(116, 117) “If you obey most of those on earth, they will lead you away from Allah’s path. They follow nothing but conjecture, and they do nothing but make false conjectures. * Surely your Lord knows best who strays from His path, and He knows best those who are rightly guided.”

Allah Most High warns His Prophet Muhammad—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—against obeying most people: “If you obey most of those on earth, they will lead you away from Allah’s path.” Most of them have gone astray in their religions, deeds, and knowledge. Their religions are corrupt, their deeds follow their whims, and their knowledge is neither soundly established nor capable of leading to the straight path.

The most they do is follow conjecture, which avails nothing against the truth, and make baseless claims about Allah concerning matters of which they have no knowledge. Those in such a condition fully warrant Allah’s warning His servants against them and His description of their state. Although this address is directed to the Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—his community shares with him all rulings that are not exclusive to him.

Allah Most High is the truest in word and speech. He “knows best who strays from His path,” and He knows best who is rightly guided and guides others. You must therefore, O believers, follow His counsels, commands, and prohibitions, for He knows your best interests and is more merciful to you than you are to yourselves.

This verse also indicates that truth is not established by the large number of its adherents, nor does the small number of those who follow a particular course indicate that it is untrue. Indeed, reality is the opposite: the people of truth are the fewest in number but the greatest in standing and reward with Allah. Rather, truth and falsehood must be discerned by the means that lead to recognizing them.