Quantity and quality

"You must not look at quantity, you must look at quality."

This statement has a lot of wisdom and is applicable in several circumstances. However, despite this, it cannot be generalised. This applies when on one side, there are many negative things and on the other side, there are less but they are positive. For example, a person has a lot of children but they are all bad and another person has only one child but he is very good. In such a situation, it is said: "It is better to have only one child who is good than having several who are not good". At times, in such a situation, one hears people saying: "It is better not to have any child than to have such bad children."

Similarly, it is possible that a person has many children and all of them are good. And another has only one child but he is very bad. Definitely, the first person is in a better position compared to the second. In this case, we cannot give preference to minority over majority because the main thing is that it must be good. Something good will always be good. Something which is good but is scanty is better than something that is not good, even if it is a lot. Something which is good and is in large quantities will be even better. So, the comparison is not between a lot and a little, but between good and bad. Bad will always be inferior to good even if it is in minority. Therefore, when a minority is practicing the Sunnah of Nabi (Sallallaahu Alaihi Wasallam), this is better than the vast majority that is immersed in Bid'ah. Now, if something has been practiced by the majority of the Sahaabah-e-Kiraam (Radiyallahu Anhum), the Taabi'in and the Tabi Taabi'in, it will be even better. A practice that will oppose it will be labelled as an isolated practice, a Bid'ah and something that deserves to be abandoned. Here, we do not have the right to use the thesis that quality is more important than quantity. This is because if we use this principle here, we will contradict the teachings of Rasulullah (Sallallaahu Alaihi Wasallam). According to the Hadith, we must follow As-Sawaad Al-A'zam which means the vast majority. According to this same Hadith, a person who isolates himself from As-Sawaad Al-A'zam will go to hell.

Therefore, there are several principles to consider:

1. A good thing in large quantities is better than a good thing in small quantities or a bad thing in large quantities.

2. A bad thing in large quantities is worse than a bad thing in small quantities.

3. A good thing in small quantities is better than a bad thing, even if it is in large quantities.

When we say As-Sawaad Al-A'zam, it is according to principle number one. That is, topics like three Talaaq counting as three, the Khutbah of Jummah being conducted in Arabic only, etc. These are topics that have been adopted by As-Sawaad Al-A'zam. Thus, it will have priority and preference at all levels. Not accepting it is a way to isolate oneself from As-Sawaad Al-A'zam which is very grave.

[English version of "Quantité et qualité" – Al Jamiat – Vol.2 No.15]