Ijma

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Part of a series on the Usul al-fiqh
Fiqh
Qur'an and Sunnah Taqlid (imitation) Ijtihad (interpretation) madh'hab (school of law) Minhaj (method) Qiyas (analogical reasoning) Urf (society custom) Islamic jurisprudence Ijma (consensus) Bid‘ah (innovation) Madrasah (school/seminary) Ijazah (authorisation) Istihlal Istihsan Risalah
Ahkam
Halaal — legal Wajib/Fard — obligatory, duty Mustahab — favored Mubah — neutral Makruh — disliked, abominable Haraam — illegal, prohibited Baatil — void, incorrect Fasiq — corrupt
Scholarly titles
Marja — ... Ulema Khalifa Mufti Qadi Faqih Muhaddith Mullah Imam Mawlawi Sheikh Punjabi Shaikh Ayatollah Mujaddid Maulana This box: view • talk • edit

Ijmāʿ (إجماع) is an Arabic term referring ideally to the consensus of the ummah (the community of Muslims, or followers of Islam).

The hadith of Muhammad which states that "My community will never agree upon an error" is often cited as support for the validity of ijma. Sunni Muslims regard ijma as the third fundamental source of Sharia law, after the divine revelation of the Qur'an, the prophetic practice or Sunnah. The analogical reasoning or qiyas is described as fourth source in Sunni Islam, whereas Shi'a Islam uses 'aql (intellect). Many conservative Muslim writers have claimed that the use of ijma' makes Islamic law compatible with democracy.

Various proponents of liberal movements within Islam criticize the traditional view that ijma' is only a consensus among traditional Islamic scholars (Arabic ulema). They claim that truly democratic consensus should involve the entire community rather than a small and conservative clerical class, especially since there is no hierarchical system in Islam.