The other matter is that one of the distinguished Yemeni scholars whom we are certain had examined Ibn al-Wazīr’s books—namely Shaykh Ṣāliḥ al-Maqbalī—spoke well of this hadith, both with regard to its authenticity and its meaning. He mentioned that some had declared this hadith weak, apparently alluding thereby to Ibn al-Wazīr. If you reflect on his words, you will find that he indicates that the weakening was not on account of the chain of transmission, but because its meaning was considered problematic. I consider it worthwhile to cite the substance of his remarks, owing to the benefits they contain. May Allah Most High have mercy on him. He said in al-ʿIlm al-Shāmikh fī Īthār al-Ḥaqq ʿalā al-Ābāʾ wa-al-Mashāyikh (Lofty Knowledge: Preferring the Truth to Fathers and Shaykhs), p. 414:
“The reports concerning the division of the ummah into seventy-three sects are numerous, and they reinforce one another, leaving no room for doubt regarding the essential meaning they convey.”
He then mentioned this hadith of Muʿāwiyah and the hadith of Ibn ʿAmr ibn al-ʿĀṣ, to which al-Ḥāfiẓ al-ʿIrāqī referred and which al-Tirmidhī graded good. He then said:
“The difficulty lies in his statement, ‘All of them are in the Fire except one religious community.’ It is well known that they are the best of communities, and it is hoped that they will constitute half of the people of Paradise, while among all other nations they are like a white hair on a black bull, as the hadiths explicitly state. So how can this be reconciled? Some people spoke of the weakness of this clause, saying, ‘It is an unestablished addition.’ Others interpreted the wording.
It is well known that what is meant by the saved sect is not that the slightest disagreement should never occur among its members, for this occurred even among the most virtuous Companions. Rather, the issue is a disagreement that makes its adherent into an independent sect which he has innovated. Once you have understood this, such innovations occurring in major issues, and resulting in grave harms, are almost countless. Yet they were not confined to a particular one of these sects that have formed factions, some of whom have united with certain groups while others have differed, according to numerous issues.”
He then answered the objection, the substance of which is:
“People are of two types: the common people and the elite. The common people, their latter are like their former: women, slaves, and farmers,