Hoja ya Ijmaa' kama chanzo cha hukumu za Kiislamu ni jambo lililokubaliwa na wengi miongoni mwa Mafaqihi na Wanazuoni wa Usuli al-Fiqh, pamoja na yale yanayojengwa juu yake kuhusu wajibu wa kufuata hukumu iliyotokana nayo na kutokukiuka. Hata hivyo, walitofautiana kuhusu ni Waislamu gani ambao Ijmaa' inachukuliwa kutoka kwao.

The Hujjiyah of Al-Ijmaa’ as a source for the Islamic Ahkaam is a place of agreement amongst the majority of the Fuqahaa and ‘Ulamaa of Usool ul-Fiqh in addition to what is built upon that in terms of the obligation to follow and not violate a ruling based upon it. However, they differed in respect to which Muslims the Ijmaa’ is taken from.

Ijmaa zinazojulikana zaidi ambazo wanazuoni wa Usūl al-Fiqh na Fuqahaa walizikubali ni:

The most well-known Ijmaa’s that the ‘Ulamaa of Usool ul-Fiqh and Fuqahaa adopted are:

Ijmaa' ya Maswahaba, Ijmaa' ya Watu wa Madina, Ijmaa' ya Umma ya Kiislamu katika zama au kipindi fulani, Ijmaa' ya Wanazuoni Mujtahidi katika zama au wakati fulani, na Ijmaa' ya Ahlul-Bayt kwa mtazamo wa Shia.

Ijmaa’ As-Sahaabah, Ijmaa’ Ahl ul-Madinah, Ijmaa’ Al-Ummah AlIslaamiyah in a certain era or period, Ijmaa’ Al-Mujtahideen in a certain era or time and Ijmaa’ Ahl ul-Bait in the view of the Shee’ah.

Nitaanza kwa kushughulikia uhalali wa Ijmaa' ya Maswahaba (Ijmaa' As-Sahaabah), kwa sababu wanazuoni wengi wa Usuli na Fiqhi wameihesabu kuwa Ijmaa' halali na yenye nguvu. Baada ya hapo nitazungumzia Ijmaa' ya Umma wa Kiislamu.

I will first deal with the Hujjiyah of Ijmaa’ As-Sahaabah because most of the ‘Ulamaa from the Usooliyeen and Fuqahaa counted it as a legitimate and valid Ijmaa’ and then I will address the Ijmaa’ of the Islamic Ummah.

Ijmaa' As-Sahaabah (makubaliano ya Maswahaba) inachukuliwa kuwa Hujjah (ushahidi) kwa sababu ya dalili zifuatazo:

The Ijmaa’ As-Sahaabah is regarded as a Hujjah (proof) due to the following evidences:

1 - Sifa na shukrani za Allah (Thanaa') kwa Maswahaba (Sahaabah) wa Mjumbe wa Allah ﷺ katika Qur'aan:

1 - Allah’s commendation and praise (Thanaa’) upon the companions (Sahaabah) of the Messenger of Allah (saw) in the Qur’aan:

2 – Maswahaba (ra) ndio waliokusanya Qur-aan, ndio waliohifadhi, kupokeza na kunakili nakala zake.

2 – The Sahaabah (rah) are those who gathered together the Qur’aan, they are those who preserved it, transmitted and made copies of it.

Na Allah Ta'ala anasema:

And Allah Ta’Aalaa says:

Kwa hiyo, katika hali ambayo Maswahaba (rah) ndio waliolishughulikia Qur-aan kivitendo kupitia Ijmaa yao, ilhali Allah Ta'aalaa alikuwa amechukua jukumu la kuihifadhi, basi Aayah inaongoza kwenye ukweli na usahihi wa Ijmaa yao.

Therefore, in the case where it was the Sahaabah (rah) who (practiacally) attended to the Qur’aan through their Ijmaa’ whilst Allah Ta’Aalaa had assumed its preservation, then the Aayah guides to the truthfulness and veracity of their Ijmaa’.

3 – Kwa mujibu wa Shari'a, haiwezekani kwa Maswahaba kukubaliana kwa pamoja (Ijmaa') juu ya kosa. Kama ingeruhusiwa, basi ingeruhusiwa kuwepo kosa au makosa katika Dini, kwa kuwa wao ndio waliotufikishia Dini hii kupitia Ijmaa' yao (makubaliano yao).

3 – It is impossible in accordance to the Shar’a for the Sahaabah to have an Ijmaa’ upon an error. If that was permissible, then it would be permissible for there to be an error or mistake in respect to the Deen because they are those who have transmitted this Deen to us via their Ijmaa’ (consensus).

4 – Ijmaa' As-Sahaabah huonyesha na kudhihirisha Daleel ya Shar'i. Hii ni kwa sababu hawakukubaliana wala kufikia makubaliano juu ya Hukm fulani kuwa Hukm isipokuwa kama walikuwa na Daleel kutoka kwenye kauli, tendo, au Taqreer (idhini na kukubali) ya Mjumbe wa Allah ﷺ. Ukweli huu hautumiki kwa yeyote isipokuwa Sahaabah (rah), kwa sababu waliishi wakati mmoja na Mjumbe ﷺ, walikusanyika karibu naye na kupokea hadithi kutoka kwake.

4 – The Ijmaa’ As-Sahaabah discloses and is revealing of a Daleel Shar’iy. That is because they did not agree and hold a consensus upon a certain Hukm being a Hukm unless they had a Daleel from the statement, action or Taqreer (approval and consent) of the Messenger of Allah (saw). This reality does not apply to any other than the Sahaabah (rah) because they lived at the same time as the Messenger (saw), gathered around him and transmitted from him.

Kutokana na ushahidi huu hapo juu, inadhihirika wazi kwamba Ijmaa' ya Maswahaba ndiyo Ijmaa ambayo dalili zimeongoza kuwa ya Qat'iy Ath-Thuboot (imethibiti kwa uhakika usiotiliwa shaka). Hii ni kwa sababu dalili zake zinatokana na Aayaat zilizo wazi na thabiti, na ni Qat'iy Ad-Dalaalah (zina maana isiyotiliwa shaka) kuhusu sifa na pongezi kwa Maswahaba wao 135

From these evidences above it becomes evident that the Ijmaa’ AsSahaabah is the Ijmaa’ which the Adillah (evidences) have guided to being Qat’iy Ath-Thuboot (established and proven decisively). That is because its evidences are from the definite Aayaat and they are Qat’iy Ad-Dalaalah in respect to the commendation and praise upon their 135