Ahmad bin Hanbal: Whoever claims Ijma is a liar
Introduction
Some ignorant claim that the following statement by Imam Ahmad bin Hanbal RH through the narration of Abdullah bin Ahmad is a fabrication attributed to him:
What a man claims as a consensus is a lie. Whoever claims consensus, he is lying.
[Masa’il-ul-Imam Ahmad bin Hanbal RH narrated by his son Abdullah bin Ahmad RH, pg. 438-439]
In this article, we will prove:
- This statement is corroborated by multiple other statements from Imam Ahmad RH
- It is confirmed and explained by numerous scholars of Sunni, specifically, Hanbali madhab
4 statements of Imam Ahmad
The claim of consensus has been mass-transmitted from Imam Ahmad RH, denying it and declaring a liar whoever claims it. While non Ahmadis doubt his narration which has been transmitted through his son, Abdullah, which has already been quoted in the introduction. There are three more narrations which corroborates his statement through his students: al-Marwazi, Abu al-Harith, and Abu Talib. The narrations in Arabic can be all found here.
Narration of al-Marwazi
Al-Marwazi narrated from him that he said: “How can it be permissible for a man to say: ‘They have reached consensus’, when you hear them saying: ‘They have reached consensus’, then accuse them of lying. However, if he said: ‘I do not know of anyone opposing it’, then it would be permissible.
Al-‘Udda 4/1060, Al-Tamheed 3/247, Al-Maswada 2/617, and I‘lam al-Muwaqqi‘in 2/247
Narration of Abu Talib
Abu Talib narrated from him his saying: “This is a lie. How does he know that people have reached consensus? Rather, he should say: ‘I do not know of any disagreement on it’, for that is better than his saying: ‘Consensus of the people.'”
Al-‘Udda 4/1060, Al-Tamheed 3/247, Al-Maswada 2/617, and I‘lam al-Muwaqqi‘in 2/247
Narration of Abu Al-Harith
Abu Al-Harith narrated from him his saying: “It is not proper for anyone to claim consensus, perhaps people have differed.”
Al-‘Udda 4/1060, Al-Tamheed 3/247, Al-Maswada 2/617, and I‘lam al-Muwaqqi‘in 2/247
Sunni Scholars Confirm Imam Ahmad’s Statement
There are numerous scholars who have affirmed that Imam Ahmad’s RH statement surrounding his statement on ijma:
SHAYKH UL-ISLAM IBN TAYMIYA (d. 728H)
Ibn Taymiyyah RH states Imam Ahmad RH was referring to the rejection of the claim of consensus after the companions or perhaps after the first three generations:
“Our Sheikh said: I said: What Ahmad rejects is the claim of consensus of the dissenters after the Companions, or after them and after the Successors, or after the three praiseworthy centuries. Hardly can any argument in his speech be found that relies on consensus after the era of the Successors or after the three centuries. Even though the younger Successors lived until the third century, his speech about the consensus of every era is only about the Successors. Then, this is from him a prohibition against claiming general verbal consensus, which is like silent consensus, or the consensus of the majority without knowledge of the dissenter.”
[al-Musawwada fi usul al-fiqh, pg. 316]
IBN AL-QAYYIM (d. 751H)
Ibn al-Qayyim RH affirms and agrees with the statement of Imam Ahmad RH, he further quotes three corroborating narrations which affirm Imam Ahmad RH rejected the claim of ijma. He also justifies Imam Ahmad’s RH view, stating claim of ijma is not definite and almost impossible to authenticate due to the vast geographic location of scholars, rendering the establishment of an Ijma virtually impossible.
“What the Book, the Sunnah, and the statements of the Companions indicate is more worthy, for it is something attainable and commanded. For a mujtahid to know what the Qur’an and Sunnah indicate is much easier for him than knowing the agreement of people in the east and west of the earth on a ruling. This, if not impossible, is the most difficult and arduous thing, except for what is among the necessities of Islam. So how can Allah and His Messenger refer us to what we cannot reach, while leaving the referral to His Book and the Sunnah of His Messenger by which He has guided us, made easy for us, and made an easy path for us to know them from nearby?
