Obeying the Majority Misleads Man from the Right Path
Assuming that the common conviction of the majority is right often deludes mankind. Indeed, when asked about the underlying reason of a particular act or attitude, many people answer "Because the majority does so." However, God informs us that obeying the majority is misleading:
| | | |
| | If you obeyed most of those on earth, they would misguide you from God's Way. They follow nothing but conjecture. They are only guessing. (Surat al-An'am: 116) | |
| | | |
In another verse, God states that most people will not believe:
| | | |
| | But most people, for all your eagerness, are not believers. (Surah Yusuf: 103) | |
| | | |
In Surat al-Ma'ida, God mentioned the abundance of "evil" and called people of intelligence to avoid it.
| | | |
| | Say: 'Evil and good are not the same, even though the abundance of evil may seem attractive to you.' Have fear of God, people of intelligence, so that hopefully you will be successful. (Surat al-Ma'ida: 100) | |
| | | |
Consequently, what the majority does, believes in or advocates can never be a reliable source or reference. People tend to follow the majority under the influence of the "herd instinct". However, believers who act in accordance with this divine secret God gives in the Qur'an do not follow the majority, but only observe God's commands and His religion. Even if they are alone, they never harbour doubts about their beliefs and the path they follow.
