Ijma — Scholarly Consensus

Ijma (scholarly consensus) is the third source of Islamic law after the Quran and Sunnah. It refers to the unanimous agreement of the qualified scholars (mujtahids) of the Muslim ummah in a given era on a specific legal ruling. The Quran provides the basis for the authority of ijma: "And whoever opposes the Messenger after guidance has become clear to him and follows other than the way of the believers, We will give him what he has taken and drive him into Hellfire" (Quran 4:115). The phrase "the way of the believers" is understood to refer to their consensus.

The Authority of Ijma

The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "My ummah will not unite upon misguidance" (Sunan al-Tirmidhi) and "A group of my ummah will always remain upon the truth" (Sahih Muslim). These hadiths establish that when the qualified scholars of the ummah agree unanimously on a ruling, that agreement is divinely protected from error. Therefore, ijma carries the strength of definitive evidence (dalil qat'i), and contradicting established ijma is not permitted for any individual scholar, regardless of their qualifications.

Types and Conditions

Scholars distinguish between explicit ijma (ijma sarih), where every mujtahid actively states the same ruling, and tacit ijma (ijma sukuti), where some scholars state a ruling and the rest remain silent without objecting. The majority of scholars accept both types, though some restrict authoritative ijma to the explicit form. For ijma to be valid, it must involve all qualified mujtahids of the era (not just scholars of one region or school), the ruling must pertain to a matter of Shariah (not worldly matters), and there must be no known dissenter among the qualified scholars of that generation.

Famous Examples of Ijma

Examples of established ijma include: the obligation of the five daily prayers, the prohibition of marrying a woman and her aunt simultaneously, the caliphate of Abu Bakr being legitimate, the obligation of covering the awrah, the prohibition of consuming pig meat and blood, and the compilation of the Quran into a single mushaf. The ijma of the companions carries particular weight because of their direct contact with the Prophet. The consensus that Abu Bakr was the rightful caliph, the decision to fight those who refused zakat, and the collection of the Quran are all examples of companion-era ijma that shaped Islamic history decisively.

Challenges and Modern Application

In practice, claiming ijma is difficult because verifying that every qualified scholar agreed is nearly impossible. Al-Imam Ahmad said: "Whoever claims ijma is lying." However, this statement is understood to mean that absolute certainty of unanimous agreement is rare, not that consensus never occurs. In modern times, institutions like the Islamic Fiqh Academy (affiliated with the OIC) and the Council of Senior Scholars in Saudi Arabia function as vehicles for collective scholarly deliberation, though their conclusions are technically considered collective fatwa rather than binding ijma in the classical sense. These bodies address contemporary issues like organ donation, IVF, Islamic finance instruments, and digital currencies.