[lalpphilalk]

sorry, but that doesn't make sense......why were the majority silent in such an important matter??

Who said they were silent? What gave you that idea? The ruler only targeted certain people, most people were not targeted. Just because many people were not beaten, it doesn't mean that they must have agreed with the ruler.

If Imam Ahmad was the only one left who had the proper aqidah, then why aren't we all mu'tazilis now?? If he was one of only a handful, then still the Mu'tazilaa would be the overwhelming majority nowadays. But that is not the case. In truth the Mu'tazilaa were never a majority, but during a certain period of history, they had influence, and they influenced the caliph. But the absolute number of their followers was never a majority.