I’d like to illustrate my point with the following example: let’s say there is an idea to do something good for the community, for instance, organize handing out meals to the homeless. So, someone will sponsor it with money, some will promote the idea in the media, someone will give their time to hand out food… and a lot of people will do nothing. As we can see, 100% active support by all the community members is not required for successful implementation of an idea. Moreover, the degree of support by the members varies. Somebody will give 1000 dollars and someone just 1 dollar. Somebody might just like the post about the initiative on Facebook.
Now let’s take an example of political party promoting some ideology. For every active party member you will find 5, or 10, or maybe 100 of people who share the ideas, at least in some degree, but not necessarily ready to invest all their time, efforts and money into implementing them. Nevertheless, it won’t prevent this ideology from succeeding, unless its ideas get opposed.
Similarly, the political ideas contained in the Koran, Hadith and Sira, scriptural sources of Islam, do not require 100% active support of 100% members of the Ummah, Islamic community, to be successful, as it was demonstrated by spreading of Islam to many countries in various parts of the world throughout its 1400 years history. Jihadists were never in majority. Most Muslims, just like now, cared more about their lives, their families, their daily affairs.
Do you agree that a great number of relatively small actions supporting a particular set of ideas can make significant impact on the society?