Hakikat Kitabevi Publications No: 10 answer to an enemy of islam

Tawfiq al-hukkâm. Somebody, not knowing the fact
that there is disagreement on the matter and that there are
various points of view, just says that there is ijmâ’, and
others convey this. It is incorrect to think that truth will
always be on the side of the majority. 
‘No matter how
heartily you wish, the majority of the people will still not
believe you,’ declares Sûra Yûsuf.”
In this passage, the religion reformer clearly reveals his
ignorance and the fact that he is an enemy of the Ahl as-Sunna.
His saying that the Hanafî madhhab is the unification of the
ijtihâds of the three imâms shows that he knows nothing of ’ilm al-
usûl al-fiqh. The evidences which he puts forward, thinking with
his short sight that they are proofs, are quite irrelevant. We shall
say shortly that the methods (usûl) and principles (qawâ’id) of the
Hanafî madhhab were established by al-Imâm al-a’zam Abû
Hanîfa (rahmatullâhi ’alaih). Imâm Abû Yûsuf (d. 182/798) and
Imâm Muhammad ash-Shaibânî (d. 189/804) were al-Imâm al-
a’zam’s disciples. Educating and training them for many years like
hundreds of his other disciples, he enabled them to reach the
grade of ijtihâd. These two and many other mujtahids who were
their friends measured what they had learned from their master
– 48 –

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with the methods and principles they had learned again from their
master, and they gave different fatwâs on the new cases they
encountered. Since the fatwâs of these two imâms have not been
unified in the Hanafî madhhab, there is no question of the talfîq
of them. In the Hanafî madhhab, al-Imâm al-a’zam’s words
should be acted upon. In those matters on which he has no ijtihâd,
Imâm Abû Yûsuf’s ijtihâd is to be acted upon. If this cannot be
found, either, Imâm Muhammad’s ijtihâd should be acted upon.
Only in indispensable (darûra) situations it is permissible to
change this succession or to unify the two. For example,
concerning the liability to sacrifice sheep during the ’Iyd of
Qurbân
[1]
(’Îd al-adhâ), a person who cannot meet his needs and
debts with the rents he gets is considered poor according to Imâm
Muhammad, while, according to the Shaikh’ain (al-Imâm al-
a’zam and Imâm Abû Yûsuf), he is considered rich. If such a
person does not sacrifice a sheep or give the fitra,
[2]
he will escape
the sin according to Imâm Muhammad. If he gives the fitra and
sacrifices a sheep, he will get the thawâb of a wâjib according to
the Shaikh’ain. He who does something which is not wâjib for him
will get only the thawâb of a supererogatory (nâfila) ’ibâda, but
not the thawâb of a wâjib. The thawâb of a wâjib is much greater
than this. As it is seen, the difference in ijtihâds is Allâhu ta’âlâ’s
Mercy upon Muslims. It is not talfîq to unite the ijtihâds of the
imâms belonging to one madhhab. It does not show that talfîq is
permissible.