Ibn Tumart's concept of the "amara" (sign/indicator) - which we clearly see in the examples he provided in his explanation of the amara, including: the setting of the sun for prayer and the sighting of the moon for fasting. And the justice of the witness for the acceptance of his testimony, and the acceptance of testimony in stipulated judgments. We also see it more clearly in his statement: "The legislator can make a ruling conditional on an amara and on something other than an amara, with a perceptible and definitive amara, and on something imperceptible." He also refers to the causes of rulings within what he indicates.

It is clear from the foregoing that Al-Mahdi had prior knowledge of the concept of the amara through the writings of Al-Ghazali or other Usuliyyun (jurists specializing in legal theory). However, he matured this idea, clarified it, and coined the term "amara," which he may have derived from the word "alamah" (sign/mark) used by Al-Ghazali generally for the legal cause (illa) in its capacity as a reason for the ruling, as we have seen. Al-Mahdi chose this term over "shart" (condition) used by Al-Bazdawi and "sabab" (cause) used by Al-Ghazali, because the word "amara" is devoid of any causal meaning in any sense. This perfectly aligns with the purpose for which the concept of the amara was employed, which is the independence of the origin (asl) in necessitating the ruling, and the negation of any other factor having an influence on it. This application of the concept of the amara, along with the explanation it necessitated of the relationship between the three parties: the origin, the amara, and the ruling, can be considered manifestations of innovation and originality.

The means of establishing the origin (4 - Tawatur): The origins of rulings for Al-Mahdi, as we have seen, were confined to definitive origins from the Book (Quran) and the Sunnah and consensus. These origins are of a narrative nature, and it is not possible for us to grasp...

The most sought-after: - Ibn Tumart (112) Same source: (113) Same source and page. A commentator attributed to Al-Mahdi the statement: "The amara is of two types: definitive and speculative. The definitive is like the crescent moon and its sighting being an amara for fasting, and like the setting of the sun and its sighting being an amara for prayer. And the speculative is like testimony and the reports of individuals (ahad)."

See what relates to the amara with Al-Mahdi: Goldziher, Muhammad ibn Tumart: (115) Principles of Al-Mahdi Ibn Tumart - Brøndsted.

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