Yawancin malaman Musulunci da fuqahohi, kuma mafi yawan su, sun bayyana cewa Al-Ijma'i hujja ce (tushen hujja da dalili ga Ahkaam Ash-Shar'iyyah) kuma tushe ne (Masdar) na dokar Musulunci. Sai dai sun sami sabani game da wadanda Ijma'i ke tabbata a kansu, haka kuma sun sami sabani game da yiwuwar faruwar nau'o'in Ijma'i daban-daban. Ga wasu daga cikin ra'ayoyin wadancan malamai da fuqahohi:

Most of the ‘Ulamaa and Fuqahaa and the vast majority have stated that Al-Ijmaa’ represents a Hujjah (a source of evidence and proof for the Ahkaam Ash-Shar’iyah) and that it represents a Masdar (source) for the Islamic legislation. However, they have differed in respect to upon whom the Ijmaa’ occurs and they have also differed in respect to the possibility of the occurrence of the different kinds of Ijmaa’. The following represents some of the opinions of those ‘Ulamaa and Fuqahaa:

Ash-Shaafi'iy (rh) ya ce: "Hukunci yana bisa Littafi da Sunnah," sannan ya ce: "Kuma muna yanke hukunci da Ijma'i da Qiyas."

Ash-Shaafi’iy (rh) said: “Ruling (judging) is by the Kitaab and the Sunnah” and then he said: “And we rule with Al-Ijmaa’ and AlQiyaas”.

Al-Ijma' a wajen Ash-Shafi'i ana bayyana shi ne ta hanyar ijma'in mujtahidan al'umma a wani zamani. Duk da haka, ya bude tattaunawa game da yiwuwar faruwarsa saboda rabuwa da nisan da ke tsakanin kasashe, rashin taruwar fukaha tare, da kasancewar sabani tsakanin fukaha a kowace kasa, baya ga rashin yarjejeniya kan ayyana siffofi ko bayanin malaman da za su shiga cikin irin wannan ijma'i.

Al-Ijmaa’ in Ash-Shaafi’iy’s view is manifested in the Ijmaa’ of the Mujtahideen of the Ummah in a certain era. However, he did open up some discussion in respect to the possibility of it occurring due to the separation and distance between the lands, the absence of the Fuqahaa meeting together and the existence of differences amongst the Fuqahaa in every land, in addition to the absence of an agreement upon defining the attributes or description of the ‘Ulamaa who would take part in such an Ijmaa’.

Ya bayyana cewa ra'ayin Ijma'i bai samu cikakkiyar fayyace ma'ana ba daga Al-Shaafi'iy, domin ya dauka cewa Ijma'i na iya faruwa a kan abin da ake sani daga Addini da tilas, kuma ya kawo misalai na haka, ciki har da: raka'o'i hudu na sallar Zhohr da haramcin khamr. Wannan duk duk da cewa wadannan al'amura an tabbatar da su ta hanyar hujjoji tabbatattu daga Littafi da Sunnah, kuma ba a tabbatar da su ta hanyar Ijma'i ba, sai dai an isar mana da su ta hanyar Tawaatur. Ko da dukkan Al'ummah da Mujtahidanta sun amince da halaccin wadannan hukunce-hukunce, to halaccin nasu ya samo asali ne daga hujjoji banda Ijma'i, domin sun fito daga Littafi da Sunnah Al-Mutawaatirah.

It appears that the concept of Ijmaa’ was not crystallised by AshShaafi’iy because he considered that the Ijmaa’ could take place in respect to that which is known from the Deen by necessity and he brought examples of that including: The four Raka’aat of Zhohr prayer and the prohibition of Khamr. This is despite these matters having been established and proven by definite evidences from the Kitaab and the Sunnah and have not been established by way of Ijmaa’ but rather transmitted to us by way of Tawaatur. Even if the whole Ummah and its Mujtahideen have agreed upon the legal legitimacy of these rulings this legal legitimacy however originated from evidences other than the Ijmaa’ as they came from the Kitaab and the Sunnah Al-Mutawaatirah.

Al-Ghazaali ya karɓi ra'yin Ash-Shaafi'i game da Al-Ijmaa'. Sai dai ya tattauna ra'ayoyin waɗanda suka riƙi ra'ayi sabanin nasa. Bai yarda da karɓar Al-Ijmaa' As-Sukooti ba, kuma ya amince da Hujjiyyah (ingancin hujja) na Ijmaa' As-Sahaabah, tare da Hujjiyyar Ijmaa' Al-Mujtahidun a kowane zamani.

Al-Ghazaaliy took the opinion of Ash-Shaafi’iy in respect to AlIjmaa’ however he discussed the opinions of those who held contrary opinions. He did not permit the adoption of Al-Ijmaa’ As-Sukootiy and he accepted the Hujjiyah (evidential validity) of Ijmaa’ AsSahaabah in addition to the Hujjiyah of the Ijmaa’ Al-Mujtahideen in every era.

