The Authority of the Consensus of the Salaf
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
Question:
A questioner asks: Is the consensus of the Salaf a proof in itself?
Answer:
Yes. If they reach a consensus, it falls into two categories: definitive consensus, which is when they explicitly state the ruling and agree upon a ruling they explicitly declare. For example, they agreed on the prohibition of zina, the prohibition of khamr, and the prohibition of riba. They agreed on this; there is no room for disagreement. They agreed on the obligation of prayer, zakah, fasting, and Hajj. This is definitive, necessary consensus. As for presumptive consensus, that is when no disagreement appears. If a scholar issues a ruling on an issue and no one is seen to contradict him, that is presumptive consensus. It is presumed to be a consensus, but it is not definitive consensus.
The presenter:
May Allah reward you,
A questioner asks: Is the consensus of the Salaf a proof in itself?
Answer:
Yes. If they reach a consensus, it falls into two categories: definitive consensus, which is when they explicitly state the ruling and agree upon a ruling they explicitly declare. For example, they agreed on the prohibition of zina, the prohibition of khamr, and the prohibition of riba. They agreed on this; there is no room for disagreement. They agreed on the obligation of prayer, zakah, fasting, and Hajj. This is definitive, necessary consensus. As for presumptive consensus, that is when no disagreement appears. If a scholar issues a ruling on an issue and no one is seen to contradict him, that is presumptive consensus. It is presumed to be a consensus, but it is not definitive consensus.
The presenter:
May Allah reward you,
Source
شرح أحاديث في الفتن والحوادث، تابع باب في الفتن 2 — islamhouse.com (44:43)
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.