Then, what does he know? Perhaps people have differed and he does not know. Not knowing about a dispute is not knowledge of its non-existence. So how can he give precedence to lack of knowledge over the entire basis of knowledge? Then, how can it be permissible for him to abandon the known truth for a matter about which he has no knowledge, the utmost of which is that it is imagined, and the best of its states is that it is doubted with equal or preponderant doubt?…
…When this approach emerged, it led to contradicting the texts with the unknown consensus, opened the door to claiming it, and caused those ignorant muqallids who do not know about disagreements, when argued against with the Qur’an and Sunnah, to say: “This contradicts consensus.” This is what the imams of Islam denounced and condemned from every angle whoever committed it, and they denied whoever claimed it. Imam Ahmad said, as narrated by his son Abdullah: “Whoever claims consensus is lying…He said: “Whoever claims consensus is lying, perhaps people have differed. This is the claim of Bishr al-Marisi and al-Asamm, but he says: ‘We do not know if people differed’ or ‘It did not reach us’.”
And in al-Marwazi’s narration, he said: “How can it be permissible for a man to say: ‘They have reached consensus’? When you hear them saying: ‘They have reached consensus’, then accuse them of lying. If he said: ‘I do not know of anyone opposing’, then it would be permissible.”
And in the narration of Abu Talib, he said: “This is a lie. How does he know that people have reached consensus? Rather, [he should say]: ‘I do not know of any disagreement on it’, for that is better than his saying: ‘Consensus of the people.'”
And in the narration of Abu al-Harith: “It is not proper for anyone to claim consensus, perhaps people have differed”.”
[I’lam al-Muwaqi’in ‘an Rabb il-‘Alamin, vol 3, pg. 558-559]
IBN AL-QAYYIM (d. 751H)
Similarily in another quote in the same book, Ibn al-Qayyim explains Imam Ahmad rejected the notion of consensus being based on lack of knowledge of opposition. He emphasized the supremacy of authentic hadith and the statements of companions over claims of consensus. He explains this rejection was not about denying the existence of consensus in its essence for which it has been already explained previously Imam Ahmad RH accepts the consensus between companions.
“What Imam Ahmad Rejected Regarding Claim of Consensus
He did not give precedence to action, statement, opinion or analogy over an authentic hadith, nor the statement of a Companion, nor lack of knowledge of any opposition – which many people call consensus and give precedence over authentic hadith. Ahmad rejected and belied whoever claimed this consensus, and did not allow giving it precedence over the established hadith. Similarly, al-Shafi’i – also – stated in his new treatise that what has no known opposition cannot be called consensus. His words are: “What has no known opposition is not consensus”.
And Abdullah bin Ahmad bin Hanbal said: I heard my father say: “Whatever a man claims consensus on – this is a lie. Whoever claims consensus is lying, perhaps people have differed. What does he know? It did not reach him? So let him say: ‘We do not know if people differed.’ This is the claim of Bishr al-Marisi and al-Asamm, but he says: ‘We do not know if people differed, or it did not reach me.’ This is his wording.”
The texts of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ are too lofty in the view of Imam Ahmad – and the rest of the hadith imams – for them to give precedence over them to what is imagined to be consensus, the premise of which is lack of knowledge of opposition. If this were permissible, it would render the texts inoperative, and allow anyone who does not know of opposition regarding a ruling to give precedence to his ignorance of opposition over the texts. This is what Imam Ahmad and al-Shafi’i rejected regarding the claim of consensus, not what some people think is denying its existence..”
[I’lam al-Muwaqi’in ‘an Rabb il-‘Alamin, vol 3, pg. 53-54]
Sunni websites confirm Imam Ahmad’s statement
Sunni Salafi website Islamweb.net has done tawil of Imam Ahmad’s statement regarding ijma, showing that Imam Ahmad’s RH statement is acknowledged amongst Salafis. This can be found both in the Arabic and English pages of Islamweb.net.
What has caused some people to have made such claims may be that Imaam Ahmad famously said, “Whoever claims Ijmaaʻ is a liar.” Scholars have explained the intended meaning of that statement and underlined that Imaam Ahmad did not mean to negate the authoritativeness of Ijmaaʻ by this statement.