Wengi wa Maulamaa na Mafaqihi, na wengi zaidi, wamesema kwamba Al-Ijmaa' ni Hoja (chanzo cha ushahidi na uthibitisho wa Ahkaam Ash-Shar'iyyah) na kwamba ni Masdar (chanzo) cha sheria ya Kiislamu. Hata hivyo, wametofautiana kuhusu ni nani Ijmaa' hutokea juu yake, na pia wametofautiana kuhusu uwezekano wa kutokea kwa aina mbalimbali za Ijmaa'. Yafuatayo ni baadhi ya maoni ya Maulamaa na Mafaqihi hao:

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) alisema: "Hukumu hutolewa kwa Kitabu na Sunnah," kisha akasema: "Nasi tunahukumu kwa Al-Ijmaa' na Al-Qiyaas."

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”.

Kwa mujibu wa Ash-Shaafi'iy, Ijmaa' hudhihirika katika Ijmaa' ya Mujtahidina wa Ummah katika zama fulani. Hata hivyo, alifungua majadiliano kuhusu uwezekano wa kutokea kwake kutokana na kutengana na umbali kati ya nchi, kutokuwepo kwa Fuqahaa kukutana pamoja, na kuwepo kwa tofauti miongoni mwa Fuqahaa katika kila nchi, pamoja na kutokuwepo kwa makubaliano juu ya kubainisha sifa au maelezo ya 'Ulamaa watakaoshiriki katika Ijmaa' hiyo.

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’.

Inaonekana kwamba dhana ya Ijmaa' haikukamilika kwa Ash-Shaafi'iy kwa sababu aliona kwamba Ijmaa' inaweza kutokea kuhusu yale yanayojulikana katika Dini kwa lazima, na alitoa mifano ya hayo ikiwa ni pamoja na: Raka'a nne za Sala ya Adhuhuri na katazo la Khamr. Hii ni licha ya mambo haya kuwa yamethibitishwa na kuthibitishwa kwa dalili zilizo wazi kutoka katika Kitabu na Sunnah, na hayakuthibitishwa kwa njia ya Ijmaa' bali yamepokelewa kwetu kwa njia ya Tawaatur. Hata kama Ummah wote na Mujtahidina wake wamekubaliana juu ya uhalali wa kisheria wa hukumu hizi, uhalali huu wa kisheria hata hivyo unatokana na dalili nyingine zaidi ya Ijmaa', kwani zimetokana na Kitabu na 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-Ghazaaliy alikubali maoni ya Ash-Shaafi'iy kuhusu Al-Ijmaa', lakini alijadili maoni ya wale waliokuwa na maoni tofauti. Hakuruhusu kukubaliwa kwa Al-Ijmaa' As-Sukootiy, na alikubali uhujjah (uthibitisho wa kisheria) wa Ijmaa' As-Sahaabah pamoja na uhujjah wa Ijmaa' Al-Mujtahidiina katika kila zama.

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.

Hakuchukua chochote isipokuwa Ijmaa' As-Sahaabah (rah).

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

Imam Abu Haneefah (rh) alisema: "Ikiwa Maswahaba wamekubaliana juu ya jambo, sisi tunalikubali hilo; na ikiwa Tabi'īn wamekubaliana, tunajadiliana nao kuhusu hilo." Kwa hiyo, hakuchukua chochote isipokuwa Ijmaa' ya Maswahaba.

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 Maalik (rh) alikubali hoja ya Ijmaa' ya watu wa Madinah Al-Munawwarah. Maalik alisema: "Ni hoja kwa sababu Al-Madinah ndiyo chimbuko la elimu, mahali pa kushuka kwa Wahyi, na ina watoto wa Maswahaba (rah). Kwa hiyo haiwezekani wao kukubaliana juu ya jambo lingine isipokuwa Haqq."

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 alisema katika kitabu chake ‘Usool ul-Fiqh’: “Mafaqihi hawajakubaliana juu ya Ijmaa’ isipokuwa Ijmaa’ ya Maswahaba. Hiyo ni kwa sababu Ijmaa’ yao kuhusu Ahkaam Ash-Shar’iyah imethibitika na kuanzishwa kwa njia ya Tawaatur. Kwa sababu hiyo, hakuna mtu aliyepingana wala kutofautiana kuhusu Ijmaa’ yao. Hata wale waliodhani kuwa kutokea kwa Ijmaa’ ni jambo la mbali au lisilowezekana walikubali na kukiri Ijmaa’ ya Maswahaba.”

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”.

Kisha akasema: "Kwa kweli, baada ya Ijmaa' ya Maswahaba hakuna Ijmaa' nyingine iliyothibitishwa kwa njia ya Mutawaatir, na kwa sababu hiyo mafaqihi wametofautiana kuhusu madai ya Ijmaa' miongoni mwa wale waliolikubali na wale walioliacha."

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”.

Ninasema kwamba Ijmaa' As-Sahaabah ni Hujjah, na kwamba ina nafasi ya tatu miongoni mwa Dalili za Shari'a baada ya Qur'aan na Sunnah. Hii ni kwa sababu Ijmaa' yao hufichua na kubainisha Dalili kutoka katika Sunnah pale ambapo matini ya Sunnah hiyo haikutufikia. Wao walijua Dalili hiyo lakini hawakutupitishia matini yake; badala yake walihamisha na kupitisha Hukmu iliyotegemea Dalili hiyo kupitia Ijmaa' yao. Aina hii ya Ijmaa' haitokei kwa mtu yeyote mwingine miongoni mwa binadamu, kwa sababu wao ndio walioishi wakati wa Mtume ﷺ. Waliishi naye, walikutana naye, walimfuata, walimsikiliza, walipigana vita pamoja naye, na walitufikishia Dini ya Kiislamu kutoka kwake 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).