Dought & clear - Does the consensus of the people of Madinah constitute shar‘i proof?

I have heard that Imam Maalik used to regard the consensus of the
people of Madinah as binding proof. Is this correct? If that is the
case, then is it regarded as binding proof for the entire ummah?
Praise be to Allah.
Imam Maalik (may Allah have mercy on him) was highly focused on the
actions of the people of Madinah and regarded that as proof in the
religion of Allah and thatit was not permissible to go against their
jamaa'ah. He wrote to al-Layth ibn Sa'd (may Allah have mercy on him)
saying:
"The people should follow the example of the people of Madinah. The
Hijrah (migration of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon
him)) was to Madinah; in that city Qur'an was revealed, what is halaal
was declared to be halaal and what is haraam was declared to be
haraam. The Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon
him) lived among them and they were present when Revelation came down.
He commanded them and they obeyed him; heshowed them the way and they
followed him, until Allah took his soul and chose for him that which
is with Him. May peace and blessings and mercy of Allah be upon him.
Then after him came those among his ummahwho most closely followed his
way of those who were appointed to positions of authority after him.
Whatever knowledge they had of what was revealed to him, they
implemented it, and whatever they did not have knowledge of, theyasked
about it and discussed it with others, then they based their
conclusion on the strongest opinion that they were able to reach and
they were very closeto the time of the Prophet (sa). If someone
differed with them, or someone else had stronger and sounder evidence,
they would give up their opinion and follow the other. Then the
Taabi'een cameafter them and followed in their footsteps.
If a certain practice was widely followed in Madinah, I [Imam Maalik]
do not think anyone has the right to differ from it, because ofwhat
they have inherited and their unique situation that no one else can
claim to have. If any other city claimed that this practice originated
in their city, and that they grew up with it and it was the practice
of their predecessors, there could be no certainty that this practice
is sound and they cannot make the same claims as the people of
Madinah.
End quote fromTarteeb al-Madaarikby al-Qaadi 'Iyaad, 1/10
Secondly:
What Imam Maalik (may Allah have mercy on him) was referring to was
the practice of the people of Madinah that they handed down from one
generation to another, and their old practices from the time of the
Sahaabah (may Allah be pleased with him), that were followedby the
people who cameafter them. As for their practices after that time and
their differences with the people of othercities with regard to issues
that could only be worked out on the basis of ijtihaad, Imam Maalik
did not regard that as evidence that it is not permissible to differ
from; rather at best it might support an argument. However, the later
Maalikis differed from him on this matter.
Al-Qaadi 'Abd al-Wahhaab ibn 'Ali al-Maaliki (may Allah have mercy on
him) said:The consensus of the people of Madinah based on what they
narrated from the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him)
constitutes proof that it is haraam to go against. As for their
consensus on matters that were worked out bymeans of ijtihaad, there
is a difference of scholarly opinion as to whether it constitutes
evidence. The correct opinion in our view is that we may regard it as
more likely to be correct than other views, but it is not haraam to
differ from it.
End quote fromal-Ma'oona 'ala Madhhab'Aalim al-Madinah, 2/607
Al-Baaji (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
That is because Maalik relied on the views and practices of the people
of Madinah, and regarded them as proof if these practices were based
on narrations, such as the issue of the adhaan, not reciting the
phrase "Bismillah ir-Rahmaan ir-Raheem" out loud in the prayer, the
issue of the saa' (a unit of measurement), not giving zakaah on
vegetables, and other issues that were learned from narrations and
reports and were widelypractised in Madinah in a manner that could not
be hidden, and was transmitted in such a way that it became binding
proof and left no excuse.
End quote fromIhkaam al-Fusool, 1/468
He also said (1/488):
With regard to what they reached by means of ijtihaad and working it
out, there is no difference between the views of the scholars of
Madinah and the views of other scholars, that the strongest view is
that which is based on the strongest evidence. Hence Maalik differed
with the people of Madinah concerning a number of issues.
This is the view of Maalikconcerning this matter, and it is also the
view of some of our companions, such as AbuBakr al-Abhari and others.
It is also the viewof Abu Bakr, Ibn al-Qassaar and Abu Tamaam, and it
is the correct view.
A number of those who followed the Maaliki madhhab but did not examine
this issue fully thought that the consensus of the people of Madinah
constituted proof even in issues that are based on ijtihaad. End
quote.
Shaykh al-Islam (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
The practice of the people of Madinah that was based on
narrationsconstitutes proof according to the consensus of the Muslims,
as Maalik said to Abu Yoosuf, when he asked him about the saa'and the
mudd (units of measurement), and Maalik instructed the people of
Madinah to bring out their saa's, andthey told him that they had
learned this from their predecessors. Maalik said: Do you thinkthey
are lying, O Abu Yoosuf? He said: No, by Allah they are not lying.
And Allah knows best.

