The first cause is that the evidence did not reach the person who opposed the correct view and thus erred in his ruling.

This cause is not limited to those who came after the Companions; it also occurred among the Companions themselves and those who came after them. We shall give two examples of this involving the Companions.

The first is the well-established report found in Sahīh al-Bukhārī and elsewhere. When the Commander of the Faithful, Umar ibn al-Khattāb—may Allah be pleased with him—set out for Syria, he was informed along the way that an epidemic—the plague—had broken out there. He halted and began consulting the Companions—may Allah be pleased with them. He consulted the Emigrants and the Helpers, who differed over the matter and held two views. The stronger view was that they should turn back. During these discussions and consultations, Abd al-Rahmān ibn Awf arrived, having been absent while attending to a personal need. He said, “I have knowledge concerning this matter. I heard the Messenger of Allah—peace and blessings be upon him—say: ‘If you hear that it has broken out in a land, do not enter it; and if it breaks out while you are there, do not depart in flight