Did Imam Ahmad (رحمه الله) Report Consensus on Buffalo Sacrifice?
Did Imam Ahmad (may Allah have mercy on him, d. 241 AH) Report a Consensus on the Sacrifice of a Buffalo?
Imam Ahmad (may Allah have mercy on him) was asked on behalf of seven people regarding the sacrifice of a buffalo:
« الجواميس تجزئ عن سبعة؟»
“Can a buffalo suffice for seven?” [Masa’il Ahmad wa Ibn Rahwayh: 8/4027]
To which he replied:
”لا أعرف خلاف هذا“
“I do not know of any disagreement on this.” [Masa’il Ahmad wa Ibn Rahwayh: 8/4027]
By presenting this reply of Imam Ahmad (may Allah have mercy on him), some people claim that Imam Ahmad has also mentioned a consensus (Ijma) on the sacrifice of a buffalo.
It is submitted that:
🟢 First:
Imam Ahmad (may Allah have mercy on him) did not claim an “absence of disagreement” (Adam-e-Khilaf) here; rather, he expressed a “lack of knowledge regarding any disagreement” (Adam al-Ilm bil-Khilaf).
There is a world of difference between the two. In a claim of the “absence of disagreement,” a person asserts with comprehensive research and complete knowledge that no differing opinion exists on the issue.
However, expressing a “lack of knowledge regarding any disagreement” is not a claim at all; it is merely a declaration of one’s own unawareness of any opposing views. Therefore, claiming a consensus based on such words is baseless.
● Imam Ibn Hazm (may Allah have mercy on him, d. 456 AH) states:
« وقد أدخل قوم في الاجماع ما ليس فيه وقوم عدوا قول الاكثر اجماعا وقوم عدوا ما لا يعرفون فيه خلافا اجماعا وان لم يقطعوا على أنه لا خلاف فيه »
“Some people have included in consensus things that do not belong to it. Some considered the opinion of the majority as a consensus, and some considered matters where they knew of no disagreement as a consensus, even though they could not definitively assert that no disagreement existed in it.” [Maratib al-Ijma by Ibn Hazm, p. 3]
● Imam al-Nawawi (may Allah have mercy on him, d. 676 AH) states:
«فإنه قد قال ”لا أعرف فيه خلافا“ ولا يلزم من عدم معرفته عدم الخلاف»
“He has said, ‘I do not know of any disagreement in it,’ and his lack of knowledge does not necessitate the non-existence of disagreement.” [Al-Majmu’ Sharh al-Muhadhdhab 2/ 377]
Shaykh al-Islam Imam Ibn Taymiyyah (may Allah have mercy on him) and his student Imam Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allah have mercy on him) have also clarified this at multiple places. [Majmu’ al-Fatawa, Ed. Hasanayn: 6/282; I’lam al-Muwaqqi’in, Ed. Mashhur: 3/558]
● Ibn Nujaym al-Hanafi (d. 1005 AH) writes:
«قول المجتهد ”لا أعلم مخالفا“ ليس حكاية الإجماع»
“A mujtahid’s statement, ‘I do not know of any opponent,’ is not a narration of consensus.” [Al-Nahr al-Fa’iq Sharh Kanz al-Daqa’iq 1/29]
🟢 Second:
Specifically, when the expression of unawareness regarding a disagreement comes from Imam Ahmad (may Allah have mercy on him), there is absolutely no room to claim a consensus. This is because Imam Ahmad only uses such expressions where the establishment of consensus is not verified. Furthermore, Imam Ahmad was strictly against anyone claiming a consensus merely based on being unaware of a disagreement. Accordingly:
Imam Ahmad (may Allah have mercy on him, d. 241 AH) said:
”من ادعى الاجماع فهو كذب لعل الناس قد اختلفوا هذا دعوى بشر المريسي والاصم ولكن لا يعلم الناس يختلفون اولم يبلغه ذلك ولم ينته اليه فيقول لا يعلم الناس اختلفوا“
“Whoever claims consensus is lying. Perhaps people have differed. This was the claim of Bishr al-Marisi and al-Asamm. But a person might not know that people differed, or the news of it did not reach him, so he should instead say that he does not know if people differed.” [Masa’il Ahmad, narration of ‘Abdullah, Ed. Zuhayr: p. 439]
Now, consider what a great tragedy this is: the very Imam who declared claiming consensus based on a “lack of knowledge of disagreement” to be a “lie”—a claim of consensus is now being made based on his expression of lacking knowledge of a disagreement!