Bai karɓi wani abu ba face Ijma'in Sahabbai (rah).

He did not take other than Ijmaa’ As-Sahaabah (rah).

Imam Abu Haneefah (rh) ya ce: "Idan Sahabbai sun yi ijma'i a kan wani al'amari, to mu muna mika wuya ga hakan, kuma idan Tabi'ai sun yi ijma'i, to muna muhawara da su a kan hakan." Saboda haka, bai karbi wani ijma'i ba sai na Sahabbai.

Al-Imaam Abu Haneefah (rh) said: “If the Sahaabah have held an Ijmaa’ upon a matter we submit to that and if the Taabi’een have held an Ijmaa’ we argue with them about it”. Consequently, he did not take other than Ijmaa’ As-Sahaabah.

Imam Malik (rh) ya amince da hujjar ijma'in mutanen Madinah Al-Munawwarah. Malik ya ce: "Hujja ce domin Madinah ita ce tushen ilimi, wurin saukar Wahayi, kuma tana dauke da 'ya'yan Sahabbai (rah). Saboda haka ba zai yiwu su yi ittifaki akan wani abu ba face Gaskiya."

Al-Imaam Maalik (rh) accepted the Hujjiyah of the Ijmaa’ of Ahl ulMadinah Al-Munawwarah. Maalik said: “It is a Hujjah because AlMadinah is the source of knowledge, the place of the descent of the Wahi and it contains the children of the Sahaabah (rah). As such it is impossible for them to agree upon anything else – i.e. other than the Haqq”.

Abu Zahrah ya ce a cikin littafinsa ‘Usool ul-Fiqh’: “Malamai masana fiqihu ba su yi ittifaqi a kan wani ijma’i ba sai ijma’in Sahabbai. Wannan saboda ijma’insu game da Ahkamun Shar’iyyah an tabbatar da shi kuma an kafa shi ta hanyar Tawatur. Saboda haka, babu wanda ya saba ko ya sabawa juna game da ijma’insu. Har ma wadanda suka ga cewa faruwar ijma’i abu ne mai nisa ko wanda ba zai yiwu ba, sun mika wuya kuma sun amince da Ijma’in Sahabbai.”

Abu Zahrah said in his book ‘Usool ul-Fiqh’: “The Fuqahaa have not agreed upon an Ijmaa’ apart from Ijmaa’ As-Sahaabah. That is because their Ijmaa’ in respect to the Ahkaam Ash-Shar’iyah has been proven and established by way of Tawaatur. For that reason, no one has disagreed and differed in respect to their Ijmaa’. Even those who viewed the occurrence of Ijmaa’ to be a far off or unachievable matter submitted to and conceded to the Ijmaa’ As-Sahaabah”.

Sai ya ce: "Gaskiya ne, bayan Ijma'in Sahabbai babu wani Ijma'i da aka tabbatar da shi ta hanyar Mutawatir, don haka malaman fiqhu sun yi sabani game da da'awar Ijma'i a tsakanin wadanda suka karɓa da wadanda suka bari."

He then said: “And in truth, after the Ijmaa’ As-Sahaabah no other Ijmaa’ has been established upon a Mutawaatir path and as such the Fuqahaa have disputed the claims of Ijmaa’ amongst those who took and left it”.

Ina cewa Ijma'in Sahabbai hujja ne, kuma shi ne dalili ta uku na shari'a bayan Alkur'ani da Sunnah. Wannan saboda ijma'insu yana bayyanawa da fito da wata dalili daga Sunnah a lokacin da nassin wannan Sunnar bai iso mana ba. Sun san wannan dalili amma ba su isar mana da nassinsa ba, sai dai sun isar mana da hukuncin da ke kan dalili ta hanyar ijma'insu. Irin wannan ijma'i ba ya faruwa ga kowa daga cikin bil'adama sai su, domin su ne suka rayu a zamanin Manzon Allah ﷺ. Sun zauna tare da shi, sun haɗu da shi, sun yi masa rakiya, sun saurare shi, sun yi yaƙi tare da shi, kuma su ne suka isar mana da addinin Musulunci daga gare shi ﷺ.

I say that the Ijmaa’ As-Sahaabah is a Hujjah and it represents the third Daleel Ash-Shar’iy after the Qur’aan and the Sunnah. That is because their Ijmaa’ reveals and discloses a Daleel from the Sunnah in the case where the text of that Sunnah did not reach us. They knew this Daleel but did not transmit its text to us but rather transferred and transmitted the Hukm based on a Daleel through their Ijmaa’. This type of Ijmaa’ does not occur to anyone other than them from humankind because they were the ones who lived at the time the Messenger (saw). They lived with him, met with him, accompanied him, listened to him, went to battle with him and they transmitted the Islamic Deen to us from him (saw).