Shura, au kupitisha maoni, kunaweza kufanywa na Khalifah, amiri, au mtu yeyote mwenye mamlaka, awe ni mkuu wa kabila, kiongozi, au afisa, kwa kuwa wote hao ni maamiri. Au, inaweza kufanyika kati ya wanandoa kwa sababu ya kauli Yake:

The shura or the adoption of an opinion can be undertaken by the Khalifah, ameer, or anyone who has authority whether he is a chief, leader or official, as they are all ameers. Or, it can take place between spouses due to His  saying:

Kuhusu kutoa maoni kwa mtu mwenye mamlaka, awe ni hakimu, kiongozi n.k., hili ni jambo linalofanywa kwa njia ya kutoa ushauri (nasiha). Ni jambo halali linalowasilishwa kwa viongozi wa Waislamu na kwa umma. Kuhusu mtu mwenye mamlaka kuomba maoni ya watu, awe ni hakimu, amiri, au rais, hili ni jambo lenye utata, hasa baada ya dhana za demokrasia kuenea na kuharibu karibu mtazamo wa Waislamu wengi. Kutafuta maoni ndicho kinachoitwa katika Uislamu: ‘Shura’ na ‘tashawur’. Kwa kuwa inaruhusiwa kusikiliza maoni yanayotolewa na Waislamu na wasio Waislamu, kwa sababu Mtume ﷺ alikubali maoni yaliyokuwemo katika hilf al-fudul (Muungano wa Fudul), alipoyasema:

As for putting forth an opinion to a person in authority, whether he was a judge, leader etc, this is clearly an issue performed by way of giving advice (nasiha). It is a legitimate matter that is presented to the leaders of the Muslims and the masses. As for the referring of a person in authority to adopt an opinion of the people, whether he was a judge, ameer, or president, this is an object of ambiguity especially after concepts of democracy have spread and have almost corrupted the mentality of many Muslims. The seeking of an opinion is what is termed in Islam as: ‘Shura’ and ‘tashawur’. Since it is permitted to listen to an opinion expressed by Muslims and non-Muslims because the Messenger  accepted the opinion that was included in the hilf al-fudul (fudul confederacy), where he said:

Ingawa ilikuwa maoni ya Washirikina, bado kutafuta maoni hakuwezi kuwa haki ya mtu yeyote isipokuwa Waislamu; yaani, shura si haki ya mtu yeyote isipokuwa Waislamu, kwa sababu Allah alimwambia Mtume ﷺ akisema:

Even though it was an opinion of the Mushrikin yet seeking of an opinion cannot be for anyone except for the Muslims that is, shura is not a right of anyone except the Muslims because Allah  addressed the Messenger  saying:

yaani, Waislamu. Na Yeye anasema:

i.e, the Muslims. And He  says:

yaani, Waislamu. Hii ni kwa sababu aya ya kwanza inasema:

i.e, the Muslims. This is because the first ayah says:

Ushauri huu wa Mjumbe ﷺ hauwezi kuwa kwa mtu yeyote isipokuwa Waislamu. Aya ya pili inasema:

This consultation by the Messenger  cannot be for anyone except the Muslims. The second ayah says:

Haiwezekani hii kuwa maelezo ya mtu mwingine yeyote isipokuwa Waislamu. Kwa hiyo shura ni mahsusi kwa Waislamu wao kwa wao. Kufanya shura miongoni mwa Waislamu ni jambo linalojulikana sana. Imetajwa katika Qur'ani Tukufu na hadith tukufu, na katika kauli za Waislamu. Imepokewa kwamba Abu Hurairah alisema:

This cannot be a description of anyone other than the Muslims. Therefore shura is specific to Muslims with each other. Practising shura amongst Muslims is a well-known matter. It has been mentioned in the noble Qur’ān and sacred hadīth and in the sayings of the Muslims. It has been narrated that Abu Hurairah  said:

Imepokewa pia kwamba al-Hasan alisema:

It has been narrated also that al-Hasan  said:

Kwa hiyo, kutafuta maoni, yaani tashawur au shura, kumethibitishwa katika maandiko ya Qur’ān na hadīth. Hata hivyo, watu wengi hawajui ni katika masuala gani shura au tashawur inaweza kufanyika; yaani, ni katika suala gani maoni huchukuliwa? Kisha, hukumu ya jambo hili ni ipi? Je, inapaswa kufuatwa maoni ya wengi bila kujali kuwa ni sahihi au si sahihi? Au, je, ni wajibu kufuata maoni sahihi bila kujali kama ni maoni ya wengi, ya wachache, au ya mtu mmoja?