Is this not a deviation from Imam Ahmad’s own clear declarations and a violation of the established principle, “Tafsir al-qawl bima la yarda bihi al-qa’il” (Interpreting a statement in a way the speaker would not approve of)?
🟢 Third:
Here, Imam Ahmad (may Allah have mercy on him) did not express his lack of knowledge regarding disagreement on the “absolute permissibility of a buffalo sacrifice”; rather, he expressed his lack of knowledge regarding disagreement on “the partnership of seven individuals in a buffalo sacrifice,” and there is a major difference between the two.
For example, if a scholar who believes in the Sunnah nature of the Istisqa (rain-seeking) prayer is asked: “How many rak’ahs are Sunnah in the Istisqa prayer?”
And he replies: “All jurists agree that it consists of two Sunnah rak’ahs.”
This cannot mean that he is reporting a consensus of all scholars on the “Istisqa prayer” itself being a Sunnah. Rather, it simply means that this specific issue is unanimously agreed upon strictly among those who hold the Istisqa prayer to be a Sunnah.
● For instance, Imam Ibn al-Qattan writes regarding the Sunnah nature of the Istisqa prayer:
«والصلاة في الاستسقاء عند سائر الفقهاء مسنونة ركعتان»
“And the prayer of Istisqa, according to all jurists, is two Sunnah rak’ahs.” [Al-Iqna’ fi Masa’il al-Ijma’ 1/ 181]
However, this does not mean he reported a consensus on the base Sunnah nature of the Istisqa prayer itself, because Imam Abu Hanifah does not consider the Istisqa prayer to be a Sunnah. Ibn al-Qattan himself wrote right before this passage:
وثبت «أن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم صلى صلاة الاستسقاء وخطب»، وبه قال عوام أهل العلم، إلى أن جاء النعمان فقال: لا صلاة في الاستسقاء؛ وإنما فيه الدعاء.»
“And it is established ‘that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) prayed the Istisqa prayer and delivered a sermon’, and this is the view of the general scholars. Until al-Nu’man (i.e., Imam Abu Hanifah, may Allah have mercy on him) came and said: ‘There is no prayer in Istisqa; rather, it only consists of supplication’.” [Al-Iqna’ fi Masa’il al-Ijma’ 1/ 181]
This clarifies that the consensus reported on the Istisqa prayer being two Sunnah rak’ahs only pertains to those who consider the Istisqa prayer to be a Sunnah. It does not imply a universal consensus on the actual prayer of Istisqa being a Sunnah.
● A second example is the ‘Aqiqah. Consensus is cited on some of its specific rulings, but here too, the agreement on a subsidiary issue refers to those who believe in ‘Aqiqah, and not on the base concept of ‘Aqiqah itself, because Imam Abu Hanifah (may Allah have mercy on him) does not consider ‘Aqiqah to be a Sunnah.
There are many other such examples. From all this, it becomes evident that the disagreement of which Imam Ahmad (may Allah have mercy on him) expressed ignorance in his aforementioned statement does not relate to the absolute sacrifice of a buffalo. Instead, it relates to the partnership of seven individuals for a buffalo, and this pertains exclusively to the group that considers the sacrifice of a buffalo to be permissible. Hence, using this reference in the context of the validity of buffalo sacrifice is disconnected and irrelevant.
In conclusion, the statement quoted from Imam Ahmad (may Allah have mercy on him) in this context is completely unrelated to the core issue. Furthermore, claiming a consensus based on such phrasing goes against Imam Ahmad’s intended meaning and the established principles of consensus (Ijma).
(Kifayatullah Sanabli)
