al-Ijma'

Consensus of the Ummah and Following the Great Majority

قَالَ اللّٰهُ تَبَارَكَ وَتَعَالٰی : كُنْتُمْ خَيْرَ اُمَّةٍ اُخْرِجَتْ لِلنَّاسِ تَأْمُرُوْنَ بِالْمَعْرُوْفِ وَتَنْهَوْنَ عَنِ الْمُنْكَرِ - (ال عمران - آیت 110)

Translation: Allah Almighty says in the Holy Qur'an: "You are the best Ummah. You have been chosen for the guidance of mankind. You command what is good and forbid what is objectionable."

It should be clear that it is very difficult to prove the consensus of the entire Ummah on any issue without any difference of opinion, therefore, the agreement of the people of opinion and the non-disagreement of other people of opinion is sufficient as proof of the Ijma of the Ummah. One form of Ijma is also that some people might say red, for example, and some companions might say green somewhere, so they can agree on it not being black, and they call it contrary to Ijma. It should be clear that when the glory of the Ummah of Muhammad ﷺ is that they "enjoin the good and forbid the evil", then it is absolutely impossible that the entire Ummah goes astray and remains steadfast on a wrong decision.

عَنِ ابْنِ عُمَرَ قَالَ : قَالَ رَسُوْلُ اللّٰهِ صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ إِنَّ اللّٰهَ لَا يَجْمَعُ اُمَّتِيْ أَوْ قَالَ اُمَّةَ مُحَمَّدٍ عَلٰى ضَلَالَةٍ وَيَدُاللّٰهِ عَلَى الْجَمَاعَةِ وَمَنْ شَذَّ شُذَّ فِي النَّارِ - (رواه الترمذی - مشکوٰة)

(This hadith was narrated by Tirmidhi and is also in Mishkat)

Vocabulary: ضَلَالَةٍ; misguidance, straying from the path. شَذَّ; became distant, became separate. شَذَّ، يَشُذُّ، شُذُوْذًا; to become distant. Translation: It is narrated from Hazrat Abdullah bin Umar (RA), he said that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, "Undoubtedly Allah does not allow my Ummah", or he said, "the Ummah of Muhammad to unite and agree on misguidance, and the force of God and His hand remains over the Jama'ah (group); whoever separates from the Jama'ah is handed over to Hell".

عَنِ ابْنِ عُمَرَ رَضِيَ اللّٰهُ عَنْهُمَا قَالَ : قَالَ رَسُوْلُ اللّٰهِ صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ اِتَّبِعُوْا السَّوَادَ الْاَعْظَمَ فَإِنَّهُ مَنْ شَذَّ شُذَّ فِى النَّارِ - (رواه ابن ماجة من حديث انس - مشكوٰة)

(This was narrated by Ibn Majah from Hazrat Anas (RA) and is also in Mishkat)

Translation: It is narrated from Hazrat Abdullah bin Umar (RA), he said that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, "O people! Remain followers of the large group, the person who separates from it (i.e. Sawad-e-Azam), he will go to Hell."

Allah Almighty has bestowed this honor upon the Ummah of Muhammad ﷺ that enjoining good and forbidding evil is its characteristic, therefore it is not possible that the Ijma of the Ummah can be on any matter and that it is wrong.

وَعَنْ مُعَاذِ بْنِ جَبَلٍ قَالَ : قَالَ رَسُوْلُ اللّٰهِ صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ إِنَّ الشَّيْطَانَ ذِئْبُ الْإِنْسَانِ كَذِئْبِ الْغَنَمِ يَأْخُذُ الشَّاذَّةَ وَالْقَاصِيَةَ وَالنَّاحِيَةَ وَإِيَّاكُمْ وَالشِّعَابَ وَعَلَيْكُمْ بِالْجَمَاعَةِ وَالْعَامَّةِ - (رواه احمد - مشکوٰة)

Vocabulary: ذِئْبُ; wolf. غَنَمِ; goat. كَ; like. يَأْخُذُ; grabs, catches. الشَّاذَّةَ; separated, isolated from the herd. الْقَاصِيَةَ; the one far away. النَّاحِيَةَ; the one on the edge. وَإِيَّاكُمْ; and you save yourselves. الشِّعَابَ; footpaths/trails. Translation: It is narrated from Hazrat Mu'adh bin Jabal (RA), he said that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said that "Satan is a wolf for human beings just like the wolf of the goats, which catches the goat that remains separated from the herd, and the one far away, and the one on the edge. O people! Save yourselves from the divergent trails and consider it obligatory upon yourselves to stay with the Jama'ah and the general public." *(This hadith was narrated by Ahmad. It is also in Mishkat)*

وَعَنْ أَبِيْ ذَرٍّ قَالَ قَالَ رَسُوْلُ اللّٰهِ صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ " مَنْ فَارَقَ الْجَمَاعَةَ شِبْرًا فَقَدْ خَلَعَ رِبْقَةَ الْإِسْلَامِ مِنْ عُنُقِهِ"۔ (رواه احمد و ابوداؤد - مشکوٰة)

(This hadith was narrated by Ahmad and Abu Dawud and is also in Mishkat)

Vocabulary: فَارَقَ; created separation, became separated. شِبْرًا; a handspan. خَلَعَ; took out, threw off. رِبْقَةَ; cord, rope. عُنُقِ; neck. Translation: It is narrated from Hazrat Abu Dharr (RA), he said that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, "Whoever remains separated from the Jama'ah even by a handspan, he has thrown off the rope of Islam from his neck."

لَنْ يُّجْتَمَعَ أُمَّتِيْ عَلَى ضَلَالَةٍ أَبَدًا - فَعَلَيْكُمْ بِالْجَمَاعَةِ وَأَنَّ يَدَاللّٰهِ عَلَى الْجَمَاعَةِ - (طب عن ابن عمر كنز صـ 53)

Translation: My Ummah will never unite upon misguidance. So it is obligatory upon you to accompany the Jama'ah, and the hand of God (His strength) is upon the Jama'ah. *(This hadith is narrated by Tabarani from Hazrat Abdullah bin Umar (RA) and is also in Kanz al-'Ummal)*

لَا يَجْمَعُ اللّٰهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ أَمْرَ أُمَّتِيْ عَلَى ضَلَالَةٍ أَبَدًا اِتَّبِعُوْا السَّوَادَ الْأَعْظَمَ يَدُاللّٰهِ عَلَى الْجَمَاعَةِ مَنْ شَذَّ شُذَّ فِى النَّارِ - (الحكيم و ابن جريرك عند ابن عمر ابن عباس - كنز 53)

Translation: Allah will never unite the matter of my Ummah upon misguidance. O people! Accompany the large group. Follow them.