Ali Ibn Abi Talib - Volume 1 of 2

476 Financial andjudiciay institutions at the time of 'Ali
known at the time of the Prophet; this came to be regarded as the
third source or reference point after the Qur'an and Sunnah. As it
was not always possible to gather the Companions for the
purpose of consultation and reaching consensus on a certain
issue, for various reasons, the Companions began to issue fatwas
and verdicts based on individual opinions. They relied on the
Qur'an and Sunnah in their individual and collective opinions,
and they relied on deep understanding of the aims of Sharia,
which seek to ward off evil and achieve interests. For matters on
which there were no clear texts, they derived rulings on the basis
of the spirit of the texts, not on their apparent or literal meaning.
They used analogy from the time of the Messenger (g); this is
the fourth reference point of the legislation and comes after
consensus in status, even though it was known before it."
These are the sources on which the Rightly Guided Caliphs
and the noble Companions relied:
1. The noble Qur'an, which is the main foundation, the fount of
wisdom, the miracle of the message, the guide for eyes and
insight. There is no way to Allah (&) except through it.
2. The Sunnah, which is what was transmitted from the Prophet
(g) via sound chains of narration.
3. Consensus, which must be based on a text of the Qur'an or
Sunnah, or analogy.
4. Analogy.
The Rightly Guided Caliphs and the noble Companions (may
Allah be pleased with them) developed rulings on new issues on the
basis of interests to which attention must be paid or harms that must
be protected against. Their conclusions on issues for which there is
no text were broad in scope and paid attention to the people's needs
and interests."