The reality of the origin in Sharia is: "Everything that is established from the hearing, which is the Book and the Sunnah, and the consensus by the definitively proven origin, which is mutawatir (mass transmission)." This definition implies that the intended meaning of the origin is the source from which rulings are taken and to which they are referred. This is an expression used by the Usuliyyun (jurists specializing in legal theory) with this meaning, with differences in specifying the individuals of the origin by addition and subtraction. Some considered a source like Qiyas (analogy) to be among the individuals of the origin, while others did not.

This is exemplified by what Ali bin Muhammad al-Bazdawi (died 482 AH / 1089 AD) stipulated in his Usul (principles), saying: "Know that the origins of Sharia are three: the Book, the Sunnah, and the consensus. The fourth origin is Qiyas in the sense derived from these origins."

Ibn Tumart specified the individuals of the Sharia origin to be three: the Quran, the Hadith, and the consensus, and excluded Qiyas, which most Usuliyyun include with it, even if it is given a later rank than its rank, as al-Bazdawi did. With this specification, the Mahdi has limited the evidence for rulings to the text, because consensus refers back to it, and excluded reason from being a source of Sharia ruling in any way. He further restricted the text by limiting it to what is established by way of mutawatir, thus excluding any possibility that a ruling might be based on something other than the primary source. This strict definition of the origins of rulings reflects the Mahdi's call for direct connection to the Quran and Hadith, and the rulings derived from them, and for them to be the guardians of people's lives.

Since the origins of rulings are defined in this manner, their detailed breakdown becomes ten origins, falling under those general origins, which are: the command of Allah, His Prophet, His report in the sense of command, His report in the sense of prohibition, the command of the Messenger, his prohibition, his report in the sense of command, his report in the sense of prohibition, his action, and his tacit approval. Consensus is not singled out because it falls under the command according to the Almighty's saying: "Obey Allah and obey the Messenger and those in authority among you" (An-Nisa: 59).