The Ocean of Light — Page 87
87 HADRAT MIRZA GHULAM AHMAD AS majority opinion of the Muslim Ummah, even if that opinion was formed by a group of wicked people; and they say that whoever follows the path of Ijm a ‘ [consensus] is saved from stumbling. 1 They do not realise that the concept of Ijm a ‘ was applicable to the time of the Companions [of the Holy Prophet]; then the great period of darkness came and many turned away from the straight path. This is why the need for an arbiter from God became so urgent, and this was also promised by the Bountiful God. People have split the Holy Quran into parts, some claiming that they are 1 There is an anecdote from the Time of Ignorance which is used to inspire obedience and its aim is to praise unity. It is said that the person who adopts an individual path and cuts himself off from the majority is like a person who sits in a deep valley and is unable to climb upwards due to fatigue. A flood then comes and sweeps him away with all his possessions. This denotes that man is always in danger in solitude and in low-lying places. This is an anecdote, but I say that it is not applicable in every situation. They did not understand the proper place for this and spoke like the ignorant. They did not believe in the true Prophets who, in the beginning, were solitary and attacked them like predators. (Author)