Today's verse

بِسْمِ اللّهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيْم

Chapter  98
Surat Al- Bayyinah
(The Clear Proof) -
ﺳﻮﺭﺓ ﺍﻟﺒﻴﻨﺔ .

Verse 4

Arabic

ﻭَﻣَﺎ ﺗَﻔَﺮَّﻕَﺍﻟَّﺬِﻳﻦَ ﺃُﻭﺗُﻮﺍ ﺍﻟْﻜِﺘَﺎﺏَ
ﺇِﻟَّﺎ ﻣِﻦْ ﺑَﻌْﺪِ ﻣَﺎﺟَﺎﺀَﺗْﻬُﻢُﺍﻟْﺒَﻴِّﻨَﺔ

Transliteration

Wamaa tafarraqal ladhina uutul kitaaba illaa mim ba'adi maa jaahathumul bayyinah

Translation:
4. And the People of the
Scripture differed not until after there came
to them the Bayyinah (the certainty).

The Differing only occurred after the
Knowledge came

Allah says,
﴿ﻭَﻣَﺎ ﺗَﻔَﺮَّﻕَ ﺍﻟَّﺬِﻳﻦَ ﺃُﻭﺗُﻮﺍْ ﺍﻟْﻜِﺘَـﺐَ ﺇِﻻَّ ﻣِﻦ ﺑَﻌْﺪِ ﻣَﺎ ﺟَﺂﺀَﺗْﻬُﻢُ ﺍﻟْﺒَﻴِّﻨَﺔُ ﴾

(And the People of the Scripture differed not until after there came to them the Bayyinah.)

This is similar to Allah's
statement,
﴿ﻭَﻻَ ﺗَﻜُﻮﻧُﻮﺍْ ﻛَﺎﻟَّﺬِﻳﻦَ ﺗَﻔَﺮَّﻗُﻮﺍْ
ﻭَﺍﺧْﺘَﻠَﻔُﻮﺍْ ﻣِﻦ ﺑَﻌْﺪِ ﻣَﺎ ﺟَﺂﺀَﻫُﻢُ
ﺍﻟْﺒَﻴِّﻨَـﺖُ ﻭَﺃُﻭْﻟَـﺌِﻚَ ﻟَﻬُﻢْ ﻋَﺬَﺍﺏٌ
ﻋَﻈِﻴﻢٌ ﴾
(And be not as those who divided and differed among themselves after the Bayyinat came to them. It is they for whom there is an awful torment.) (3:105)

This refers to the people of those divinely revealed Scriptures that were sent down to the nations that were before us. After Allah established the proofs and evidences against them, they divided and
differed concerning that which Allah had intended in their Scriptures, and they had
many differences. This is like what has been reported in a Hadith that has many routes of transmission,

‏« ﺇِﻥَّ ﺍﻟْﻴَﻬُﻮﺩَ ﺍﺧْﺘَﻠَﻔُﻮﺍ ﻋَﻠَﻰ
ﺇِﺣْﺪَﻯ ﻭَﺳَﺒْﻌِﻴﻦَ ﻓِﺮْﻗَﺔً، ﻭَﺇِﻥَّ
ﺍﻟﻨَّﺼَﺎﺭَﻯ ﺍﺧْﺘَﻠَﻔُﻮﺍ ﻋَﻠﻰ ﺛِﻨْﺘَﻴْﻦِ
ﻭَﺳَﺒْﻌِﻴﻦَ ﻓِﺮْﻗَﺔً، ﻭَﺳَﺘَﻔْﺘَﺮِﻕُ ﻫَﺬِﻩِ ﺍﻟْﺄُﻣَّﺔُ ﻋَﻠَﻰ ﺛَﻠَﺎﺙٍ ﻭَﺳَﺒْﻌِﻴﻦَ ﻓِﺮْﻗَﺔً، ﻛُﻠُّﻬَﺎ ﻓِﻲ ﺍﻟﻨَّﺎﺭِ ﺇِﻟَّﺎ ﻭَﺍﺣِﺪَﺓ‏»
(Verily, the Jews differed until they became seventy-one sects. And verily, the Christians differed until they became seventy-two sects. And this Ummah will divide into seventy-three sects, and all of
them will be in the Fire except one.) They
said, "Who are they, O Messenger of Allah'' He replied,
‏« ﻣَﺎ ﺃَﻧَﺎ ﻋَﻠَﻴْﻪِ ﻭَﺃَﺻْﺤَﺎﺑِﻲ‏»
((Those who are upon) what I and my Companions are upon.)

Tafsir Ibn Kathir