He—may Allah Most High have mercy on him—was asked about the meaning of scholarly consensus: May a scholar exercising independent judgment disagree with them? What does it mean? Is the statement of a Companion authoritative evidence?

He replied:

All praise is due to Allah.

Consensus means that the Muslim scholars agree upon a ruling. Once the Muslim community’s consensus on a ruling is established, no one may depart from it, for the community does not agree upon misguidance. However, in many matters some people suppose that a consensus exists when this is not the case; rather, the opposing view has stronger support in the Book and the Sunnah.

As for the statements of individual imams, such as the four leading jurists and others, these constitute neither binding evidence nor consensus, as the Muslims agree. Indeed, it is established that these imams—may Allah be pleased with them—forbade people to follow their judgments uncritically. They instructed them, whenever they found a view more strongly supported by the Book and the Sunnah than their own, to adopt what the Book and the Sunnah indicated and leave aside their statements. For this reason, it has always been the practice of the leading followers of the four imams, whenever