364. Imām Ali (a.s.): “By God, no communities differ [among themselves] after their Prophet except that their falsities overwhelm their truths except what God wills.”¹

365. Imām Ali (a.s.): “By God, I can see that these people will soon overcome you because of their unity [even] on their wrong and your disunity in your right.”²

366. Imām Ali (a.s.) – on warning people against disunity: “You should fear what calamities befell people before you on account of their evil deeds and detestable actions. Remember what has happened to them during good or bad circumstances and be cautious that you may become like them!
After you have thought over both conditions of these people, attach yourself to everything with which their position became honorable and on account of which enemies remained away from them and through which safety spread over them. Attach yourself to that by which riches bowed before them and as a result of which they achieved distinction and honor. These things were all because of abstention from division, sticking to unity, calling each other to it and advising each other about it. Avoid everything which broke their backbone and weakened their power, such as malice in the heart, hatred in the chest, turning away (from each other's help) and withholding the hand from the assistance of one another!
Think about the condition of people from among the believers who passed before you. How they were in trials and distress! Were they not the most over-burdened among all the people and in the most straitened circumstances in the whole world? The Pharaohs took them as slaves. They inflicted on them the worst punishments and bitter sufferings. They continuously remained in this state of ruinous disgrace and severe subjugation. They found no plan for escape and no way for protection from sufferings until God the Glorified noticed that they were enduring troubles in His love and bearing distresses out of fear for Him, He saved them from the distress of trials. He changed their disgrace into
honor and fear into safety and they became ruling kings and conspicuous leaders and God’s favors over them reached that limit which their own wishes had not reached.
Look how they were when their groups were united, their views were unanimous, their hearts were upright and straight, their hands used to help one another, their swords were intended for assisting one another, their eyes were sharp and their aims were the same. Did they not become masters of all corners of the earth and rulers over the parts of the worlds? Thereafter, see what happened to them towards the end when division overtook them, unity became fractured and differences arose between their words and their hearts. They were divided into various groups and were scattered, fighting among each other and then, God took away from them the apparel of His honor and deprived them of the affluence of His favors. Only their stories have remained among you for the guidance of those who may learn lesson from them.
You should take a lesson from the fate of the progeny of Ismā`il, the children of Ishāq and the children of Isrā'il. How similar are their affairs and how akin are their examples. Ponder on their condition during the days of their division and disunity, when [such tyrants as] Kesras and Caesar were their masters. They turned them out from the pastures of their lands, the rivers of Iraq and the fertility of the world towards thorny forests, the passages of (hot) winds and hardships in livelihood. In this way they turned them into just herders of camels. Their houses were the worst in the world and their places of stay were the most drought-stricken. There was not one voice towards which they could turn for protection, nor any shred of affection on whose strength they could trust. Their condition was full of distress. Their hands were scattered. Their majority was divided. They were in great anguish and under layers of ignorance. They buried their daughters alive, worshipped idols, disregarded kinship and practiced robbery.
Now, look at the various favors of God upon them, when He sent forth for them a Prophet who made them to pledge their obedience to Him and made them unite through His call. [Look] how God's bounty spread the wings of its favors over them and flowed for them streams of its blessing and the whole community became wrapped in blissful prosperity. Consequently
they were submerged under its bounty and enjoyed its lushful life. Their affairs became settled under the protection of a powerful ruler and the circumstance offered them overpowering honor and all things became easy for them under the auspiciousness of a strong country. They became rulers of the
world and kings in [various] parts of the earth. They became masters of those who were formerly their masters and began issuing commands over those who used to command them. They were so strong that neither their spears needed testing nor did their weapons have any flaw.
Indeed, you have diverted yourselves from the rope of obedience and broken the divine fortress of God that was put up for you [by resorting to] the laws of the age of ignorance. Certainly it is a great blessing of God Almighty that He has engendered among them unity through the cord of affection under whose shade they walk and take shelter. This is a blessing whose value no one realizes because it is greater than any cost and more majestic than any honor.”³

364. عنه علیه السلام: وايمُ اللهِ، ما اختَلَفَت اُمَّةٌ بَعدَ نَبِيِّها إلّا ظَهَرَ باطِلُها عَلى حَقِّها، إلّا ما شاءَ اللهُ.¹

365. عنه علیه السلام: وإنّي، وَاللهِ، لاََظُنُّ أنَّ هؤلاءِ القَومَ سَيُدالونَ² مِنكُم بِاجتِماعِهِم عَلى باطِلِهِم، وتَفَرُّقِكُم عَن حَقِّكُم.³