So seeking of an opinion is tashawur or shura which is proven in the text of the Qur’ān and the hadīth. However what many people do not know is; in what issues can there be a shura or tashawur ? i.e, in which issue is an opinion adopted ? Then, what is the rule on this opinion. Should it be adopted according to the opinion of the majority irrespective of right or wrong? Or, is he obliged to adopt the correct opinion irrespective of whether it is the opinion of the majority or minority or a single person?

Ili kuelewa jibu, haiwezekani kuepuka kuelewa hali halisi ya maoni (rai) kama ilivyo na ni nini, na kuelewa dalili za kina za Sharia zilizotajwa kuhusu kutafuta maoni, kisha kuzitumia dalili hizi juu ya hali halisi ya maoni kwa mtazamo wa kisheria.

In order to comprehend the answer, it is inevitable that we understand the reality of the opinion as it is and what it is and understand the detailed Sharī’ah evidences mentioned about seeking of opinions and apply these evidences on the reality of an opinion from a legislative perspective.

Kwa upande wa uhalisia wa maoni yaliyopo duniani, hayazidi aina nne tu. Maoni yoyote duniani ni mojawapo ya maoni haya, au yametokana na mojawapo yake au yamewekwa chini yake. Aina nne za maoni ni:

As for the reality of opinions existent in the world they do not number more than four types only. Any opinion in the world is either one of these opinions or it has branched out from or classified under one of them. The four types of opinions are:

Kwanza: Hukmu ni ama hukm ya Shari'ah, yaani hukumu ya kisheria.

First: Either the hukm is a Sharī’ah rule that is, legislative opinion.

Pili: Kufafanua suala fulani. Ama ni ufafanuzi wa kisheria (Sharī'ah), kama vile ufafanuzi wa hukm shar'i, au ni ufafanuzi wa hali halisi, kama vile ufafanuzi wa 'akili', 'jamii' na mambo mengine yanayofanana na hayo.

Second: Being the definition of a certain issue. Either a Sharī’ah definition such as the definition of what a hukm shar’i is or the definition of a reality, such as the definition of the ‘mind’, ‘society’ and other such things.

Na yeye anasema:

And he  says:

Hotuba hii ni ya jumla. Kwa hiyo neno 'jambo' (al-amr) linamaanisha mambo ya Waislamu, ambayo ni jina la jumla linalohusu mambo yote. Katika neno 'al-amr' (jambo), 'al' (alif lam) ni ya jumla, yaani inarejea kwenye kundi la mambo. Kitu cha jumla hubaki cha jumla mradi hakuna dalili inayokibainisha. Na hapa hakuna dalili inayobainisha shura kuwa kwa jambo fulani. Kwa hiyo, inabaki na maana ya jumla ya mambo yote.

The speech here is general. So the word ‘matter’ means the affairs of the Muslims, which is a general designation for all affairs. And in the word ‘al-amr’ (the matter), the definite article (alif lam) is generic i.e, to the category of affairs. The general thing remains general as long as there is no evidence to specify it. And here there is no evidence to specify shura to anything. Therefore, it remains of general designation for all affairs.

Kuhusu wajibu wa kufuata maoni yanayotafutwa kupitia Shura, yaani, je, maoni ya wengi yanapewa kipaumbele bila kujali kama ni sahihi au si sahihi, au maoni yanapewa kipaumbele kwa kuzingatia usahihi wake bila kuzingatia kwamba wengi wamepewa uzito wowote, hakika kuna nasi zinazoonyesha kwamba maoni ya wengi yanapaswa kukubaliwa na kutekelezwa. Pia kuna nasi zinazoonyesha kwamba maoni ya wengi hayapaswi kukubaliwa; badala yake, zinampa mwenye mamlaka haki ya kutekeleza alichoamua bila kujali msimamo wa wengi. Mtume ﷺ alimwambia Abu Bakr na ‘Umar:

