Answer to "Is everyone other than you wrong?" Deceit

Those who raise such a question most probably think there are various ideologies, views, and lifestyles, and so assumes that the one embraced by believers is only one among countless others. This being the case, they have a hard time understanding why they have to set aside all other ideologies and systems and adhere to the believers' way.

This standpoint, however, rests upon a great mistake.

First, we need to say that all systems, ideologies, social orders, philosophies, or lifestyles, except for the one to which all believers adhere, have been developed by human beings or communities. Their followers accept that the founders of these ideologies and systems were able to guide them to the truth. For example, a Marxist thinks that Karl Marx was a genius who resolved all of this world's mysteries, or at least paved the way for this, and that adherence to his teachings will lead them to the truth. Those who think that following the centuries-old traditions of their society is the best way to find the truth take for granted that their society, or in more accurate words their ancestors, had the wisdom, knowledge, and reasoning to guide them to the truth.

However, none of these so-called guides are able to do what their adherents claim, for all of their systems are built upon human wisdom, which is extremely inadequate, vulnerable, weak, and limited. No person can acquire all of the knowledge found in the universe, not even one billionth of it. Nor can anyone resolve the many questions associated with this world. For instance, they cannot explain what happens after death, a question that has occupied people's minds since the beginning of time, unless they read the truth that Allah conveys in the Qur'an.

The power of human wisdom does not increase when people gather together in a society. When faced with the infinite information inherent in the universe, humanity's collective mental power is insignificant.

This being the case, assuming that the human mind can find the truth—unless otherwise willed by Allah—is a totally unfounded assumption, no more than a conjecture. Indeed, Allah stresses this fact many times in the Qur'an and relates that all disbelievers follow conjecture, for:

	If you obeyed most of those on Earth, they would guide you away from Allah's Way. They follow nothing but conjecture. They are only guessing. (Surat al-An'am, 116)

For instance, all materialists who assert that the only life is the life of this world and that death is a coincidental result of relations between materials, rather than a special creation of Allah, only follow conjecture. The Qur'an emphasizes the situation of such people, as follows:

	They say: "There is nothing but our existence in the world. We die and we live, and nothing destroys us except for time." They have no knowledge of that. They are only conjecturing. (Surat al-Jathiyya, 24)

Other members of societies that are far from religion develop a blind attachment to their ancestors' false beliefs and opinions and adopt them as guides. Hearsay, habits that find social acceptance, some rules to which people adhere blindly, and false teachings make up such beliefs. In this system, people do not need to employ or exercise their reason and wisdom. This is the lifestyle and understanding to which the majority of the members of the societies that are ignorant of religion adhere. In the Qur'an, Allah calls attention to those who adhere blindly to their ancestors despite His definitive judgments, and states that they are deaf, dumb, and blind and unable to exercise their intelligence:

	When they are told: "Follow what Allah has sent down to you," they say: "We are following what we found our fathers doing." What, even though their fathers did not understand a thing and were not guided! The likeness of those who are unbelievers is that of someone who yells out to something which cannot hear—it is nothing but a cry and a call. Deaf–dumb–blind. They do not use their intellect. (Surat al-Baqara, 170-171)

Both adhering to ideologues and following in their ancestors' footsteps are ways of following conjecture. The Qur'an informs us that those who are attached to their ancestors' way, even when they know that their ancestors had no divinely revealed book, are on a false way:

	Or did We give them a Book before which they are holding to? No, in fact they say: "We found our fathers following a religion, and we are simply guided in their footsteps." Similarly, We never sent any warner before you to any city without the affluent among them saying: "We found our fathers following a religion, and we are simply following in their footsteps." Say: "What if I have come with better guidance than what you found your fathers following?" They say" "We reject what you have been sent with." (Surat az-Zuhkruf, 21-24)

Consequently, intelligent people do not place their trust in ideologues, or in their ancestors, or in the majority of people. The sole guide in whom they place their trust is the All-Mighty Allah, Who possesses infinite wisdom and all the knowledge in the universe. Indeed, the Qur'an frequently refers to Allah as Al-Rabb, an attribute of His which means the One and only Lord for all the universe, its Creator, Owner, Organizer, Provider, Master, Planner, Sustainer, Cherisher, and Giver of Security.

Taking beings or things other than Allah as guides means taking them as lords or making them into idols. This attitude, which is defined as ascribing partners to Allah, is extremely dangerous, for the Qur'an reveals that such people will find themselves in the following situation:

	O humanity, an example has been given, so listen to it carefully. Those whom you call upon besides Allah are not able to create even a single fly, even if they were to join together to do it. And if a fly steals something from them, they cannot get it back. How feeble are both the seeker and the sought! (Surat al-Hajj, 73)

As the verse maintains, both the person or thing from whom help is sought and the person who adheres to such false deities as sources of guidance are all weak and helpless. Another verse relates this fact, as follows:

	They have taken deities besides Allah so that perhaps they may be helped. They cannot help them, even though they are an army mobilized in their support. (Surah Ya Sin, 74-75)

Such a rationale, that is, a system based on conjecture, is entirely distorted, vain, and false. Only Allah deserves obedience and recognition as one's Lord, for:

	Say: "Can any of your partner-deities guide to the truth?" Say: "Allah guides to the truth. Whose right has more to be followed—He Who guides to the truth, or he who cannot guide unless he is guided? What is the matter with you? How do you reach your judgment?" (Surah Yunus, 35)

Following these explanations, we can now answer the question as to whether only believers are right. Everyone who is unaware of Allah's existence, or who fails to appreciate His infinite might and submit Him even if aware of His existence, is on the wrong path. This being the case, only those who fear Allah and seek His approval are on the right path.

Another evidence of this truth is that only believers adhere to the messenger of Allah and a guide that is the sublime Word of Allah: the Qur'an and the hadiths of our Prophet's (pbuh) hadiths are the sole source of guidance for all of humanity, a fact that Allah reveals in the following and many other verses:

	This Qur'an guides to the most upright Way and gives good news to the believers who do right actions that they will have a large reward. (Surat al-Isra', 9) The month of Ramadan is the one in which the Qur'an was sent down as guidance for mankind, with Clear Signs containing guidance and discrimination… (Surat al-Baqara, 185)

This does not mean that believers are a faultless people. On the contrary, everyone makes mistakes. Yet, the source that guides them is immune to all errors, faults, defects, or flaws. Believers make mistakes when they fail to comply with the Qur'an. But once they are made aware of their mistakes, they abandon them immediately.