and anyone else; accordingly, consensus is needed in neither the first case nor the second, even though consensus does exist.

[Section: The Rāfidī says that consensus is not an independent basis of proof; rather, those reaching consensus must rely on a ruling before agreeing upon it]

Section

The Rāfidī said (1):

“Furthermore (2), consensus is not an independent basis of proof. Rather, those reaching consensus must rely (3) on evidence for the ruling in order to agree upon it; otherwise, their consensus would be erroneous. That evidence must be either rational—and reason provides no evidence for his imamate—or transmitted. Yet, according to them, the Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—died without leaving a testament or an explicit designation of an imam (4), and the Quran contains no such designation. Thus, if consensus were established, it would be erroneous and would therefore lose (5) its force as evidence.”

The answer has several aspects:

First: Regarding his statement, “Consensus is not an independent basis of proof,” if he means that a command issued by those who reach consensus does not require obedience in its own right, but only because it indicates the command of Allah and His Messenger, then this is correct. However, this does not undermine the argument. Likewise, obedience to the Messenger’s command is not obligatory in its own right, but because whoever obeys the Messenger has obeyed