Why should other reputable and outstanding figures whose...

Why should other reputable and outstanding figures whose commitment and devotion were beyond all doubt have been excluded from making a decision that was to have such far-reaching consequences for the fate of the Islamic ummah? Why should they submit unconditionally to a decision reached by others? ( 231 ) What proof is there for the legitimacy of such a procedure? Why should a historical event of this type constitute a legitimate or binding precedent?

A procedure of this type can be regarded as legitimate only if it is explicitly designated as such in the Qur'an or the Sunnah in the sense of the verse in…