Authored by: Sheikh al-Islam Muhammad bin Abdul Wahhab (may Allah have mercy on him)
Translated by: Maulana Mukhtar Ahmad Nadvi (may Allah protect him)
It was the practice of the people of ignorance (Jahiliyyah) to rely on the majority and use the abundance of followers as evidence for the truth. According to them, the small number of followers was a sign of falsehood. In response to this flawed thinking, Allah revealed the following verses:
"And if you obey most of those upon the earth, they will mislead you from the way of Allah. They follow nothing but assumption, and they are not but falsifying. Indeed, your Lord is most knowing of who strays from His way, and He is most knowing of the (rightly) guided."
[Surah Al-An’am, 6:116]
It is not the practice of those endowed with insight (ahl al-basirah) to reject the truth simply because its followers are few. The truth deserves to be followed even if its adherents are small in number. Allah says:
"He said, 'He has certainly wronged you by demanding your ewe to add to his ewes. And indeed, many partners oppress one another, except for those who believe and do righteous deeds—and few are they.'"
[Surah Sad, 38:24]
Allah has made it clear that the number of people following the truth has always been small, but this numerical scarcity does not diminish the value or strength of the truth. As the poet Sumwa said:
"You taunt us that we are few in number...
I replied, indeed, noble people are always few."
The meaning is that a person of insight looks to the evidence and follows what is proven by it, regardless of how few acknowledge or accept it. However, the one who bases their actions on the majority or follows the popular opinions of the masses without any evidence is undoubtedly in error. A wise person will consider those who follow the ways of ignorance to be mistaken and misguided.
Translated by: Maulana Mukhtar Ahmad Nadvi (may Allah protect him)
It was the practice of the people of ignorance (Jahiliyyah) to rely on the majority and use the abundance of followers as evidence for the truth. According to them, the small number of followers was a sign of falsehood. In response to this flawed thinking, Allah revealed the following verses:
"And if you obey most of those upon the earth, they will mislead you from the way of Allah. They follow nothing but assumption, and they are not but falsifying. Indeed, your Lord is most knowing of who strays from His way, and He is most knowing of the (rightly) guided."
[Surah Al-An’am, 6:116]
It is not the practice of those endowed with insight (ahl al-basirah) to reject the truth simply because its followers are few. The truth deserves to be followed even if its adherents are small in number. Allah says:
"He said, 'He has certainly wronged you by demanding your ewe to add to his ewes. And indeed, many partners oppress one another, except for those who believe and do righteous deeds—and few are they.'"
[Surah Sad, 38:24]
Allah has made it clear that the number of people following the truth has always been small, but this numerical scarcity does not diminish the value or strength of the truth. As the poet Sumwa said:
"You taunt us that we are few in number...
I replied, indeed, noble people are always few."
The meaning is that a person of insight looks to the evidence and follows what is proven by it, regardless of how few acknowledge or accept it. However, the one who bases their actions on the majority or follows the popular opinions of the masses without any evidence is undoubtedly in error. A wise person will consider those who follow the ways of ignorance to be mistaken and misguided.
