Jumhur

Jumhur means the majority: most scholars, or most of the established schools, holding one view against a real minority.

What it means for me: The word tells you one thing clearly: more scholars hold this view than the alternative. It does not mean the question is closed, and it does not put the minority outside real scholarship. Seeing the word at all is itself a sign that a genuine difference exists.

Example: An answer says the majority held one view, while some scholars held another. That single sentence tells you two things: which view has wider support, and that a real difference exists on the question.

Do not confuse with: Ijma, consensus. Ijma is agreement with no dissenting scholar at all; jumhur is a majority that still leaves a real minority standing.

If scholars differ: Scholars sometimes differ on who counts within the majority for a specific question. One writer may count schools of law; another may count individual scholars across them. The difference is named here as a difference and not decided; the mufti is the reference.