With regards to the obligation of following an opinion which is sought by the Shura, that is, whether the majority opinion is preferred irrespective of right or wrong or the opinion is preferred in terms of its correctness without taking notice of the majority being given any consideration, certainly, there are texts which indicate that the opinion of the majority should be adopted and complied with. And there are texts which indicate that the opinion of the majority should not be adopted, rather it gives the person in authority the right to execute what he has decided irrespective of the majority position. The Messenger PBUH said to Abu Bakr and ‘Umar:

Na alikubali maoni ya wengi katika Uhud. Allah anamwambia Mtume ﷺ

And he  complied with the opinion of the majority in Uhud. Allah  says to the Messenger 

Ili kufikia uelewa wa wakati ambapo ni wajibu kufuata maoni ya wengi na wakati ambapo si wajibu, ni lazima kwanza tuchunguze dalili zilizotajwa katika Qur'ani na hadithi, kisha tuzitumie dalili hizo kwenye maoni yaliyopo duniani.

In order to arrive at an understanding of when it is binding to adopt the opinion of the majority and when it is not binding we must examine the evidences which are mentioned in the Qur’ān and hadīth first, and then apply these evidences on the existing opinions in the world.

Kuhusu dalili zilizotajwa katika Qur'ani, zipo aya mbili. Ya kwanza ni kauli Yake:

As for the evidences mentioned in the Qur’ān, there are two ayats. The first is His  saying:

Ni amri kutoka kwa Allah kwa Mtume Wake ﷺ kuwarejea Waislamu ili kupata maoni yao. Hata hivyo, Allah amempa Mtume ﷺ haki ya kuchagua maoni. Kwa hiyo, Yeye (SWT) amesema katika kukamilisha aya hiyo hiyo:

It is an order from Allah  to His Messenger  to refer to the Muslims to obtain their opinion. However, Allah  gave him  the right to choose the opinion. So He  said in completion of the same verse:

yaani, baada ya kuamua jambo baada ya kushauriana (shura), basi mtegemee Allah katika kutekeleza jambo lako kwa njia yenye busara na inayofaa zaidi. Naye amesema: "Utakapo azimia" ('azamta), na si "mtakapo azimia" ('azamtum). Kuhusu aya ya pili, kauli yake:

i.e, after you have decided on a matter after consultation (shura), then put your trust in Allah  in carrying out your matter in the most sensible and appropriate manner. And He  said: “When you (singular) took a decision” (‘azamta) and not when “you (plural) took a decision” (‘azamtum). As for the second verse, His  saying:

Wao wenyewe lakini hushauriana wao kwa wao kuhusu jambo hilo. Hii inahimiza mazoea ya kushauriana (shura). Pia, kauli hii ina maana isiyo wazi (mujmal); kwa hiyo, tunapaswa kurejea Sunnah ili kuona kama kuna chochote humo kuhusu kauli na vitendo vya Mtume ﷺ ambavyo vitafafanua maana isiyo wazi (mujmal) hiyo.

heir own but consult each other about it. It encourages the practise of consultation (shura). Also the saying is ambivalent (mujmal), therefore, we need to refer to the Sunnah to see if there is anything there in terms of the sayings and actions of the Messenger  which will elucidate the ambivalent meaning (mujmal).

Kwa kurejea kwenye maneno na matendo ya Mtume ﷺ, tunaona kwamba alimwambia Abu Bakr na ‘Umar:

By referring to the sayings and actions of the Messenger  we find that he  said to Abu Bakr and ‘Umar:

Alijilazimisha kutokwenda kinyume na walichokubaliana, kwa hiyo hapa Mtume ﷺ alionyesha kwamba maoni ya wengi hayapaswi kupingwa pale wanapokuwa watu wawili na yeye ni mmoja.

He  obliged himself not to go against what they have agreed upon, So here the Messenger  demonstrated that the opinion of the majority should not be opposed when they are two persons and he is one.

Pia tunakuta kwamba Mtume siku ya vita vya Uhud aliwakusanya watu wenye maoni miongoni mwa Waislamu na wale waliojifanya kuwa Waislamu, kisha wakashauriana. Nabii ﷺ alichukua maoni ya kwamba wajihami Madina na kulazimisha Maquraishi wabaki nje. Kiongozi wa Munafiqina (wanafiki) ‘Abdullah bin Ubay bin Salul alikuwa na maoni haya, na hii ilikuwa ni maoni ya maswahaba wakubwa. Maoni ya vijana wenye bidii waliokuwa hawajashuhudia Badr yalikuwa ni kutoka nje kukabiliana na adui. Kisha wengi wakaonekana kuwa upande wa vijana. Basi Mtume wa Allah ﷺ alikubali maoni yao na kufuata maoni ya wengi. Kwa hiyo tukio hili linaonyesha kwamba alikubali maoni ya wengi na akatenda kwa mujibu wa maoni yao, akaacha maoni yake mwenyewe na ya maswahaba wakubwa kwa sababu wao walikuwa wachache. Watu walipoanza kujutia na kusema: “Tumemlazimisha Mtume wa Allah ﷺ kufuata maoni yetu, na sisi hatuna haki hiyo.” Wakamwendea ﷺ na kusema:

