Ijma
/ɪdʒˈmɑː/noun
In Islamic jurisprudence, ijma is the consensus of qualified Muslim scholars on a legal or theological question.
Did you know?Ijma is traditionally regarded in Sunni Islamic legal theory as one of the major sources of law, alongside the Qur’an and prophetic Sunnah.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Semitic
Proto-Semitic
*ǵ-m-ʿ
“Reconstructed root meaning “to gather” or “bring together.””
Classical Arabic
Arabic
جَمَعَ (jamaʿa)
“To gather, collect, assemble, or unite.”
Classical Arabic
Arabic
إِجْمَاع (ijmāʿ)
“Agreement, unanimous decision, or the coming together of scholarly judgment.”
8th–10th Century
Arabic
ijmāʿ
“A developing technical term in Islamic jurisprudence for scholarly consensus as legal authority.”
20th Century
English
ijma
“An English transliteration used in academic and religious writing for Islamic scholarly consensus.”