- "No prophet (among the prophets) was believed as I was believed. Indeed, among the prophets, there were those who were believed by only one man from their nation." It was recorded by Ibn Ḥibbān in his "Ṣaḥīḥ" (2305 Mawārid). He said: Abū Khalīfah informed us, ʿAlī ibn al-Madīnī narrated to us, Ḥusayn ibn ʿAlī narrated from Zāʾidah from al-Mukhtār ibn Fulful from Anas ibn Mālik who said: The Messenger of Allāh (ṣallá Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallam) said it, and he mentioned it. I said: And this isnād is authentic, and it was also recorded by Muslim in his "Ṣaḥīḥ" (1/130). Abū Bakr ibn Abī Shaybah narrated to us, Ḥusayn ibn ʿAlī narrated it, and he added at the beginning: "I am the first intercessor in Paradise, no prophet among the prophets was believed...." And through the path of Muslim, it was recorded by Abū Bakr Muḥammad ibn al-Ḥasan al-Ṭabarī in "al-Amālī" (7/1), then he narrated it (4/1) through another path from al-Mukhtār with it. The ḥadīth is supported by what Ibn ʿAbbās (raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhu) narrated from the Prophet (ṣallá Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallam): "The nations were presented to me, and I saw a prophet with a small group, a prophet with one or two men, and a prophet with no one...." The ḥadīth was recorded by al-Shaykhān and others. The ḥadīth clearly indicates that the number of followers, whether many or few, is not a criterion for determining whether the caller is on the right path or not. These prophets, peace be upon them, despite having the same message and religion, differed in the number of their followers, whether few or many, to the extent that among them was one who was believed by only one man, or even none! In this, there is a profound lesson for the caller and the invited in this era. The caller must remember this truth and continue steadfastly on the path of calling to Allāh, not worrying about the few who respond to him, for he is only responsible for conveying the clear message, and he has a good example in the previous prophets