366. عنه علیه السلام ـ في تَحذيرِ الاُمَّةِ مِنَ الفُرقَةِ ـ: اِحذَروا ما نَزَلَ بِالاُمَمِ قَبلَكُم مِنَ المَثُلاتِ بِسوءِ الأَفعالِ وذَميمِ الأَعمالِ! فَتَذَكَّروا فِي الخَيرِ وَالشَّرِّ أحوالَهُم، وَاحذَروا أن تَكونوا أمثالَهُم.
فَإِذا تَفَكُّرتُم في تَفاوُتِ حالَيهِم فَالزَموا كُلَّ أمرٍ لَزِمَتِ العِزَّةُ بِهِ شَأنَهُم، وزاحَتِ الأَعداءُ لَهُ عَنهُم، ومُدَّتِ العافِيَةُ بِهِ عَلَيهِم، وَانقادَتِ النِّعمَةُ لَهُ مَعَهُم، ووَصَلَتِ الكَرامَةُ عَلَيهِ حَبلَهُم مِنَ الاِجتِنابِ لِلفُرقَةِ، وَاللُّزومِ لِلاُلفَةِ، وَالتَّحاضِّ عَلَيها وَالتَّواصي بِها، وَاجتَنِبوا كُلَّ أمرٍ كَسَرَ فِقرَتَهُم، وأوهَنَ مُنَّتَهُم. مِن تَضاغُنِ القُلوبِ، وتَشاحُنِ الصُّدورِ، وتَدابُرِ النُّفوسِ، وتَخاذُلِ الأَيدي، وتَدَبَّروا أحوالَ الماضينَ مِنَ المُؤمِنينَ قَبلَكُم، كَيفَ كانوا في حالِ التَّمحيصِ وَالبَلاءِ، أ لَم يَكونوا أثقَلَ الخَلائِقِ أعباءً، وأجهَدَ العِبادِ بَلاءً، وأضيَقَ أهلِ الدُّنيا حالاً؟ اِتَّخَذَتهُمُ الفَراعِنَةُ عَبيداً؛ فَساموهُم سوءَ العَذابِ، وجَرَّعوهُمُ المُرارَ؛ فَلَم تَبرَحِ الحالُ بِهِم في ذُلِّ الهَلَكَةِ وقَهرِ الغَلَبَةِ. لا يَجِدونَ حيلَةً في امتِناعٍ، ولا سَبيلاً إلى دِفاعٍ.
حَتّى إِذا رَأَى اللهُ سُبحانَهُ جِدَّ الصَّبرِ مِنهُم عَلَى الأَذى في مَحَبَّتِهِ، وَالاِحتِمالَ لِلمَكروهِ مِن خَوفِهِ جَعَلَ لَهُم مِن مَضايِقِ البَلاءِ فَرَجاً، فَأَبدَلَهُمُ العِزَّ مَكانَ الذُّلِّ، وَالأَمنَ مَكانَ الخَوفِ، فَصاروا مُلوكاً حُكّاماً، وأئِمَّةً أعلاماً، وقَد بَلَغَتِ الكَرامَةُ مِنَ اللهِ لَهُم ما لَم تَذهَبِ الآمالُ إلَيهِ بِهِم.
فَانظُروا كَيفَ كانوا حَيثُ كانَتِ الأَملاءُ⁴ مُجتَمِعَةً، وَالأَهواءُ مُؤتَلِفَةً، وَالقُلوبُ مُعتَدِلَةً، وَالأَيدي مُتَرادِفَةً، والسُّيوفُ مُتَناصِرَةً، وَالبَصائِرُ نافِذَةً، وَالعَزائِمُ واحِدَةً. أَ لَم يَكونوا أرباباً في أقطارِ الأَرَضينَ، ومُلوكاً عَلى رِقابِ العالَمينَ؟ فَانظُروا إلى ما صاروا إلَيهِ في آخِرِ اُمورِهِم حينَ وَقَعَتِ الفُرقَةُ، وتَشَتَّتَتِ الاُلفَةُ، وَاختَلَفَتِ الكَلِمَةُ وَالأَفئِدَةُ، وتَشَعَّبوا مُختَلِفينَ، وتَفَرَّقوا مُتَحارِبينَ، قَد خَلَعَ اللهُ عَنهُم لِباسَ كَرامَتِهِ، وسَلَبَهُم غَضارَةَ نِعمَتِهِ. وَبقِيَ قَصَصُ أخبارِهِم فيكُم عِبَراً لِلمُعتَبِرينَ.
