Ijma

Ijma is an Arabic term that refers to consensus or agreement. In the context of Islamic law, it describes the collective agreement of the Muslim community on a specific legal point. For Sunni Muslims, Ijma serves as a secondary source of Sharia law. It follows the divine revelation of the Qur'an and the Sunnah, which is the prophetic practice of Muhammad.

The primary purpose of Ijma is to provide legal certainty. In theory, a consensus can elevate a ruling based on probable evidence into a state of absolute certainty. This makes it a vital tool for interpreting religious law when direct answers are not found in the primary texts.

The authority of Ijma is rooted in classical Islamic doctrine and specific religious texts. Sunni scholars often point to a series of hadiths, which are sayings of the Prophet Muhammad. One prominent hadith states that the ummah, or the Muslim community, will never collude en-masse upon an error. This belief suggests that the community's collective wisdom acts as a safeguard against mistakes. Because of this, the consensus of the community is seen as a way to certify the truth.

This concept is central to how Sunni jurisprudence functions as a system of law.

There is significant debate regarding which specific group constitutes the "community" required to reach a consensus. Different schools of Islamic jurisprudence offer various definitions. Some thinkers argue that only the Sahaba, the first generation of Muslims, possess this authority. Others believe the consensus of the Salaf, which includes the first three generations, is what matters. A third view focuses on scholarly consensus, which involves the agreement of all competent jurists or religious lawyers.

Finally, some suggest that Ijma requires the agreement of the entire Muslim world, including both scholars and lay people.

History shows how these definitions evolved to meet practical needs. Imam Al-Shafi'i held a very strict view of Ijma. He believed that for a consensus to be religiously binding, it had to include the entire Muslim community globally. Under this rule, if even one person out of millions disagreed, a consensus could not be reached. To make the concept more functional, the scholar Al-Ghazali proposed a distinction. He suggested that the whole community must agree on major religious principles. However, he argued that only the religiously learned need to agree on finer, more technical details.

Scholars also seek validation for Ijma within the verses of the Qur'an. Imam Al-Shafi'i famously searched for this proof by reciting the entire Qur'an three times. He eventually identified a verse in Surah An-Nisa that mentions "the way of those of faith." This passage is seen by many as a direct reference to the importance of following the community. Other supporting verses are found in Surah Luqman and Surah An-Nisa. Some scholars even find indirect support in Surah Al-Fatihah, which Muslims recite many times during their daily Salah.

Different Islamic sects and groups view the role of Ijma in very different ways. For the Shia, the status of Ijma is often described as ambiguous. In early Imami Shia Islam, the authority of the Imams made the idea of community consensus less central. The Mu'tazilite sect takes an even different approach. They do not consider consensus to be a valid source of law at all. This is because they held rationalist criticisms of the first generation of Muslims. They believed those early leaders possessed intellects that were not perfect.

In practice, the application of Ijma has its own limitations and complexities. While the theory is powerful, the difficulty of finding and proving a total agreement meant it had little impact on some legal developments. Instead, a more pragmatic form of consensus was often used. This involved consulting the works of prominent jurists to confirm a ruling so it could not be reopened. Interestingly, cases that reached a formal consensus account for less than 1 percent of classical jurisprudence. When there is a lack of consensus on a point of law, the situation is known as ikhtilaf.