A Large Following Is Not a Criterion for the Truth: Advice for Those Who Call to Allāh
Al-ʿAllāmah Muḥammad Nāṣir al-Dīn al-Albānī
Allāh’s Messenger (صلى الله عليه وسلم) said:
No Prophet amongst the Prophets was believed in as I have been. There was amongst the Prophets whom none had believed in except for a single man from his people. 1
Al-ʿAllāmah Muḥammad Nāṣir al-Dīn al-Albānī comments on this ḥadīth, saying:
This ḥadīth comprises clear evidence that the number of followers (an individual has), whether abundant or scarce, is no criterion to measure whether the caller is upon truth or falsehood. Despite the call and religion of the Prophets being one, they differed from each other in relation to the number of their respective followers. Some amongst the Prophets would have fewer followers than others, to the extent that there was amongst them whom none had believed in except for one. In fact, there was even amongst them whom none had believed in whatsoever!2
Reflecting upon this matter will reveal a salient lesson for both the callers (to Allāh) of this era and the called. Therefore, what is upon the caller is to constantly remember this reality, and to set forth in the path of calling to Allāh without caring about the lack of respondents. This is because what is upon him only is to convey and deliver the message in a clear way. He has an excellent example to follow in the previous Prophets who did not have alongside them except one or two individuals!
As for those being called, they must not feel lonesome due to the small number of respondents to the caller. Nor should they use that as a means for doubting the call of truth and abandoning belief in it, let alone make it a proof for the invalidity of his call, citing as evidence that no one has responded to him, or that his followers are only a minority of people. They say, “If his call was really the truth, the majority of people would have followed him and accepted his call!” However, Allāh says:
وَمَا أَكْثَرُ النَّاسِ وَلَوْ حَرَصْتَ بِمُؤْمِنِينَ
“And most of mankind will not believe, even if you desire it eagerly.”3
(Yūsuf, 12:103)
Endnotes:
[1] Authentic: Collected by Muslim: 196, Ibn Ḥibbān: 6243 and others. Refer to al-Albānī’s Ṣaḥīḥah: 397.
[2] Translator’s note: This comes in the ḥadīth collected by al-Bukhārī: 5705 and Muslim: 220.
[3] Silsilat al-Aḥādīth al-Ṣaḥīḥah 1: 755-766.
Translated by: Omar ibn Bilal
Reviewed by: Munīb al-Sumālī
