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Fifth: The answer lies within your very question; for you acknowledged(1) that ʿAbd Allah ibn Salam and his followers were exceedingly few, while their opponents were beyond counting. It is self-evident that the motive urging one to side with the vast majority—those who possess power and might—is far stronger than the motive urging one to align with a small, downtrodden minority. And Allah alone grants success.
(1) In manuscripts B, J, S, and G, the reading is “u‘titu” (I have been given).
(الخامس) أن جوابك في نفس سؤالك؛ فإنك اعترفتَ (١) أن عبد الله ابن سلام وذويه كانوا قليلين جدًّا، وأضدادهم لا يُحْصَوْن كثرةً، ومعلوم أن الغرض الداعي لموافقة الجمهور الذين لا يحصون كثرة -وهم أولو القوة والشوكة- أقوى من الغرض الداعي لموافقة الأقلِّين المستضعفين، والله الموفق.
(١) في "ب، ج، ص، غ": "أعطيت".