Most People
A Qur’an-Centered Reading
This study examines, in a holistic manner, the expressions “most people,” “most of them,” and “many of the people,” which are repeatedly used in different contexts in the Qur’an, within the framework of the Qur’anic conception of humanity and truth. The central problem of the study is how the accep-tance of the majority as a determining criterion of truth should be evaluated from the perspective of Qur’anic thought. In this context, the study aims to demonstrate the distinction between the quantitative superiority of the majority and the epistemic and moral value of truth. An examination of the relevant Qur’anic verses reveals that the majority of people are charac-terized by attitudes such as disbelief, ignorance, failure to rea-son, ingratitude, and following conjecture, whereas adherence to truth is often represented by individuals who are few in number. However, the study does not regard either numerical majority or minority as an intrinsic criterion of value; rather, it emphasizes that the determining criteria are revelation, bur-han (clear proof), sound knowledge, the proper use of reason, and tahqiq (critical verification). The historical relationship be-tween truth and the majority is also examined through the struggles of Prophets Noah, Abraham, Moses, Lot, and Mu-hammad in conveying the divine message. Furthermore, the influence of the majority on individuals is discussed in the con-text of tradition, imitation, social pressure, social approval, perception management, and modern digital crowds. Ulti-mately, the study concludes that the Qur’an calls human beings to move beyond passive submission to the direction of the masses and to become conscious individuals who actively seek
and pursue truth on the basis of revelation, reason, and evi-dence.
Keywords: Qur’an, most people, majority, truth, revelation, evidence, critical verification, reason, conjecture, imitation, faith, public opinion.