IJMA:

Ijma is an Arabic term referring ideally to the consensus of the ummah

(the community of Muslims, or followers of Islam). This concept is fundamental to
Sunni Islam, which regards authority in matters of religion and also in politics as
belonging corporately to the whole ummah, or community. No single individual
can claim a special or privileged right of interpretation, or of determining what is
or is not an authentic Islamic practice or belief. After the holy quran and sunnah,
ijma is the third source of Islamic law. The word ijma if derived from the word
jama which means to unite or add

ORIGIN OF THE TERM:

The hadith of Muhammad which states that "My
community will never agree upon an error" is often cited as support for the
principle ijma'. During the life-time of the prophet Muhammad, his authority was
recognized by the Muslim community, was based on consensus that his rulings
were inspired and his sunnah, Quran describes Muslims as those who “conduct
their affairs by mutual consultation”. Following Muhammad’s death, it was ijma’
that decided to establish the caliphate to govern the community. Sunni Muslims
came to regard ijma as the third fundamental source of Sharia law, after the
divine revelation of the Qur'an and the prophetic practice or Sunnah although it
can be argued that the content of both of the former was also set by ijma.

PROOF OF IJMA:
QURAN:
1. Ijma' in the Qur'an - in surah al-Nisa' verse 59, the part of verse means
that “when the ulu al- amr in juridical matters, namely the mujtahidun,
reach a consensus on a ruling, it must be obeyed”.
2. “Hold’s fast to the Allah’s rope all together and never be divided”
 3. You’re the best community ever raised up to humanity. You bid for the
desirable, forbid the distinguishing and believe in Allah.
4. And those who strive in our cause, we will certainly guide them to our
paths.

SUNNAH
1. The Sunnah on Ijma' - The Prophet said: " My community shall never
agree on an error."
2. The difference of opinion among the learned of my community is a sign
of Allah’s grace.
3. Follow the main body for he who is separate from it will be separate in
hell.

TYPES OF IJMA:

1) Explicit Ijma or Ijma' Sarih - is one which the legal opinions of a all the jurists of
one period coverage in relation to a legal issue, and each one of them state his
opinion explicitly.

2) Tacit Ijma' or Ijma' Sukuti - This from of ijma' takes place when some
mujtahids, one or more, issue a verdict on a legal issue and the rest of the
mujtahid come to know of it during the same period, but they keep silence, they
neither acknowledge it nor refute it expressly.

Conditions for the validity of Ijma’:

 The agreement on consensus must take place among mujtahids, that is,
those who have attained the status of ijtihad.
 The agreement must be unanimous, that is, among all the mujtahid.
 All the jurists participating in the Ijma' must be from the ummah of
Muhammad.
 The agreement on consensus must have taken place after the death of the
Prophet.
 The agreement must be among the mujtahids of a single determined
period, even if some of jurists of the following or subsequent period
opposed them.
 The agreement must be upon rule of law, the hukm shar'i.
 The mujtahids should have relied upon a Sanad for deriving their opinion.
 The death of those jurists who participated in the Ijma', either explicitly or
by silence, is not a condition for the validity of ijma' according to the
majority of the jurists.
 The ijma' should have been transmitted to the later jurists by way of
tawatur.

BASIS OF IJMA
1: QURAN
2: HADITH
3: ANALOGY
4: LOGICAL REASONING
During Muhammad’s life:

 Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) taught his companions to

develop consensus on majority’s opinions to establish
 unity amongst the Muslim i.e., Battle of Uhad, Battle of
Trench.
 In battle of Uhad, his own view was to fight from inside
of the city but he adopted majorities view to develop a
consensus of opinion.

EXAMPLES OF IJMA
 Election of Hazrat Abu Bakr as first caliph through consensus.
 Tiraveeh prayers were started in congregation during the period
of Hazrat Umar.
 Compilation of Holy Quran in textual form during the period of
Hazrat Abu Bakr.
 Second call for Juma prayer during the caliphate of Hazrat Usman.
 Dead’s Body face should be towards qibla.
 Buffalo meat was allowed

MODERN IJMA EXAMPLES:

 To laugh loudly in prayers breaks salat.

 Ahmadis/Qadyanis are not muslims because they donot believe

in Prophet Muhammad PBUH as last messenger.
 Shoes should be put off in Masjid.
 Loud speakers can be used in prayers if needed.
  Video filming for productive and educational purpose is
allowed.
 Matrimonial alliance (Nikkah) on Skype and video call etc is
allowed when there is ambiguity on both the sides.
 Moon sighting committee’s decision should be accepted as
IJMA and many others.

IMPORTANCE OF IJMA:
 It reflects the collective reasoning of Muslim Ummah.
 New legislation can be made by according to Quran and
Sunnah.
 It brings unity and harmony in society.
 Ijma helps in new law and enforcing the principles laid down in
the Quran and the Sunnah.
 New legislation can be made by according to Quran and
Sunnah.
 It teaches acceptance and tolerance to the scholars and
different groups of Muslims.
 Minority learns to respect majority’s point of view and
importance of unity for Muslim ummah.