وَإِن تُطِعْ أَكْثَرَ مَن فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ يُضِلُّوكَ عَن سَبِيلِ ٱللَّهِ ۚ إِن يَتَّبِعُونَ إِلَّا ٱلظَّنَّ وَإِنْ هُمْ إِلَّا يَخْرُصُونَ 116
Translations
And if you obey most of those upon the earth, they will mislead you from the way of Allāh. They follow not except assumption, and they are not but misjudging.
Transliteration
Wa-in tutī' akthara man fī al-arḍ yuḍillūka 'an sabīl Allāh. In yattabi'ūn illā al-ẓann wa-in hum illā yakhruṣūn.
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah warns against blindly following the majority of people on earth, as they will lead one away from Allah's path, for they follow only conjecture and supposition rather than divine guidance. Classical scholars like Al-Qurtubi and Ibn Kathir emphasize that truth is not determined by popular opinion but by adherence to Qur'an and Sunnah. The ayah serves as a critical reminder that the majority may be in error, and one must rely on revelation rather than the speculative beliefs and practices of the masses.
Revelation Context
This ayah appears in the Meccan period when the Prophet Muhammad faced rejection from most Meccans who clung to their ancestral pagan practices. It addresses the psychological challenge of standing alone against widespread disbelief and idolatry, reassuring believers that majority consensus does not validate falsehood. The surah Al-An'am discusses the signs of Allah and the futility of polytheism in this broader context.
Related Hadiths
The Prophet (ﷺ) said: 'The best of you are my generation, then those who come after them, then those who come after them.' This relates to following the guided path rather than popular trends. Additionally, the hadith about the 'saved sect' (al-firqah al-nājiyah) emphasizes that righteousness often follows the minority path.
Themes
Key Lesson
Believers must have the moral courage to reject societal consensus when it contradicts divine revelation, understanding that truth is determined by Allah's guidance, not by majority agreement or popular culture.
Related Ayahs
سَيَقُولُ ٱلَّذِينَ أَشْرَكُوا۟ لَوْ شَآءَ ٱللَّهُ مَآ أَشْرَكْنَا وَلَآ ءَابَآؤُنَا وَلَا حَرَّمْنَا مِن شَىْءٍ ۚ كَذَٰلِكَ كَذَّبَ ٱلَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِهِمْ حَتَّىٰ ذَاقُوا۟ بَأْسَنَا ۗ قُلْ هَلْ عِندَكُم مِّنْ عِلْمٍ فَتُخْرِجُوهُ لَنَآ ۖ إِن تَتَّبِعُونَ إِلَّا ٱلظَّنَّ وَإِنْ أَنتُمْ إِلَّا تَخْرُصُونَ
Those who associated [others] with Allāh will say, "If Allāh had willed, we would not have associated [anything] and neither would our fathers, nor would we have prohibited anything." Likewise did those before deny until they tasted Our punishment. Say, "Do you have any knowledge that you can produce for us? You follow not except assumption, and you are not but misjudging."
ثُمَّ رُدُّوٓا۟ إِلَى ٱللَّهِ مَوْلَىٰهُمُ ٱلْحَقِّ ۚ أَلَا لَهُ ٱلْحُكْمُ وَهُوَ أَسْرَعُ ٱلْحَـٰسِبِينَ
Then they [i.e., His servants] are returned to Allāh, their true Lord. Unquestionably, His is the judgement, and He is the swiftest of accountants.
قُلْ إِنِّى عَلَىٰ بَيِّنَةٍ مِّن رَّبِّى وَكَذَّبْتُم بِهِۦ ۚ مَا عِندِى مَا تَسْتَعْجِلُونَ بِهِۦٓ ۚ إِنِ ٱلْحُكْمُ إِلَّا لِلَّهِ ۖ يَقُصُّ ٱلْحَقَّ ۖ وَهُوَ خَيْرُ ٱلْفَـٰصِلِينَ
Say, "Indeed, I am on clear evidence from my Lord, and you have denied it. I do not have that for which you are impatient. The decision is only for Allāh. He relates the truth, and He is the best of deciders."
فَلَوْلَآ إِذْ جَآءَهُم بَأْسُنَا تَضَرَّعُوا۟ وَلَـٰكِن قَسَتْ قُلُوبُهُمْ وَزَيَّنَ لَهُمُ ٱلشَّيْطَـٰنُ مَا كَانُوا۟ يَعْمَلُونَ
Then why, when Our punishment came to them, did they not humble themselves? But their hearts became hardened, and Satan made attractive to them that which they were doing.