المعنى الاصطلاحي :

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An agreement of all the mujtahids (senior Muslim scholars) from the community of Muhammad, may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him, in a certain era after his death on a particular Islamic ruling.

الشرح المختصر :

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"Ijmā‘" (consensus) in the terminology of the scholars of "usool al-Fiqh" (the fundamentals of Islamic Jurisprudence) refers to the agreement of all the mujtahids from the Muslims in a certain era after the death of the Messenger of Allah, may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him, on a particular Islamic ruling that pertains to a certain situation. Such consensus then becomes legal proof that this is the correct Islamic ruling on this situation. The definition states that "ijmā‘" only starts after the death of the Prophet, may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him, because during his lifetime he was the only legal authority, and therefore neither consensus nor difference of opinion on a legal ruling would have been possible because a number of legal authorities are needed for a consensus, and agreement can not be achieved but through a number of people.

التعريف اللغوي المختصر :

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"Ijmā‘": agreement of a group of people on an issue.

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