What is the opinion of Islamic law and the position of scholars regarding the saying, "The اختلاف (disagreement/difference of opinion) among scholars is a mercy for the Ummah"?

The phrase "The اختلاف (disagreement) of my Ummah is a mercy" is a fabricated, forged hadith with no basis. Ibn Hazm refuted the saying that disagreement is a mercy, because it would necessitate that agreement is a wrath, which is false. The blameworthy disagreement is that which is deliberate and tends towards disunity and abandoning the Qur'an and Sunnah. As for disagreement arising from ijtihad (independent reasoning) in matters where evidence is absent or equally balanced, it is considered a breadth and a mercy.