Is the below-mentioned Hadeeth Saheeh: "The difference in my Ummah is blessing."?

All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger.

Many scholars stated that the Hadeeth: "The difference of my nation is a mercy'" is not authentic (there is no basis for it).

Rather, some of them ruled that this Hadeeth is fabricated.

However, some sayings of the righteous predecessors strengthen this meaning.

Some scholars are of the view that what is meant by "difference" in this Hadeeth refers to matters of Ijtihad (juristic opinion on a matter on which there is no explicit text from the Quran or the Sunnah).

Therefore, this kind of difference is a means of ease to the (Muslim) nation.

Allaah Knows best.