Ijma‟ kalma ce ta ma'anar suna (verbal noun) daga kalmar Larabci Ajmaa, wacce take da ma'ana biyu: 1) yanke shawara a kan wani abu, 2) yarda da juna a kan wani abu.

Ijma‟ is the verbal noun of the Arabic word Ajmaa, which has two meanings: 1) to determine, 2) to agree upon something.

Akwai nau'o'i da dama na Ijma'i da ake tattaunawa a cikin littattafan Usul al-Fiqh. Wasu daga cikinsu sune: Ijma'ul Ummah, Ijma'ul Mujtahidun, Ijma'ahlul Bait, Ijma'ul Madina da Ijma'us Sahaba. Ijma'us Sahaba shi kadai ne wanda yake tabbatacce kuma wanda aka yarda da shi baki daya.

There are many types of Ijma‟ discussed in the books of Usul al-Fiqh. Some of these are; Ijma‟ al Ummah, Ijma‟ al Mujtahideen, Ijma‟ ahlel Bayt, Ijma al Madinah and Ijma‟ as-Sahabah. Ijma‟ as-Sahabah is the only one that is definitive and agreed upon.

Idan Sahabah (ra) bayan mutuwar Annabi (saw) suka yi ittifaqi baki ɗaya a kan wata mafita ga wata matsala ba tare da wani sabani a tsakaninsu ba, a lokacin da babu hukunci daga Alkur'ani da Sunnah, to wannan ittifaqi ana ɗaukarsa a matsayin Dalili. Dole ne wannan ittifaqi ya dogara ne a kan wata koyarwa daga Muhammadu (saw) wadda dukansu suka sani, amma wadda ba ta riske mu kai tsaye a cikin siffar Hadisi ba. Saboda haka, Ijma'ai as-Sahabah alama ce ta Sunnah kanta.