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
وَمَنْ أَظْلَمُ مِمَّنِ ٱفْتَرَىٰ عَلَى ٱللَّهِ كَذِبًا أَوْ كَذَّبَ بِـَٔايَـٰتِهِۦٓ ۗ إِنَّهُۥ لَا يُفْلِحُ ٱلظَّـٰلِمُونَ
And who is more unjust than one who invents about Allāh a lie or denies His verses? Indeed, the wrongdoers will not succeed.
وَلَا تَقْرَبُوا۟ مَالَ ٱلْيَتِيمِ إِلَّا بِٱلَّتِى هِىَ أَحْسَنُ حَتَّىٰ يَبْلُغَ أَشُدَّهُۥ ۖ وَأَوْفُوا۟ ٱلْكَيْلَ وَٱلْمِيزَانَ بِٱلْقِسْطِ ۖ لَا نُكَلِّفُ نَفْسًا إِلَّا وُسْعَهَا ۖ وَإِذَا قُلْتُمْ فَٱعْدِلُوا۟ وَلَوْ كَانَ ذَا قُرْبَىٰ ۖ وَبِعَهْدِ ٱللَّهِ أَوْفُوا۟ ۚ ذَٰلِكُمْ وَصَّىٰكُم بِهِۦ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَذَكَّرُونَ
And do not approach the orphan's property except in a way that is best [i.e., intending improvement] until he reaches maturity. And give full measure and weight in justice. We do not charge any soul except [with that within] its capacity. And when you speak [i.e., testify], be just, even if [it concerns] a near relative. And the covenant of Allāh fulfill. This has He instructed you that you may remember.
وَإِذَا جَآءَتْهُمْ ءَايَةٌ قَالُوا۟ لَن نُّؤْمِنَ حَتَّىٰ نُؤْتَىٰ مِثْلَ مَآ أُوتِىَ رُسُلُ ٱللَّهِ ۘ ٱللَّهُ أَعْلَمُ حَيْثُ يَجْعَلُ رِسَالَتَهُۥ ۗ سَيُصِيبُ ٱلَّذِينَ أَجْرَمُوا۟ صَغَارٌ عِندَ ٱللَّهِ وَعَذَابٌ شَدِيدٌۢ بِمَا كَانُوا۟ يَمْكُرُونَ
And when a sign comes to them, they say, "Never will we believe until we are given like that which was given to the messengers of Allāh." Allāh is most knowing of where [i.e., with whom] He places His message. There will afflict those who committed crimes debasement before Allāh and severe punishment for what they used to conspire.
ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ وَلَمْ يَلْبِسُوٓا۟ إِيمَـٰنَهُم بِظُلْمٍ أُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ لَهُمُ ٱلْأَمْنُ وَهُم مُّهْتَدُونَ
They who believe and do not mix their belief with injustice - those will have security, and they are [rightly] guided.