فَاعتَبِروا بِحالِ وَلَدِ إسماعيلَ وبَني إسحاقَ وبَني إسرائيلَ علیهم السلام؛ فَما أشَدَّ اعتِدالَ الأَحوالِ، وأقرَبَ اشتِباهَ الأَمثالِ. تَأَمَّلوا أمرَهُم في حالِ تَشَتُّتِهِم وتَفَرُّقِهِم لَيالِيَ كانَتِ الأَكاسِرَةُ وَالقَياصِرَةُ أرباباً لَهُم، يَحتازونَهُم عَن ريفِ الآفاقِ، وبَحرِ العِراقِ وخُضرَةِ الدُّنيا إلى مَنابِتِ الشّيحِ، ومَهافِي الرّيحِ، ونَكَدِ المَعاشِ. فَتَرَكوهُم عالَةً مَساكينَ، إخوانَ دَبَرٍ ووَبَرٍ، أذَلَّ الاُمَمِ داراً، وأجدَبَهُم قَراراً. لا يَأوونَ إلى جَناحِ دَعوَةٍ يَعتَصِمونَ بِها، ولا إلى ظِلِّ اُلفَةٍ يَعتَمِدونَ علَى عِزِّها. فَالأَحوالُ مُضطَرِبَةٌ، وَالأَيدي مُختَلِفَةٌ، وَالكَثرَةُ مُتَفَرِّقَةٌ. في بَلاءِ أزلٍ، وأَطباقِ جَهلٍ! مِن بَناتٍ مَوؤُودَةٍ، وأصنام مَعبودَةٍ، وأرحامٍ مَقطوعَةٍ، وغاراتٍ مَشنونَةٍ.
فَانظُروا إلى مَواقِعِ نِعَمِ اللهِ عَلَيهِم حينَ بَعَثَ إلَيهمِ رَسولاً، فَعَقَدَ بِمِلَّتِهِ طاعَتَهُم، وجَمَعَ عَلى دَعوَتِهِ اُلفَتَهُم. كَيفَ نَشَرَتِ النِّعمَةُ عَلَيهِم جَناحَ كَرامَتِها، وأسالَت لَهُم جَداوِلَ نَعيمِها، وَالتَفَّتِ المِلَّةُ بِهِم في عَوائِدِ بَرَكَتِها. فَأَصبَحوا في نِعمَتِها غَرِقينَ، وفي خُضرَةِ عَيشِها فَكِهينَ. قَد تَرَبَّعَتِ الاُمورُ بِهِم، في ظِلِّ سُلطانٍ قاهِرٍ، وآوَتهُمُ الحالُ إلى كَنَفِ عِزٍّ غالِبٍ. وتَعَطَّفَتِ الاُمورُ عَلَيهِم في ذُرى مُلك ثابِتٍ. فَهُم حُكّامٌ عَلَى العالَمينَ، ومُلوكٌ في أطرافِ الأَرَضينَ. يَملِكونَ الاُمورَ عَلى مَن كانَ يَملِكُها عَلَيهِم. ويُمضونَ الأَحكامَ فيمَن كانَ يُمضيها فيهِم. لا تُغمَزُ لَهُم قَناةٌ، ولا تُقرَعُ لَهُم صَفاةٌ.⁵
ألاَ وإنَّكُم قَد نَفَضتُم أيدِيَكُم مِن حَبلِ الطّاعَةِ. وثَلَمتُم حِصن اللهِ المَضروبَ عَلَيكُم بِأَحكامِ الجاهِلِيَّةِ؛ فَإِنَّ اللهَ سُبحانَهُ قَدِ امتَنَّ عَلى جَماعَةِ هذِهِ الاُمَّةِ فيما عَقَدَ بَينَهُم مِن حَبلِ هذِهِ الاُلفَةِ التَّي يَنتَقِلونَ في ظِلِّها، ويَأوونَ إلى كَنَفِها، بِنِعمَةٍ لايَعرِفُ أحَدٌ مِنَ المَخلوقينَ لَها قيمَةً؛ لاَِنَّها أرجَحُ مِن كُلِّ ثَمَنٍ، وأجَلُّ مِن كُلِّ خَطَر.⁶