The Proof for the Authority of Ijma‘

Question

Please establish, from the Qur’an and hadith, the proof that ijma‘ (consensus) is a hujja (authoritative proof)?

Answer

The ijma‘ (consensus) of the Companions is a proof (hujja), without dispute — as stated in “Irshad al-Fuhul” (p. 72). An argument for the authority of ijma‘ is likewise drawn from the Qur’anic verse: [ar]وَكَذَٰلِكَ جَعَلْنَـٰكُمْ أُمَّةً وَسَطًا لِّتَكُونُوا۟ شُهَدَآءَ عَلَى ٱلنَّاسِ[/ar] “Thus have We made you a just community, that you may be witnesses over mankind” (Surah…

Source: Fatawa Mahmudiyya

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