is also a society without progress.
The human mind is like a locked treasure. What unlocks this treasure is precisely this: difference of opinion. Through disagreement, the mind develops—until an ordinary person can grow into an exceptional one.
Today, the question is not whether we should disagree or not—because disagreement already exists at all times, at every level, and in every matter of religion. The real question is how to explain the presence of the many disagreements that have existed in religion from the very beginning until now. In other words, the issue is how to understand the existence of disagreement—not whether it should continue or not.
For instance, if one begins studying the Quran using a reliable commentary—such as the 13th-century renowned Andalusian Islamic scholar, Abu ‘Abd Allah Al-Qurtubi’s Al-Jami‘ li Ahkam al-Qur’an—one encounters a remarkable example right at the outset. As the commentary on Bismillah al-Rahman al-Rahim begins, Al-Qurtubi (d. 1273 CE) notes: “There are twenty-seven issues discussed in this verse.” In other words, just this four-word phrase gives rise to over two dozen scholarly debates. Similarly, Surah Al-Fatiha, though comprising only a few lines, contains such a wealth of content that its discussion spans a full 43 pages in the commentary. As you progress through this 20-volume tafsir, you’ll find that scarcely a single page is free from scholarly debates and divergent viewpoints. Even when you reach the concluding chapters of the Quran—Al Mu‘awwidhatayn (Chapter Al-Falaq and Chapter Al-Nas)—you encounter profound disagreements. Among them is a particularly serious view attributed to Abdullah ibn Mas‘ud, a companion of the Prophet, who held that these two chapters were supplications for seeking protection and not part of the Quran itself. (Tafsir al-Qurtubi, Vol. 20, p. 251)
The same applies—more extensively—to hadith. Take any commentary on hadith; for example, Fath al-Bari, a classical multi-volume commentary on Sahih al-Bukhari. When you open it, the first hadith you will find is: “Actions are based on intentions.” This hadith is widely transmitted and highly authentic. Yet, in the nearly nine-page explanation of this single hadith, words such as ikhtalafu and ikhtulifa—indicating scholarly disagreement—appear six times. The entire thirteen-volume Fath al-Bari is similarly filled with interpretive differences.
After that, if you look into books on jurisprudence and theology, it will appear as though they represent an endless forest of disagreements. You will likely not find a single issue that is free from differing opinions. These disagreements are not a negative thing; rather, they are an intellectual stimulus. They prompt people to think. They activate the mind and guide it toward intellectual development.
