{"_id":"682cf4aec6a687459fef45c5","title":"{\"ops\":[{\"insert\":\"What is ijma (scholarly consensus)?\\n\"}]}","question":"{\"ops\":[{\"insert\":\"What is ijma?\\n\"}]}","answer":"{\"ops\":[{\"insert\":\"Ijmāʿ is an essential and authoritative source of Islamic law. It means consensus—specifically, the unanimous agreement of the qualified Muslim scholars (mujtahidūn) of a particular era after the time of the Prophet ﷺ on a legal ruling or issue.\\n\\nIjmāʿ is defined in classical usūl al-fiqh (principles of jurisprudence) as: “The unanimous agreement of the mujtahids of the Muslim ummah in a given era on a legal ruling after the death of the Prophet ﷺ.”\\n\\nThe key conditions of Ijma are:\\nIt must occur after the Prophet’s ﷺ death, since during his lifetime, revelation settled disagreements.\"},{\"attributes\":{\"list\":\"bullet\"},\"insert\":\"\\n\"},{\"insert\":\"It must be the consensus of qualified scholars (i.e., those capable of independent legal reasoning - ijtihād).\"},{\"attributes\":{\"list\":\"bullet\"},\"insert\":\"\\n\"},{\"insert\":\"It must be unanimous. If even a few scholars in that generation disagree, it is not ijmāʿ.\"},{\"attributes\":{\"list\":\"bullet\"},\"insert\":\"\\n\"},{\"insert\":\"\\n\"},{\"attributes\":{\"bold\":true},\"insert\":\"Sources that Support Ijmāʿ:\"},{\"insert\":\"\\nFrom the Qur’an:\\n\"},{\"attributes\":{\"bold\":true},\"insert\":\"“And whoever opposes the Messenger after guidance has been made clear to him and follows a path other than that of the believers—we will turn him to what he has turned to and burn him in Hell...” Sūrat al-Nisāʾ (\"},{\"attributes\":{\"link\":\"https://quran.com/4/115\",\"bold\":true},\"insert\":\"4:115\"},{\"attributes\":{\"bold\":true},\"insert\":\") \"},{\"insert\":\"\\n“The path of the believers” has been understood by scholars as a reference to ijmāʿ.\\n\\nFrom Hadith: \\nThe Prophet ﷺ said: \"},{\"attributes\":{\"italic\":true},\"insert\":\"“My ummah will never agree upon error.” Narrated by Ibn Mājah, al-Tirmidhī. \"},{\"insert\":\"This is taken as an indication that the consensus of the scholars of the ummah is protected from misguidance.\\n\\n\"},{\"attributes\":{\"underline\":true,\"bold\":true},\"insert\":\"What Is the Legal Authority of Ijmāʿ?\"},{\"insert\":\"\\nIt is binding. Once ijmāʿ is established on an issue, it cannot be overturned or reinterpreted by later scholars.\\nIt is considered a source of Sharīʿah on par with the Qur’an and Sunnah.\\n\\n\"},{\"attributes\":{\"underline\":true,\"bold\":true},\"insert\":\"A Note of Caution:\"},{\"insert\":\"\\nSome people today misuse or overstate ijmāʿ by claiming “the ummah agrees” when there’s actually no scholarly consensus. Real ijmāʿ is rare and must be based on reliable historical record and scholarly documentation.\\n\"}]}","tags":[{"_id":"668d9fef0b76658b4c232988","tag":"Quran: Other","count":56},{"_id":"668d9fed0b76658b4c232951","tag":"Knowledge: Other","count":48},{"_id":"668d9fe70b76658b4c23288e","tag":"Knowledge: Scholars","count":22}],"createdOn":"2025-05-20T21:31:26.280Z"}