Naqd Maratib al-Ijma

Naqd Maratib al-Ijma (Critique of the Levels of Consensus) is a legal treatise written by the Hanbali scholar Ibn Taymiyya (d. 728 AH / 1328 CE) that critically examines and refutes numerous claims of consensus (ijma) recorded by the Zahiri scholar Ibn Hazm (d. 456 AH / 1064 CE) in his compendium Maratib al-Ijma Naqd Maratib al-Ijma+1.

Purpose and Methodology

In Maratib al-Ijma, Ibn Hazm sought to compile rulings on which Muslim scholars were unanimously agreed and to separate them from disputed issues Naqd Maratib al-Ijma. He laid down stringent theoretical criteria for valid consensus, defining it as knowledge wherein no dispute exists among any Muslim scholars and asserting that anyone who knowingly rejects such an established consensus is declared an unbeliever Naqd Maratib al-Ijma+1. Ibn Hazm equated certainty in consensus with necessary, indisputable knowledge comparable to mass-transmitted historical reports (mutawatir) Naqd Maratib al-Ijma+1.

Ibn Taymiyya wrote Naqd Maratib al-Ijma to evaluate these claims systematically across jurisprudence and theological points Naqd Maratib al-Ijma+1. While acknowledging Ibn Hazm’s vast erudition and noting that the majority of the consensus points he cited were indeed non-controversial, Ibn Taymiyya demonstrated that Ibn Hazm repeatedly cited consensus on issues where well-known disagreements (khilaf ma'ruf) actually existed among early jurists Al-Ara al-Fiqhiyya al-Mua…+1. In certain cases, Ibn Taymiyya highlighted that Ibn Hazm had himself adopted views contrary to the consensus he asserted in Maratib al-Ijma Al-Ara al-Fiqhiyya al-Mua…+1.

Key Arguments and Critiques

Ibn Taymiyya traced the flaws in Ibn Hazm's work to two primary epistemological premises: claiming exhaustive knowledge of all scholars' views where such encompassing knowledge is impossible (da'wa al-ihatah bi-ma la yumkin al-ihatah bih), and asserting that only such exhaustive consensus is authoritative Al-Ara al-Fiqhiyya al-Mua…+1. According to Ibn Taymiyya, claiming complete certainty that no disputant exists in subtle or obscure matters constitutes speaking without knowledge, which was why early authorities such as Ahmad ibn Hanbal strongly cautioned against claiming definitive consensus in such areas Jami al-Masail - Ibn Taym…. Ibn Taymiyya argued that the sound practice of the early scholars was instead to rely on consensus in the sense of having no known opposing opinion ('adam al-'ilm bi-l-munazi') Jami al-Masail - Ibn Taym….

Throughout the work, Ibn Taymiyya goes through Ibn Hazm's statements on various legal topics—such as ritual purity, prayer, financial transactions, and theological questions—citing the specific dissenting views of early jurists and Companions to overturn Ibn Hazm's assertions of unanimity Jami al-Masail - Ibn Taym…+1.

Transmission and Publication

The work is frequently preserved and published alongside or in the margins of Ibn Hazm's Maratib al-Ijma Naqd Maratib al-Ijma+1. It is also preserved in collections of Ibn Taymiyya's shorter treatises, such as Jami' al-Masa'il Jami al-Masail - Ibn Taym…+1. Later biographical sources mention related critiques of Ibn Hazm's consensus under titles such as Sharh Maratib al-Ijma or Istidrakat 'ala Ibn Hazm, with discussions among bibliographers regarding similar writings by Hanbali scholars who transmitted and defended Ibn Taymiyya's legal choices al-Madhhab al-Hanbali Dir….