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- Accordingly, they prefer Allah’s speech above every other utterance of human beings.
[Why were they called Ahl al-Kitab wa al-Sunnah?] - They also advance the guidance of Muhammad—peace and blessings be upon him—over the guidance of anyone else; it is for this reason that they were named Ahl al-Kitab wa al-Sunnah (the People of the Scripture and the Sunnah).
[Why were they called Ahl al-Jamaʿah?] - Likewise, they were called Ahl al-Jamaʿah, because al-jamaʿah signifies unity, whose opposite is division—even though the term “al-jamaʿah” has come to denote the very people who remain united.
[Consensus is the third foundational source] - Consensus (ijmāʿ) is the third foundation upon which one relies in matters of knowledge and religion.
- By means of these three foundations they weigh every statement and deed—inner or outward—that people advance in connection with the religion.
[The consensus that can be verified] - The verifiable consensus is that upon which the righteous predecessors (al-salaf al-ṣāliḥ) agreed, for after their time differences multiplied and the ummah became dispersed.
٢٩٤- فَيُؤْثِرُونَ: كَلَامَ اللَّهِ عَلَى غَيْرِهِ مِنْ كَلَامِ أَصْنَافِ النَّاسِ.
[لماذا سمي أهل الكتاب والسنة بهذا الاسم؟] :
٢٩٥- وَيُقَدِّمُونَ: هَدْيَ مُحَمَّدٍ ﷺ عَلَى هَدْيِ كُلِّ أَحَدٍ.
وَبِهَذَا سُمُّوا: «أَهْلَ الْكِتَابِ وَالسُّنَّةِ» .
[لماذا سموا بأهل الجماعة؟] :
٢٩٦- وَسُمُّوا «أَهْلَ الْجَمَاعَةِ» ؛ لِأَنَّ الْجَمَاعَةَ هِيَ الاجْتِمَاعُ. وَضِدُّهَا الْفُرْقَةُ، وَإِنْ كَانَ لَفْظُ «الْجَمَاعَةِ» قَدْ صَارَ اسْمًا لِنَفْسِ الْقَوْمِ الْمُجْتَمِعِينَ.
[الإجماع هو الأصل الثالث] :
٢٩٧- وَالْإِجْمَاعُ: هُوَ الْأَصْلُ الثَّالِثُ؛ الَّذِي يُعْتَمَدُ عَلَيْهِ فِي الْعِلْمِ وَالدِّينِ.
٢٩٨- وَهُمْ يَزِنُونَ بِهَذِهِ الْأُصُولِ الثَّلَاثَةِ جَمِيعَ مَا عَلَيْهِ النَّاسُ مِنْ أَقْوَالٍ وَأَعْمَالٍ بَاطِنَةٍ أَوْ ظَاهِرَةٍ، مِمَّا لَهُ تَعَلُّقٌ بِالدِّينِ.
[الإجماع الذي يَنْضَبِط] :
٢٩٩- وَالْإِجْمَاعُ الَّذِي يَنْضَبِطُ: هُوَ مَا كَانَ عَلَيْهِ «السَّلَفُ الصَّالِحُ» ؛ إِذْ بَعْدَهُمْ كَثُرَ الِاخْتِلَافُ، وَانْتَشَرَتِ الْأُمَّةُ.
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