During ‘Uthmān’s caliphate, the community numbered hundreds of thousands (1), whereas those who agreed upon killing him numbered a thousand or thereabouts. ‘Abd Allāh ibn al-Zubayr said, condemning ‘Uthmān’s killers:

“They rose against him like thieves coming from beyond the town. Allah put them to death in every manner, and those among them who escaped did so beneath the stars.”

[Section: The Rāfidī’s statement, “Every individual in the community is liable to error; what, then, protects them from lying when they reach consensus?” and the response to it]

Section

The Rāfidī said (2):

“Furthermore, every individual in the community is liable to error. What, then, protects them from lying when they reach consensus?”

The response is as follows:

It is well known that, if consensus possesses [has acquired] qualities that individuals do not possess (3), one cannot apply to the collective the judgment that applies to an individual. Each person reporting something may err or lie; but once the reporters reach the threshold of mass transmission, lying and error become impossible for them collectively.

A single morsel does not satisfy hunger, a single sip does not quench thirst, and a single cup does not cause intoxication. Yet when many of these are taken together, they satisfy hunger, quench thirst, and cause intoxication. Likewise, an individual cannot fight the enemy, but when a large group assembles, they can fight. Thus, greater numbers (4) contribute to greater strength, greater knowledge, and other such advantages. For this reason, errors may be made by