Qadi Azd Eiji says in Mawaqif:1
“The third objective in explaining points, through which imamate is proved:
Imamate according to consensus of all, is through declaration and clarification of
Prophet and the preceding imam. Imamate is also proved through allegiance of
people of the say (influential persons). But Shia oppose us in this matter and our
reasoning in this claim is proof of imamate of Abu Bakr through allegiance.”
He has also written:
“Know that if imamate is decided by selection and allegiance there is no
need of consensus of people of say, because we do not have any logical reasoning
for that; on the contrary only one or two persons from people of the say are
sufficient (for the proof of imamate).
Because we know that companions, in spite of having stability in religion,
were content with this much only; like the selection of Abu Bakr by Umar and
selection of Uthman by Abdur Rahman bin Auf and they did not take consensus
of people of Medina, what to say about consensus of whole Ummah. No one
raised any objection against them, and the same practice continued in different
periods of time till our age.”
Commentators on the book like Sharif Jurjani, Mulla Hasan Chalpi, Shaykh
Masud Sherwani have also supported this statement.2 Imam Ibne Arabi Maliki
has written in Sharh Sahih Tirmidhi:3
“In pledge of allegiance for Imam, it is not necessary that it should be from
all the people; on the contrary two or one person is sufficient. Although this issue
is debated.”
Qurtubi’s statement
Qurtubi has written in his book of Tafseer:4
“If one person from the people of the say deems imamate in a person; his
imamate will be established and it will be obligatory on others to accept it. Some
people have opposed this viewpoint and said: Imamate is not established, except
through a group of people of the say. Our reasoning is that Umar alone
established the pledge of allegiance of Abu Bakr and no one from the
companions opposed it…”5
Allamah Amini says: In that case, the opposition of Abdullah bin Umar,
Usamah bin Zaid, Saad bin Abi Waqqas, Abu Musa Ashari, Abu Masud Ansari,
Hassan bin Thabit, Mughira bin Shaibah, Muhammad bin Muslima and some
others, whom Uthman had appointed for collection of taxes etc. what was their
excuse from not giving allegiance to Ameerul Momineen (a.s.) after the
consensus of Ummah upon it?
What excuse do they offer for their shortcoming in obedience to him in
battles, who among the companions became famous as Mutazila, because they
kept away from paying allegiance to Ali (a.s.).6