# Am I doing wrong if I follow a minority opinion?

*'My ummah will not agree on error': am I doomed if I follow a minority view?*

- URL: https://muftiabulayth.org/r/1zghntbmpis/s/25/
- Date: 2021-01-12 · Kind: question · Transcript tier: machine · Recording: Monday Nights with Mufti #197 | Q&A Unscripted & Unrestricted! 😉 | Mufti Abu Layth (1:37:49–1:40:10)
- Status: general teaching
- Watch from the start of the segment: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1zgHntbMPis&t=5869s
- Recording page: https://muftiabulayth.org/r/1zghntbmpis/

**Topics:** Authenticating hadith; Legal theory and method

**Question as asked:** Isn't there a hadith which says the majority of my ummah doesn't agree on error? Does it mean we are doomed if we follow minority opinions?

**Summary (not a quotation; machine-made, unchecked):** No: the hadith is weak, and even its valid meaning is about the whole ummah agreeing, not about majorities, so following a minority view is not doom.

**Checked position (checked by two independent reviews, not by the channel):** Mufti Abu Layth says the hadith that the ummah will not agree upon misguidance is unfortunately weak, although its meaning is kind of valid.

**Evidence, his words at 1:38:28:** “this hadith is unfortunately a weak hadith although its meaning is kind of valid that the entire ummah will not agree” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1zgHntbMPis&t=5908s)

## Longer summary

After referring a viewer to his talk on tattoos, Mufti Abu Layth reads a Facebook question asking whether a hadith says the majority of the ummah does not agree on error, and whether following minority opinions means one is doomed. He says the hadith is unfortunately weak, though its meaning is kind of valid: it means the entire ummah will not agree upon misguidance, with not a single person disagreeing, which never happens on controversial matters. He says that although the hadith is not sahih, he can accept it as a principle, and argues it is also objectively true from a Muslim viewpoint that Muslims have never all agreed on something that clashes with Islam.

## Sources and names cited

- report: my ummah will not agree upon misguidance
- ijma'

## Transcript (machine tier, 1:37:49–1:40:10)

[1:37:12] do you know the edger for being in the softball oval it's like so yeah but it is uh it is definitely in my understand not invalid to do so let's take a look at some of the facebook questions as well uh fushi saying you can literally watch it i don't know what that's about there's a talk that mufti has already on this topic

[1:37:49] on tattoos i do please do go watch that um right somebody is saying ashar you should be able to articulate your pov huh let's go down to some of the latest comments here mufti isn't there a hadith which says the majority of my ummah doesn't agree on error does it mean we are doomed if we follow minority opinions

[1:38:28] trevoski sundar you're doing it you're doing it that's a good question uh that isn't there a hadith that states and i'll tell you the hadith this hadith is unfortunately a weak hadith although its meaning is kind of valid that the entire ummah will not agree

[1:39:05] so upon misguidance so that means all like every like islam only means this in the world there is no other understanding not a single person disagreeing on that matter that won't be the case i do accept that in terms of understanding that's a valid understanding and that never happens in matters really that are controversial i mean you can you name me something that the ummah has agreed upon a misguidance that the entire every single so i don't think that's ever happened so

[1:39:44] even though the hadith is not sahih i can accept it as a principle as a subjective biased principle but i would argue it's also objectively true from a muslim viewpoint that muslims have never agreed on something which they find to be in clash with islam

## Cite

Mufti Abu Layth Archive, segment 1zgHntbMPis/s/25. https://muftiabulayth.org/r/1zghntbmpis/s/25/

Not a fatwa: these answers were given to specific people at specific times. Ask a qualified scholar about your own situation.