Muslim Friends Stories: Mayonnaise and the Coffee

When things in your life seem almost too much to handle, when 24 hours
in a day are not enough, remember the mayonnaise jar...and the
coffee...
A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in
front of him. When the class began, wordlessly, he picked up a very
large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf
balls.
He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it
was. So the professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them
into the jar. He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles rolled into the
open areas between the golf balls. He then asked the students again if
the jar was full. They agreed it was.
The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar.
Of course, the sand filled up everything else. He asked once more if
the jar was full. The students responded with a unanimous "yes."
The professor then produced two cups of coffee from under the table
and poured the entire contents into the jar, effectively filling the
empty space between thesand. The students laughed.
"Now," said the professor, as the laughtersubsided, "I want you to
recognize that this jar represents your life. The golf balls are the
important things, your God, family, your children, your health, your
friends, and your favorite passions things that if everything else was
lost and only they remained, your life would still be full.
The pebbles are the otherthings that matter like your job, your house,
andyour car. The sand is everything else the small stuff.
"If you put the sand into the jar first," he continued, "there is no
room for the pebbles or the golf balls. The same goes for life. If you
spendall your time and energy on the small stuff, you will never have
room for the things that are important. Pay attention to the things
that are critical to your happiness.Play with your children. Take care
of the golf ballsfirst, the things that really matter. Set your
priorities. The rest is just sand."
One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the coffee represented.
The professor smiled."I'm glad you asked. It just goes to show you
that nomatter how full your life may seem, there's always room for a
couple of cupsof coffee with a friend." Please share this with someone
you care about.

Islam and Friends: Three Cows (Muslim Friends Stories)

There was a green and fresh pasture, in which three cows lived, a
white cow, a black cow and a reddish-brown one. The cows were kind to
each other. They were nice to each other. They used to graze in the
meadow together. and they used to sleep near each other.
Till it happened one day, the reddish-brown colored lion of the forest
happened to pass that way. The lion was unhappy. It was hungry, and
was looking for a prey. On catching sight ofthe cows it became glad,
but couldn't attack them, because they were together. So, the lion sat
in a corner and waited till the cows would separate from each other.
The cows were together and wouldn't part away from each other,
becausethey knew that if they were together, no predator could attack
them.
The lion lay in ambush nearby for two or three days. But the cows
continued to remain together, and wouldn't separate from each other.
The lion became unhappy.
A plan occurred to it. It went towards the cows, greeted them and
said:"How are you my friends? Are you fine? I have beenremembering you
for a long time, but because I am too busy, I can't cometo you and ask
about your health.
Today I said to myself:"Anyhow I should come and see you from near and
visit you."
The reddish-brown cow said: "Sir, your coming has really pleased us
and"brightened our pasture."
The lion said: "I have always remembered you, and have even ordered a
better pasture made ready for you."
The reddish-brown cow said:
"Sir, you have really obliged us and we are very thankful to you."
Both the white and the black cows were troubled by what their friend,
the reddish-brown cow said, and were grieved at its thoughtlessness.
They feared lest it should be deceived.
They said to each other:"Which forest has not got a better pasture? -
Why does the reddish-brown cow believe what the lion says? - Doesn't
it know that lions seek other animals only to prey on them?
The reddish-brown cow became more and more aclose friend of the lion
each day. The black cow and the white cow advised it as much as they
could, but with no avail.
One day the lion said to the reddish-brown cow:"You know that the
color of our bodies is dark and that the color of the bodyof the white
cow is light, and you also know that the light color is the opposite
of the dark color. It would be very good if I eat the white cow, so
that there will beno difference among us any longer and that we will
be able to live together well."
The reddish-brown cow accepted the saying of the selfish lion and
started talking to the black cow to keep it busy, so that the lion
could eat the white cow with more ease. The white cow was left alone
and was killed, while the black and the reddish-brown cows were busy
with idle talks.
Two or three days passedsince the lion had devoured the white cow. The
lion, angry and uneasy, was lying in a corner, and the reddish-brown
cow was moving around the lion and grazing. The lion called the
reddish-brown cow. The cow answered: "Yes sir!"
The lion said: "The color of my body and the color of your body are
reddish-brown, and black does not go with our color. It will be very
good if I eat the black cow, so that in this forest we all will be of
the same color." The reddish-brown cow accepted and moved away from
the black cow.
The lion attacked and devoured the black cow, too. And as for the
reddish-brown cow, it was so filled with joy thatit didn't know what
to do. It roamed and grazedand said to itself:"It is only me who has
the color of the lion..."
A few days passed since the black cow had been devoured by the lion.
Thelion roared and said. "O the reddish-brown cow! Where are you?"
The reddish-brown cow, shaking with fear, went forward and said: "Yes sir!"
The lion said: "Today it is your turn, get yourself ready, I am going
to eat you."
The reddish-brown cow, with great fear and horror said: "Why sir, I am
your friend. I did whatever you said. So why do you want to eat me?"
The lion roared and said:"Friend of a friendless"! How is it possible
that a lion makes friendship with a cow?"
No matter how much the reddish-brown cow begged and entreated, the
lion didn't accept its words.
The lion attacked the cow.
The cow said: "Mr. Lion, please allow me to cry out three times before
you eat me."
The lion said: "Quickly, quickly!"
The reddish-brown cow cried out: "I was eaten the very day the white
cow was eaten. I was eaten the very day the black cow was eaten. I was
eaten the very day I made.... with you".
The lion devoured the reddish-brown cow very quickly. Then it said to
itself: "I have finished my job in this forest. Now I had better go to
other forests."

