[Surah al-Baqarah: 253]

However, when “differing” is mentioned without qualification, all the parties are blameworthy, as in His words:

“They will continue to differ, except those upon whom your Lord has mercy—and for that He created them.”

[Surah Hūd: 118–119]

And in the words of the Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace:

“Those before you were ruined only because of their excessive questioning and their disagreement with their prophets.”(1)

For this reason, they interpreted the differing in this passage as being blameworthy in all its forms.

Al-Farrā said, “Their differing has two aspects. The first is that some of them disbelieved in the Scripture of others. The second is their alteration of what they altered.” It is as he said, for each of those who differ possesses some truth and some falsehood: he rejects the truth held by the other and affirms the falsehood he himself holds, which is the alteration that was introduced.

Thus, differing necessarily combines both types. For this reason, each of the early authorities mentioned various forms(2) of this. One was their disagreement over the day on which the gathering was to be held. The day(3) they had been commanded to observe was Friday, but both groups departed from it: one adopted Saturday and the other Sunday.

It is reported in the two Sahih collections that the Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—said:

“We are the last, yet the foremost on the Day of Resurrection. They were given the Scripture before us, whereas we were given it