We also find that the Messenger  on the day of the battle of Uhud brought together the people of opinion from those amongst the Muslims and those who pretended to be Muslims and then they consulted each other. The Prophet  took the opinion that they should take refuge in Madina and force the Quraysh to stay outside. The head of the Munafiqin (hypocrites) ‘Abdullah ibn Ubay ibn Salul was of this opinion. And this was the opinion of the senior companions. The opinion of the zealous youth who had not witnessed Badr was to go out to confront the enemy. The majority then appeared to be on the side of the youth. So the Messenger of Allah  yielded to their opinion and followed the opinion of the majority. So this incident indicates that he  gave in to the opinion of the majority and acted according to their opinion and he left his own opinion and that of the senior companions because they were the minority. So when the people began to regret and said: “We have forced the Messenger of Allah  to follow our opinion and we do not have that right.” They went to him  and said:

Mtume ﷺ alikataa ombi lao la kurudi kwenye maoni yake na ya masahaba wakubwa, akaendelea kusisitiza kufuata maoni ya wengi.

The Prophet  refused their request to go back to his opinion and that of the senior companions and he continued to insist on compliance with the opinion of the majority.

Hata hivyo, tunamwona pia katika vita vya Badr alipokubali maoni sahihi, na alijiridhisha na maoni moja pale alipoona kwamba maoni hayo ni ya kweli. Mtume wa Allah ﷺ na Waislamu waliokuwa pamoja naye walipofika kwenye chemchemi iliyokuwa karibu zaidi ya Badr, al-Habbab ibn al-Munzir hakupendezwa na mahali hapo. Akamwambia Mtume ﷺ:

However, we see him  also in Badr where he complied with the correct opinion and he was satisfied with a single opinion when he found the opinion to be true. When the Messenger of Allah  and the Muslims with him came down at the nearest spring of Badr, al-Habbab ibn al Munzir did not like that place. He said to the Prophet :

Katika hadīth hii Nabii ﷺ alitoa maoni yake, na hakurejea kwenye maoni ya wengi bali alifuata maoni sahihi. Alikubali kulichukua kutoka kwa mtu mmoja kuhusu jambo ambalo Mjumbe ﷺ mwenyewe alisema lilikuwa: "jambo la maoni, vita na mbinu za kivita." Kisha tunamwona Mjumbe ﷺ katika safari ya vita (ghazwa) ya Hudaybiya akishikilia maoni yake peke yake, na akayakataa maoni ya Abu Bakr na ‘Umar. Zaidi ya hayo, alikataa maoni ya Waislamu na kuwalazimisha kufuata maoni yake licha ya hasira na malalamiko yao. Aliwaambia:

In this hadīth the Prophet  left his opinion and he did not refer to the opinion of the majority but followed the correct opinion. He was content to adopt it from one person about a subject the Messenger  himself said was: “a matter of opinion, war and strategy.” Then we find the Messenger  in the expedition (ghazwa) of Hudaybiya that he stuck to his opinion single handily and he rejected the opinion of Abu Bakr and ‘Umar. Furthermore, he rejected the opinion of the Muslims and forced them to comply with his opinion despite their anger and grievances. He told them:

