1. The Companions were agreed on this method, and the steps they

followed in trying to find answers to problems were in the following order: First, they started with the Book of Allah, then they moved on to the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah (g), before resorting to working it out collectively and then analogy. 2. Legal precedent played an important role in this procedure; its role was second only to the texts. 3. It is worth noting with regard to this method that Abu Bakr and 'Umar, in particular, did not consult anyone except those of the Companions who were already present in Madinah. There is no report to indicate that they would summon those of the Companions who were absent for the purpose of consulting them on any issue that required some working out. This indicates that consensus was reached on the basis of agreement among the Companions who were present, regardless of the opinion of those who were absent. It is clear to us from the plan of the Rightly Guided Caliphs and the Companions in legislation and jndicial matters, that every time they bad a problem to solve or came across a case they needed a ruling on, they hastened to consult the Quran first of all. If they did not find a solution there, they would refer to the Sunnah. If they did not find a solution there, they would work it out on the basis of their own views in the general sense thereof, whether they reached this conclusion collectively or individually. The decision that resulted from their collective opinions is called consensus, which is a reference that was introduced by them and was not Financial andjudiciay institutions at the time of 'Ali known at the time of the Prophet; this came to be regarded as the third source or reference point after the Quran and Sunnah. As it was not always possible to gather the Companions for the purpose of consultation and reaching consensus on a certain issue, for various reasons, the Companions began to issue fatwas and verdicts based on individual opinions. They relied on the Quran and Sunnah in their individual and collective opinions, and they relied on deep understanding of the aims of Shariah, which seek to ward off evil and achieve interests. For matters on which there were no clear texts, they derived rulings on the basis of the spirit of the texts, not on their apparent or literal meaning. They used analogy from the time of the Messenger (g); this is the fourth reference point of the legislation and comes after consensus in status, even though it was known before it." These are the sources on which the Rightly Guided Caliphs and the noble Companions relied: