The words of Allah the Exalted: "Or to confuse you as sects and make you taste the violence of one another"

Sayyiduna Jabir bin Atik (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both) came to us in the area of Banu Mu'awiyah (the narrator says: this is one of the villages of the Ansar). Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both) asked: "Do you know where in this mosque of yours the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) prayed?" I replied: "Yes." Then I pointed to a corner of the mosque. He asked: "Do you know what the three things were that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) supplicated for here?" I replied: "Yes." He said: "Then tell me about them." I said: "The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) supplicated that Allah Almighty would not give their enemy victory over the Muslims, and that He would not destroy them through famine, and both of these were granted to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). And he (peace and blessings be upon him) supplicated that they would not harm one another, but this was not accepted." Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both) said: "You have spoken the truth, and bloodshed (among the Muslims themselves) will continue until the Day of Resurrection."
Ahmad recorded it, and its narrators are thiqat (trustworthy).

Sayyiduna Shaddad bin Aws (may Allah be pleased with him) reports this saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): "Indeed, Allah Almighty folded up the earth for me, and I saw its eastern and western parts, and the dominion of my Ummah will soon reach as far as the part of it that was folded up for me. I was given two kinds of treasure, the white and the red. I asked my Lord that He would not destroy my Ummah through a general famine, that He would not set their enemy over them in such a way that they would be destroyed altogether, and that He would not divide them into factions so that they harm one another. The Lord said: 'O Muhammad, when I issue a decree, it cannot be undone. I have granted you, for your Ummah, that I will not destroy them through a general famine, and that I will not set their enemy over them so that the enemy destroys them altogether; rather, they will destroy one another, kill one another and take one another captive.'" The narrator says: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "For my Ummah I fear only misguiding rulers. When the sword is placed among my Ummah, it will not be lifted from them until the Day of Resurrection."
Ahmad and al-Bazzar recorded it; the narrators of Ahmad are the narrators of the Sahih.

Sayyiduna Abu Basrah al-Ghifari (may Allah be pleased with him), who was a Companion of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), narrates: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "I asked my Lord for four things; He granted me three and did not grant me one. I asked Allah Almighty that my Ummah would not unite upon misguidance, and He granted me this. I asked Allah Almighty that He would not destroy me (that is, my Ummah) through famine as He destroyed the nations before them, and He granted me this. I asked Allah Almighty that He would not give their enemy (that is, the enemy of my Ummah) victory over them, and He granted me this. And I asked Allah Almighty that He would not divide them into factions in such a way that they harm one another, and He did not grant me this."
Ahmad and al-Tabarani recorded it; its chain contains a narrator whose name has not been mentioned.

Sayyiduna Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reports this saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): "I asked my Lord for four things for my Ummah; He granted me three and refused me one. I asked Him that my Ummah would not fall into disbelief all together, and He granted me this. I asked Him that He would not set their enemy over them, and He granted me this. I asked Him that He would not afflict them with the punishment with which He punished the nations before them, and He granted me this. And I asked Him that He would not create discord among them, and He refused me this."
Al-Tabarani recorded it in al-Mu'jam al-Awsat, and its narrators are thiqat (trustworthy).
Al-Bazzar recorded it, except that he reported the words: "I asked my Lord for three things."

Sayyiduna Anas bin Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "I asked my Lord for three things; He granted me two and refused me one. I asked Him that He would not set their enemy over my Ummah, and He granted me this. I asked Him that He would not destroy my Ummah through famine, and He granted me this. I asked Him that He would not divide them into factions, and He refused me."
Al-Tabarani recorded it in al-Mu'jam al-Saghir; its chain contains a narrator, Junadah bin Marwan, who is da'if (weak).

Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) reports this saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): "I asked my Lord for three things for my Ummah; He granted me two and refused me one. I said: 'O my Lord, do not destroy my Ummah through hunger.' He said: 'This is granted to you.' I said: 'O my Lord, do not set over them an enemy from other than themselves (that is, from the polytheists) who would uproot them.' The Lord said: 'This is granted to you.' I said: 'O my Lord, do not place bloodshed among them,' and He refused me this."
Al-Tabarani recorded it; its chain contains a narrator, Abu Hudhayfah al-Tha'labi, whom I do not know; the remaining narrators of this report are thiqat (trustworthy).

Sayyiduna Jabr bin Atik (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) asked for three things in the mosque of Banu Mu'awiyah; he (peace and blessings be upon him) was granted two and refused one. He (peace and blessings be upon him) asked Allah Almighty that He would not destroy his (peace and blessings be upon him) Ummah through hunger, and that He would not set an enemy over them, and both of these were granted to him. And he asked Allah Almighty that He would not place bloodshed among them, and he (peace and blessings be upon him) was refused this.
Al-Tabarani recorded it; its chain contains a narrator, Jabir al-Ju'fi, who is da'if (weak).

Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) narrates: Sayyiduna Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) asked his Lord that He would not divide his Ummah into factions so that they harm one another, but the Lord refused.
Al-Tabarani recorded it; its chain contains a narrator, Muhammad bin Abi Layla, who has a poor memory.

Nafi' bin Khalid al-Khuza'i reports from his father: When the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) prayed with people around him, he would offer a light prayer with complete bowing and prostration. One day, while praying, he made a long prostration, so much so that some of us signalled to one another: "Be quiet! Perhaps revelation is descending upon the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him)." When the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) finished the prayer, someone among those present said: "O Messenger of Allah, today you remained seated for a long time, so much so that some of us signalled to one another that perhaps revelation was descending upon you." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "No. This was a prayer of hope and fear. In it I asked Allah Almighty for three things; He granted me two and refused me one. I asked Him that He would not afflict you with a punishment like the one He gave to those before you, and I asked Him that He would not set an enemy over you generally who would wipe (my Ummah) out completely, and He granted me both of these. I asked Him that He would not divide them into factions so that they harm one another, and He refused me this." The narrator says: I asked him: "Did your father himself hear this from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him)?" He replied: "Yes, and I also heard him say that he heard it from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) as many times as the number of his fingers, that is, ten times."
Al-Tabarani recorded it with various chains; the narrators of some of them are the narrators of the Sahih, except Nafi' bin Khalid, whom Ibn Abi Hatim mentioned, and no one has criticised him.
Al-Bazzar also recorded it.