Kutokana na hadith hizi nne tunaona kwamba Mtume ﷺ alishikilia maoni yake peke yake na kukataa maoni mengine yote. Pia tunamwona akirejea maoni sahihi na kuchukua maoni ya mtu mmoja peke yake huku akiacha maoni yake mwenyewe, bila kurejea kabisa maoni ya watu. Tunamwona pia akifuata maoni ya wengi, na kutoa kauli inayoonyesha kwamba maoni ya wengi yapaswa kurejewa na wala yasipingwe. Tukichunguza kwa makini hadith hizi na muktadha ambao zilitolewa, tunaona kwamba Mtume ﷺ alirejea dalili ya Sharī'ah, yaani wahy (ufunuo), huko Hudaybiya; alirejea maoni sahihi katika vita vya Badr, lakini alirejea maoni ya wengi katika vita vya Uhud; na pia tunaona hakupinga maoni ya Abu Bakr na 'Umar. Matendo na kauli za Mtume ﷺ vinaweza kufupishwa katika hali tatu: Kwanza, kurejea nguvu ya dalili kama inavyoonekana na anayeitoa hukumu kutoka kwake, si jinsi watu wanavyoiona. Pili, kurejea kilicho sahihi bila kujali maoni ya wengi, bila hata kukipa kuzingatiwa kwa namna yoyote. Tatu, kurejea maoni ya wengi bila kujali kama yalikuwa sahihi au la, bali kupuuza kabisa upande wa usahihi.

From these four ahadīth we find that the Messenger  held on to his opinion solely and rejected all other opinions, We also find him referring to the correct opinion and adopting the opinion of a single person alone whilst leaving his own opinion and not referring to the opinion of the people at all. We also find him complying with the majority opinion and making a statement which indicates that the opinion of the majority should be referred to and not opposed. If we scrutinise these ahadīth and the context in which they came we find that the Prophet  referred to the Sharī’ah evidence, that is, the wahy (revelation) in Hudaybiya and that he  referred to the correct opinion in the battle of Badr but referred to the majority in Uhud, and we also find him not objecting to the opinions of Abu Bakr and ‘Umar. The Prophet’s  action and sayings can be summed up in three situations: First, referring to the strength of the evidence as perceived by the one who deduces from it and not how the people perceive it. Second, referring to what is the correct irrespective of the opinion of the majority and not even giving it any consideration at all. Third, referring to the majority opinion regardless of whether it was right or not, infact neglecting the aspect of rightness completely.

Tunapotumia kanuni hizi tatu, ambazo zimetolewa kutokana na vitendo na kauli ya Mtume ﷺ, kwenye uhalisia wa maoni yaliyopo duniani, tunapata yafuatayo:

When we apply these three rules which have been deduced from the action and saying of the Prophet  on the reality of the existing opinions in the world we find the following:

Kwanza- Hukumu ya Sharīʿah haiwezi kuondolewa isipokuwa kwa msingi wa nguvu ya ushahidi. Hii ni kwa sababu Mtume ﷺ alichagua tu kile kilichoteremshwa kwa wahyi, na alikikataa kabisa kila kitu kingine. Alisema:

Ushahidi wa Sharīʿah ni Qurʾani na Sunnah peke yake, na chochote ambacho Qurʾani na Sunnah vinaonyesha kuwa ni ushahidi, kwa sababu ndicho jambo ambalo amri au katazo la Allah linahusika nalo. Nguvu ya ushahidi si kile ambacho watu wanakiona au kile wanachokifafanua na kukielewa kuwa ni. Badala yake, nguvu ya ushahidi inategemea tu kile anachokitoa hoja (mustadill) kutoka kwake, hata kama hisia hiyo ya kutoa hoja ilikuwa ufahamu wake mwenyewe na tafsiri yake mwenyewe, mradi tu alitegemea mfano wa ushahidi (shubhat dalīl). Hii ni kwa sababu quwwa al-dalīl (nguvu ya ushahidi) hutofautiana kati ya watu kutokana na mitazamo yao tofauti juu ya ushahidi wa Sharīʿah wenyewe, na kutokana na jinsi wanavyoielewa lugha ya Kiarabu na Sharīʿah. Nguvu ya ushahidi haimaanishi nguvu (uthabiti) wa hadīth peke yake. Badala yake, nguvu ya ushahidi, iwe ni Qurʾani au Sunnah, inapimwa kwa maana (dirāya), usimulizi (riwāya), ufahamu (fahm) na kuzingatia (iʿtibār), na hakuna tofauti miongoni mwa Waislamu kuhusu hili.

