QUR'ANIC EVIDENCE
(1) Surah al-Imran (3:103):
"And hold fast, all of you together, to the rope of Allah and be not divided."
Imam Sayf ad-Din al-Amidi (d. 631/1233; Rahimahullah) said in his al-Ihkam< fi usul al-ahkam (The proficiency: on the fundamentals of legal rulings, pg. 295) with regard to the above Qur'anic verse: "Allah has forbidden separation, and disagreement with consensus ('Ijma') is separation." Hence, if Allah has forbidden separation then surely we must all unite on the unanimously accepted Aqeedah of our pious predecessors. And I have already quoted Hafiz Ibn Hajar al-Haytami (Rahimahullah) as saying: "This unanimity (in aqeedah) was transmitted by the two great Imam's Abu'l Hasan al-Ashari and Abu Mansur al-Maturidi (Allah's mercy be upon them) and the scholars who followed their path."
Mahmoud Ayoub wrote in The Qur'an and Its Interpreters (vol. II, 275-6): "Ibn Kathir (d. 774/1373; Rahimahullah) interprets the 'rope of God' in verse 103 as 'The covenant of God,' citing in support of this interpretation verse 112 below (in Surah al-Imran). Another view, he adds, is that 'The rope of God' here refers to the Qur'an, as reported on the authority of Ali (Allah be pleased with him) who said that 'The Qur'an is God's strong rope and the straight way.' He cites another Hadith, on the authority of Abu Sa'id al-Khudri (Allah be pleased with him), where the Prophet (Peace be upon him) declared, 'The book of God is God's rope stretched from heaven to earth.' Abd Allah ibn Mas'ud (Allah be pleased with him) reported -that the Messenger of God (Peace be upon him) said, 'Surely this Qur'an is God's strong rope, manifest light, and beneficial source of healing. It is protection for those who hold fast to it, and a means of salvation for those who abide by it.'
Ibn Kathir interprets the injunction, 'and do not be divided' to mean strict adherence to unity among Muslims. He reports on the authority of Abu Hurayrah (Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (Peace be upon him) said, 'God will be pleased with three acts from you, and wrathful with three others. He wishes that you worship Him alone without associating any thing with Him; that you hold fast all together to the rope of God and be not divided; and that you show loyalty to those whom God has set in authority.' (Tafsir Ibn Kathir, II, pp. 83-4)
Qurtubi (d. 671/1273; Rahimahullah) agrees with Tabari (d. 923 CE; Rahimahullah) and Ibn Kathir regarding the meaning of 'the rope of God' in verse 103. He cites with approval the famous traditionist Ibn al-Mubarak (d. 181/797; Rahimahullah) who said, 'Surely unity is God's rope; therefore hold fast all together to 'its firm handle' (see Qur'an 2:256).' Qurtubi adds that 'God enjoins concord and forbids dissension, for in disunity is perdition, and in unity salvation.'
Qurtubi offers two possible interpretations of the phrase 'And be not divided': 'Be not divided in your religion as were the Jews and Christians divided in their religions' and 'Be not divided in following different false opinions and purposes. Rather, be brothers in God's religion.' As a jurist, Qurtubi observes that, 'There is no indication in this verse of the prohibition of disagreement in the branches (furu') [of fiqh] as this in reality is not dissension. This is because true dissention is one wherein concord and unity become virtually impossible.
As for disagreement in judgements based on personal effort (ijtihad), it is due to differences in deducing obligations (fara'id) and the minutiae of law.' On page 279, Imam al-Razi (d. 606/1210; Rahimahullah) was quoted as saying in conclusion to his commentary on the above verse: 'If a person going down into a well must hold fast to a rope in order that he may not fall in, so also the Book of God, His covenant, religion and obedience to Him, as well as unity and harmony among the people of faith are means of security for anyone who holds fast to them from falling into the bottom of Hell.'"
(2) Surah al-Imran (3:105):
"And be not like those who separated and disputed after the clear proofs had come unto them: For such there is an awful doom."
(3) Surah al-Imran (3:110):
"Ye are the best community that has been raised up for mankind. Ye enjoin the good and forbid the evil; and ye believe in Allah"
(4) Surah Al-An'am (6:159):
"As for those who divide their religion and break up into sects, thou has no part in them in the least: Their affair is with Allah: He will in the end tell them the truth of all that they did."
(5) Surah Al-Mu'minun (23:52-53):
"And verily this Ummah of yours is a single Ummah and I am your Lord, so keep your duty unto Me. But they have broken their religion among them into sects, each sect rejoicing in its tenets."
(6) Surah Al-Rum (30:32):
"Those who split up their Religion, and become Sects, each sect exulting in its tenets."
(7) Surah Al-Nisa (4:115):
"He that disobeys the Apostle (Muhammad) after guidance has been made clear to him and follows a way other than that of the believers, We appoint for him that unto which he himself hath turned, and expose him unto Hell - a hapless journey's end!"
(8) Surah Al-An'am (6:153):
"This is My Straight path, so follow it. Follow not other ways, lest ye be parted from His way. This has he ordained for you, that ye may ward off (evil)."
