Caution: Translations of Quran and Ḥadīth may lead to possible misapplications and misinterpretations. This site is intended for students of sacred knowledge that are proficient in comprehending classical Arabic and have a strong foundation in Islamic sciences. Also note that religious injunctions rely on several aspects beyond what one may glean through reading individual aḥādīth.

Prophets were sent after people started to differ after being upon the truth

hakim:4009Abū Naṣr Muḥammad b. Aḥmad b. ʿUmar al-Khaffāf > Aḥmad b. Salamah > Muḥammad b. Bashhār > Abū Dāwud > Hammām > Qatādah > ʿIkrimah > Ibn ʿAbbās

There were ten qarn (generations) between Nūḥ and Ādam. They were all upon the True Shariʿah then they differed ˹thereafter.˺ Then Allah sent Prophets to give glad tidings and warnings. ˹Ibn ʿAbbās˺ said: this is how it is in the recitation of ʿAbdullāh ˹b. Masʿūd˺: "The people were all one ummah (nation) and they then differed..."  

This ḥadīth is ṣaḥīḥ according to the criteria of Bukhārī but he did not collect it.
الحاكم:٤٠٠٩أَخْبَرَنِي أَبُو نَصْرٍ مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ أَحْمَدَ بْنِ عُمَرَ الْخَفَّافُ ثنا أَحْمَدُ بْنُ سَلَمَةَ ثنا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ بَشَّارٍ ثنا أَبُو دَاوُدَ ثنا هَمَّامٌ عَنْ قَتَادَةَ عَنْ عِكْرِمَةَ عَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ قَالَ

«كَانَ بَيْنَ نُوحٍ وَآدَمَ عَشَرَةُ قُرُونٍ كُلُّهُمْ عَلَى شَرِيعَةٍ مِنَ الْحَقِّ فَاخْتَلَفُوا فَبَعَثَ اللَّهُ النَّبِيِّينَ مُبَشِّرِينَ وَمُنْذِرِينَ» قَالَ وَكَذَلِكَ فِي قِرَاءَةِ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ «كَانَ النَّاسُ أُمَّةً وَاحِدَةً فَاخْتَلَفُوا»  

هَذَا حَدِيثٌ صَحِيحٌ عَلَى شَرْطِ الْبُخَارِيِّ وَلَمْ يُخَرِّجَاهُ على شرط البخاري

See similar narrations below:

Collected by Ḥākim
hakim:3654Abū Zakariyyā al-ʿAnbarī > Muḥammad b. ʿAbd al-Salām > Isḥāq > ʿAbd al-Ṣamad b. ʿAbd al-Wārith > Hammām > Qatādah > ʿIkrimah > Ibn ʿAbbās > Kān

[Machine] "Between Adam and Noah were ten centuries, all of them on the same divine law. But when they differed, Allah sent prophets and messengers and revealed His book, so they became one nation."  

الحاكم:٣٦٥٤أَخْبَرَنَا أَبُو زَكَرِيَّا الْعَنْبَرِيُّ ثنا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ عَبْدِ السَّلَامِ ثنا إِسْحَاقُ أَنْبَأَ عَبْدُ الصَّمَدِ بْنُ عَبْدِ الْوَارِثِ ثنا هَمَّامٌ عَنْ قَتَادَةَ ثنا عِكْرِمَةُ عَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ قَالَ

«كَانَ بَيْنَ آدَمَ وَنُوحٍ عَشَرَةُ قُرُونٍ كُلُّهُمْ عَلَى شَرِيعَةٍ مِنَ الْحَقِّ فَلَمَّا اخْتَلَفُوا بَعَثَ اللَّهُ النَّبِيِّينَ وَالْمُرْسَلِينَ وَأَنْزَلَ كِتَابَهُ فَكَانُوا أُمَّةً وَاحِدَةً»  

هَذَا حَدِيثٌ صَحِيحٌ عَلَى شَرْطِ الْبُخَارِيِّ وَلَمْ يُخَرِّجَاهُ على شرط البخاري