Understanding Usul Al-Fiqh by Abu Tariq Hilal - Abu Ismael al-Beirawi

In the past and present, some Ulema have taken Ijma‟ al Ummah as a legislative source and it has been defined as the agreement of the Ummah of Muhammad (saw) on a matter at anytime, past, present, or future. The one Ayah, which is most frequently quoted in support of Ijma‟ al Ummah, is in Surah al-Nisa: 115.

“And anyone who splits off from the Messenger after the guidance has become clear to him and follows a way other than the believers, we shall leave him in the path he has chosen and land him in hell - what an evil refuge.” (TMQ An-Nisa: 115)

Some of the Ulema observe that “the way of the believers” in this Ayah refers to their agreement and the way that they have chosen, in other words, their Ijma‟. Adherence to the way of the community is thus binding and departure from it is forbidden. Others have stated that even if the Ayah constitutes an irrefutable proof, it does not have a Qata‟i (conclusive) meaning.

Secondly, this Ayah refers to the Oneness of Allah and the Prophethood of Muhammad (saw). And “Following a path other than that of the believers,” means abandoning Islam. The Ayah was revealed on the occasion of a Muslim who turned away from Islam. Thus, the Ayah is not general. Due to these points, utilising this Ayah as a Daleel for Ijma‟ al Ummah is invalid.

The Ahadith which are most frequently quoted in support of Ijma‟ al Ummah are:

“My Ummah shall never agree on a Dhalalah (misguidance).” (Ibn Majah)

“Verily Allah will not make my Ummah agree upon al Khata (mistake).” (Tirmidhi)

“Allah will not let the Ummah of Muhammad (saw) agree upon Dhalalah (misguidance)” (Ibn Majah)

“I beseeched Allah Almighty not to bring my Ummah to the point of agreeing on Dhalalah (misguidance) and He granted me this.” (Ibn Majah)

“A group of my Ummah shall continue to remain on the right path. They will be the dominant force and will not be harmed by the opposition of dissenters.” (Ibn Majah)

A source for legislative rulings has to be based on a Qata‟i Daleel. These Ahadith are Adilla Dhanniya (conjectural evidences). Secondly, these Ahadith cover different topics, first of which is that the Ummah does not agree upon Dhalalah (ظلا ٌس ), which means returning back from Islam.

In fact, these Ahadith justify that the Muslim Ummah, as a whole, will not revert to Kufr. Furthermore, the Ahadith that mention “Khata” (mistake) are weak Ahadith.

Also, if the above-mentioned Ahadith are taken as a source to justify the honesty of the Ummah as a whole, these Hadith contradict other Hadith in which the Prophet (saw) criticised future generations. As an example, Imran ibnu Haydh reported the Prophet (saw) as saying:

“The best of my Ummah are those who lived in my lifetime then those who lived after them and those who lived after them. (Imran said: I don‟t remember whether it was two generations after his or three). Then will come a time when people will fabricate stories or tale without evidence and will cheat and not be trustworthy nor be faithful and they will appear obese.” (Bukhari)

Many scholars such as Bukhari and Ahmad bin Hanbal report this in many forms. In another saying, the Prophet (saw) said:

“Lying will become a common practice, the believer will be called unbeliever and some people will give false testimonies and will testify before being asked and some people will become like wolves.” (Tirmizi, Ibn Majah & Ahmad)

All these sayings contradict the previous sayings if they are taken to prove Ijma‟ al Ummah, because Ijma‟ al Ummah assumes that the Ummah will always agree on good, whereas, these Ahadith indicate that some parts of the Ummah will go astray. There cannot be contradiction in the revelation. Thus, Ijma‟ al Ummah can have no value as a source for Hukm Shar‟i.