The Sharī’ah evidence is the Qur’ān and Sunnah only and whatever the Qur’ān and Sunnah indicate as an evidence because it is the matter upon which the order or prohibition of Allah  applies. The strength of the evidence is not what the people perceive or what they define and understand it to be. Rather, the strength of the evidence is only according to what the one who educes (mustadill) it , even if this sense of deduction was his own understanding and the definition was his own, as long as he relied on the semblance of an evidence (shubhat dalīl). This is because the quwwa addalīl (strength of the evidence) differs among people due to their disparate perceptions of the Sharī’ah evidence itself and due to the manner in which they understand the Arabic language and the Sharī’ah. The strength of the evidence does not mean the strength (authenticity) of the hadīth only. Rather, the strength of the evidence, whether it be the Quran or the Sunnah, is in terms of the meaning (diraya), narration (riwaya), understanding (fahm) and consideration (i’tibar) and there is no difference among the Muslims about this.

Pili, maoni yanayoonyesha wazo kuhusu jambo fulani hupewa uzito kidogo kuliko maoni sahihi zaidi kwa mtazamo wa kile kilicho sahihi. Kwa mfano, suala la kuinuka upya (ufufuaji): je, litatimia kwa kuinuliwa kiakili, au kwa kuinuliwa kiuchumi? Au hali ya kimataifa inapendelea taifa fulani kuliko jingine? Je, hali ya ndani na ya kimataifa inafaa kwa kuchukua hatua za kisiasa, au hatua za kijeshi pamoja na hatua ya kisiasa, au hazifai? Katika mambo haya yote, kinachorejelewa ni maoni sahihi. Kwa sababu, kwa aina yoyote ile yalivyo, yanaingia chini ya kauli ya Mtume ﷺ:

Secondly - The opinion which indicates a thought about a subject, is outweighed from the angle of what is right , for eg, the issue of revival. Will it be realised by an intellectual elevation or through an economic one? Or, is the international situation favourable to a particular state or another? Is the internal and international situation suitable for the undertaking of political actions or military actions in addition to the political action or are they not suitable. In all of these things what is referred to is the correct opinion. Because, whatever category they may be, they fall under the saying of the Messenger :

Maoni sahihi yanarejelewa kwa namna ile ile Mtume ﷺ alivyorejelea maoni ya al-Habbab ibn al-Munzir. Al-Habbab alikuwa anaifahamu sehemu ile, hivyo Mtume ﷺ alirejelea uzoefu wake. Kwa hiyo, katika maoni ya kitaalamu, rejeo hufanywa kwa maoni sahihi.

The correct opinion is referred to just as the Prophet  referred to the opinion of al-Habbab ibn al-Munzir. Al-Habbab was familiar with that place, so the Prophet  referred to his experience. Therefore, in the technical opinion reference is made to the correct opinion.

Tatu, katika kesi ya maoni yanayopelekea kuchukua hatua, maoni ya wengi ndiyo yanayopendelewa. Kwa sababu yeye (Mtume) ﷺ alifuata maoni ya wengi huko Uhud, na akatoka nje ya Madina ijapokuwa aliona maoni hayo kuwa si sahihi. Vivyo hivyo, masahaba wakubwa walichukua msimamo kinyume kwa sababu walishikilia maoni ya Mtume ﷺ kwamba wabaki Madina. Licha ya hayo, Mtume ﷺ alitenda kwa mujibu wa maoni hayo ya kutoka nje ya Madina kwa sababu wengi walikuwa na maoni hayo. Basi kitendo hiki cha Mjumbe wa Allah ﷺ kinafafanua maana ya kauli yake kwa Abu Bakr na ‘Umar ﷺ:

Thirdly – In case of the opinion which leads to undertaking an action, the opinion of the majority is preferred. Because he  complied with the majority opinion in Uhud and he went outside of Madina even though he saw this opinion as mistaken. Likewise, the senior companions took a contrary view because they held the Prophet’s view that they should remain in Madinah. Despite this the Prophet  acted according to this opinion which was to go outside Madinah because the majority were of this opinion. So this action of the Messenger of Allah  clarifies the meaning of his statement to Abu Bakr  and ‘Umar :

Hii inahusu maoni yaliyo katika kundi lilelile kama ilivyokuwa katika tukio la Uhud, yaani maoni yanayopelekea kuchukuliwa kwa hatua fulani. Hivyo, katika maoni yoyote yanayopelekea kuchukuliwa kwa hatua, maoni ya wengi ndiyo yanayopewa kipaumbele, kama vile katika uchaguzi wa kiongozi, au kuondolewa kwa gavana (wali), au kuamua mradi fulani, na kadhalika. Ni wajibu kwamba maoni ya wengi yakubaliwe, na hayo ni lazima yatekelezwe, bila kujali kama yalikuwa sahihi au si sahihi.