Darwinists are terrifiedand baffled by the worldthat arises in our brains

This was again clearly demonstrated on the program Sansursuz
(Uncensored), broadcast on 14 August, 2009. The concept that panicked
Darwinists was the "world inside our brains:"
The photon strikes the eye, and an electric signal goes from the eye
to the brain. The electric signal departs from the eye and reaches an
area the size of a lentil called the sight center. And an image then
forms in thatlentil-sized area. THERE ISAN EYE that looks at the image
that forms there. IT IS "THAT" EYE THAT IS ACTUALLY PERFECT. That eye
sees the electricity that reaches it. And with a perception of perfect
depth, brightly, vividly, in movement, full color and in three
dimensions.Yet that region is pitch black. The places the electric
signals arrive at, the sight center, and the interior of the brain are
all in darkness. Yet the eye there sees a perfect and crystal clear
image, a far better one than that produced by any high-tech
television. Andit interprets these images in such a way as to feel
sorrow, joy, love and liking, or to analyze,remember or learn from
them.
There is a miracle going on here.
Atoms that are unable tosee cannot combine together, unconsciously and
by chance, to produce a visual system that gives a better imagethen
even the most perfect camera and that provides a sharper and more
colorful image than those produced by the most highly advanced
three-dimensional cinema or television systems.
Unconscious atoms with no ability to hear anything cannot produce a
hearing system, as the result of chance, that is far superior to that
of the most advanced stereo system, with perfectly sharp and
multi-dimensional sounds indistinguishable from the real thing.
Atoms that cannot smell anything cannot produce a system of smell that
detects the perfume of a rose under the influence of chance.
Unconscious atoms with no sense of hot, cold or hardness cannot
produce a sense of touchas the result of chance.
Unconscious atoms unaware of their own existence cannot turn bychance
into human beings that enjoy music, know the tastes of all kinds of
food, have memories, think and feel, that make plans, relive their
memories in their minds, enjoy laughter and happy times and possess
hundreds of other such characteristics, or even turn into scientists
that investigate the structure of the atoms itself.
The eye that sees the bright, mobile and threedimensional world on the
outside in the brain IS THE SOUL. The soul is entirely metaphysical
and cannot be explainedthrough any material concept. For that
reason,materialists, atheists andDarwinists who seek to account for
the existence of the soul andeverything else in terms of matter are in
a state of utter panic. The soul bestowed on man by Almighty Allah
totally demolishes Darwinism and every intellectual system espoused by
Darwinists. That is why, as on the program in question, Darwinists are
unwilling to discuss suchissues and immediately try to gloss over
them. One expects them to run away from the issue. Because they will
alwaysbe defeated in the face of the perfection of the eye that sees
inside our brains that Allah has created.