How can Ibn Taymiyyah's consensus on the Earth's sphericity be reconciled with Al-Qurtubi's consensus on its standstill and immobility? And is consensus considered authoritative in such matters?

Al-Qurtubi transmitted a consensus on the Earth's stillness and fixity, not on its sphericity, based on the verse: "And it is He who extended the earth," which he interpreted as being spread out in length and width. Al-Qurtubi relied on the statements of some theologians, such as Al-Baghdadi, in his transmission of this consensus.

In contrast, Ibn Taymiyyah believed that the heavens and the Earth are spherical, and he cited a consensus among Muslim scholars, such as Ibn Al-Munadi, Ibn Hazm, and Ibn Al-Jawzi, to this effect, basing his view on religious texts and mathematical evidence. He considered those who denied this to be ignorant or to have confused the matter in debate.

Denying the sphericity of the Earth is considered an erroneous view, as the scholars who affirmed its sphericity predated Al-Qurtubi.

Dr. Othman Ali Hassan believes that the statements of the Sunnis regarding cosmic matters are in agreement, while the statements of others are confused and without knowledge. He also believes that Al-Baghdadi's statement about the Earth's stillness and fixity is not supported by reason or transmitted texts; rather, it resembles myths, and that most theologians on these matters speak without knowledge, reason, or religious texts.