This is regarding the opinion over the same category as in the case Uhud that is, an opinion which leads to the undertaking of an action. So in any opinion which leads to the undertaking of an action, the majority is preferred such as in the election of a leader, or the removal of a governor (wali) or to decide on a project etc. It is incumbent that the majority opinion be adopted and that is binding irrespective of whether it was right or wrong.

Baada ya kutumia dalili juu ya uhalisia wa maoni duniani, inakuwa wazi kwamba maoni yanayofunga, yaani yale ambayo maoni ya wengi yanapewa kipaumbele, yako katika kundi moja na kisa cha Uhud. Yanaingia chini ya "al-mashura" aliyoitaja katika kauli yake: "Ikiwa wawili wenu wataafikiana juu ya mashura..." Ni maoni yanayopelekea kuchukuliwa kwa hatua fulani. Kisicho hicho hakifungi, wala si wajibu kutenda kwa kutegemea maoni ya wengi. Hivyo, maoni yanayofunga, yaani yale ambayo maoni ya wengi yanapewa kipaumbele, yanazuiliwa kwa aina moja tu ya vitendo vilivyopo duniani, nayo ni maoni yanayojadili kitendo kinachohitaji kutekelezwa. Kwa kutumia hoja hii pia inakuwa wazi kwamba kwa hukumu ya Sharīʿah, na kwa maoni yanayoelekea kwenye fikra au jambo la kitaalamu, hakuna umakini unaotolewa kwa maoni ya wengi katika kesi zote mbili. Kwa hukumu ya Sharīʿah, nguvu ya dalili pekee ndiyo inayozingatiwa. Na katika maoni yanayoelekea kwenye fikra au jambo la kitaalamu, yaani yale ya aina ya maoni, vita au mkakati, ni maoni sahihi pekee ndiyo yanayopewa umakini, na si jambo jingine lolote.

After the application of the evidences on the reality of opinions in the world it becomes clear that the binding opinion i.e, in which the majority is preferred, is of the same category as in the case of Uhud. It falls under the ‘al-mashura’ mentioned in his  saying: “If both of you agree on a mashura...” It is the opinion which leads to the undertaking of an action. Anything besides that is not binding and it is not obligatory to act upon based on the view of the majority. Thus, the binding opinion that is, in which the majority opinion is preferred, is restricted to one type of the actions that exist in the world which is the opinion that discusses the action which needs to be performed. Due to this application it also becomes clear that for the Sharī’ah rule and the opinion which leads to a thought or a technical matter no attention is given to the majority opinion in both cases. For the Sharī’ah rule, only the strength of the evidence is taken into account. And in the opinion which leads to a thought or technical matter i.e, which is of the type of opinion, war or strategy, only the correct opinion is given attention and nothing else.

pia ni ushahidi.

is also an evidence.

Swali moja bado linabaki; ni nani atakayebainisha lipi lililo sahihi na kwamba maoni yake ndiyo yenye uzito zaidi? Tumeeleza kwamba katika kanuni za Sharī‘ah, nguvu ya dalili (quwwat al-dalīl) hupewa kipaumbele, na katika maoni yanayoelekea kwenye kitendo, maoni ya wengi hupewa kipaumbele. Na katika maoni yanayoelekea kwenye fikra, mambo ya kitaalamu na maswali ya ufafanuzi, katika mambo haya yote maoni sahihi hupewa kipaumbele. Inabaki kwetu kubainisha ni nani atakayeeleza maoni sahihi, na maoni ya nani yatakuwa yenye uzito zaidi. Jibu ni kwamba yule anayeyapa uzito maoni sahihi kuliko mengine ndiye mwenye mamlaka juu ya jambo husika; ndiye anayewaongoza watu, yaani kiongozi wao, kwa kuwa yeye ndiye anayechukua jukumu la kuwashauri watu. Watu wanaposhauriana, hufanya hivyo ili wafikie maoni, kisha waende kulingana nayo. Ili kwenda kulingana nayo kama jamii, ni lazima wawe na kiongozi juu yao, kwa hiyo ni yeye pekee anayepaswa kuwa na mamlaka juu ya jambo ambalo shauri linafanyika kulihusu. Yule wa kupima na kuyapa uzito maoni sahihi anapaswa kuwa yeye pekee, yule anayewaongoza watu. Dalili ya hili ni aya inayosema:

