Al-Ṣafadiyyah - Ibn Taimiya - (2/307)

The Exalted also says:

"Mankind was but a single community; then God sent the prophets as bearers of glad tidings and as warners, and He sent down with them the Scripture in truth so that it might judge between people concerning that over which they differed. Yet none differed over it except those who had been given it, after clear proofs had come to them, out of mutual envy. Then God, by His permission, guided those who believed to the truth regarding that over which they had differed. And God guides whom He wills to a straight path." (Qurʾan 2:213)

Ibn ʿAbbās said, "Between Adam and Noah there were ten generations, all of them upon Islam."

As for His words, "Mankind was a single community," it means they were upon the truth—the religion of Islam. They later disagreed, as mentioned in Sūrah Yūnus. This is the view held by the majority, and it is the correct opinion.

وقال تعالى: {كَانَ النَّاسُ أُمَّةً وَاحِدَةً فَبَعَثَ اللَّهُ النَّبِيِّينَ مُبَشِّرِينَ وَمُنْذِرِينَ وَأَنْزَلَ مَعَهُمُ الْكِتَابَ بِالْحَقِّ لِيَحْكُمَ بَيْنَ النَّاسِ فِيمَا اخْتَلَفُوا فِيهِ وَمَا اخْتَلَفَ فِيهِ إِلاَّ الَّذِينَ أُوتُوهُ مِنْ بَعْدِ مَا جَاءَتْهُمُ الْبَيِّنَاتُ بَغْياً بَيْنَهُمْ فَهَدَى اللَّهُ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا لِمَا اخْتَلَفُوا فِيهِ مِنَ الْحَقِّ بِإِذْنِهِ وَاللَّهُ يَهْدِي مَنْ يَشَاءُ إِلَى صِرَاطٍ مُسْتَقِيمٍ} (سورة البقرة ٢١٣) قال ابن عباس: "وكان بين آدم ونوح عشرة قرون كلهم على الإسلام" وقوله: {كَانَ النَّاسُ أُمَّةً وَاحِدَةً} أي على الحق وهو دين الإسلام فاختلفوا كما ذكر ذلك في سورة يونس هذا قول الجمهور وهو الصواب.