One issue still remains; who will be the one to expound what is right and that his opinion is considered to be the preponderant? We have explained that in the Sharī’ah rules the quwwa addalīl (strength of the evidence) is preferred, and in the opinion which leads to an action, the view of the majority is preferred. And that in the opinion which leads to a thought, the technical matters and questions of definition, in all these matters the correct opinion is preferred. It remains for us to identify who will expound the right opinion and whose opinion will be preponderant. The answer is that the one who outweighs the correct opinion is the one who has jurisdiction over the matter in question, he is the one who leads the people that is, their leader, since he is the one who assumes the task of consulting the people. When the community consults each other, it only does that to reach an opinion so as to proceed according to it. To proceed according to it as a community it becomes necessary to have a leader over them so only he should have the authority over the matter for which the consultation takes place. The one to outweigh the correct opinion should be only him, the one who leads the people. The evidence for this is the verse which states:

Kwa hiyo shura ilifanywa na Mtume ﷺ, naye alikuwa kiongozi wa Waislamu. Allah ﷻ alimpa haki ya kuamua, ya kutekeleza kile alichoamua baada ya mashauriano, yaani kile alichokiona kuwa sahihi. Hivyo yeye ndiye aliyepima na kuchagua lililo sahihi. Vivyo hivyo, hali ni hiyo hiyo kwa kiongozi yeyote wa watu, kwa sababu jambo hili halikuwa maalum kwa Mtume ﷺ bali ni la jumla kwa Waislamu wote. Hii ni kwa sababu kauli ya Mtume ﷺ ni kauli kwa Ummah wake, mradi hakuna dalili inayoifanya kuwa maalum kwake. Na hapa hakuna dalili zinazolifanya kuwa maalum kwa Mtume ﷺ. Kwa hiyo ni la jumla (‘aam).

So the shura was performed by the Messenger  and he was the leader of the Muslims. Allah  gave him the right to decide, to implement what he decides after the consultation i.e, what he views as being correct. So he was the one who outweighed what was correct. Likewise, it is the same situation with any leader of a people because this is not special to the Messenger  but general to all Muslims. This is because the speech of the Messenger  is a speech to his Ummah as long as there is no evidence to specify it to him. And here there are no evidences to make it specific to the Messenger . So it is general (‘aam).

Kuhusu wakati jamii haina kiongozi na inataka kumchagua mtu fulani ambaye atakuwa na haki ya kuchagua kauli iliyo sahihi zaidi. Katika hali hii jamii inapaswa kumchagua mtu mmoja tu ili awe na haki ya kuchagua kauli iliyo sahihi zaidi. Jamii hairuhusiwi kuchagua zaidi ya mtu mmoja, kwa sababu kuchagua kauli iliyo sahihi zaidi hakuwezi kufanywa na zaidi ya mtu mmoja. Ni kweli kwamba wengi wanaweza kusema kauli sahihi, na kauli sahihi inaweza kuwa kwa watu wawili badala ya mmoja, lakini jambo si uwezekano wa kauli sahihi kuwa kwa nani, bali ni nani atakayechagua kauli iliyo sahihi zaidi. Je, ni mtu mmoja au watu wawili? Hilo haliwezekani kwa wengi, kwa sababu kufuata wengi ni kinyume cha kufuata kauli sahihi. Hayo ni mambo mawili yanayopingana. Kwa hiyo, wengi hufuatwa bila kujali kauli sahihi, na kauli sahihi hufuatwa bila kujali wengi.

As for when the community does not have a leader and it wishes to select some one who will have the right to outweigh the correct opinion. In this situation the community should choose a single person only so that he will have the right to outweigh the correct opinion. The community is not allowed to choose more than one person. This is because outweighing the correct opinion cannot be undertaken by more than one person. Indeed the majority might state the correct opinion and the correct opinion might lie more with two persons as opposed to one but the issue is not the possibility of with whom the correct opinion lies rather who will outweigh the correct opinion. Is it one person or two? That cannot be possible for the majority, because following the majority (opinion) is contrary to adopting the correct opinion. They are two opposite issues. Thus, the majority is adhered to irrespective of the correct opinion, and the correct opinion is adhered to irrespective of the majority.