From
Allah's mercy and kindness to His servants and from His favor upon them
is that He sent to them a Messenger from amongst themselves to convey
to them the Message from their Lord and to guide them to everything that
benefits them and to warn them from everything that harms them. And
indeed the Prophet (pbuh) fulfilled his duty of conveying the Message in
the most complete and perfect of manners - so he directed his ummah
towards every good and he warned them against every evil. Allah chose,
for accompanying him and taking knowledge from him, a people who are the
best of this nation, which is itself the best of all nations. So Allah
honored them by allowing them to accompany His Prophet. And He
particularized them in this worldly life with seeing him and hearing his
hadith directly from his noble mouth. This is the bounty of Allah,
which He
bestows upon whom He wills. And Allah possesses the greatest of
bounties.
And indeed the Companions conveyed from Allah's Messenger (pbuh) that which he was sent with from guidance, in the most complete and perfect form. So they will have the greatest of rewards due to their companionship of Allah's Messenger (pbuh), their fighting in Jihad alongside him and their noble actions in spreading Islam.
And they will also have the same reward as those who come after them, since they serve as the intermediaries between them and Allah's Messenger (pbuh). This is because:
"Whoever calls towards guidance, he will have a reward like that of the reward earned by those who practice that guidance after him. And it will not detract anything away from their reward." [Sahîh Hadîth: Reported by Muslim (2674), Abu Dawûd (4609), At-Tirmidhî (2676), Ibn Mâjah (206) and others]
This has been established on the Prophet (pbuh) in a hadith reported by Muslim in his Sahih. Allah has praised them in His Mighty Book and the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) has praised them in his purified Sunnah. And this is enough for them as a virtue and honor.
And indeed the Companions conveyed from Allah's Messenger (pbuh) that which he was sent with from guidance, in the most complete and perfect form. So they will have the greatest of rewards due to their companionship of Allah's Messenger (pbuh), their fighting in Jihad alongside him and their noble actions in spreading Islam.
And they will also have the same reward as those who come after them, since they serve as the intermediaries between them and Allah's Messenger (pbuh). This is because:
"Whoever calls towards guidance, he will have a reward like that of the reward earned by those who practice that guidance after him. And it will not detract anything away from their reward." [Sahîh Hadîth: Reported by Muslim (2674), Abu Dawûd (4609), At-Tirmidhî (2676), Ibn Mâjah (206) and others]
This has been established on the Prophet (pbuh) in a hadith reported by Muslim in his Sahih. Allah has praised them in His Mighty Book and the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) has praised them in his purified Sunnah. And this is enough for them as a virtue and honor.
Allah says:
"And the foremost to embrace Islâm of the Muhajirin and the Ansar and also those who followed them in goodness, Allah is pleased with them and they are pleased with Him. Allah has prepared for them gardens under which rivers flow (Paradise) to dwell therein forever. That is the supreme success." [Surah At-Tawbah: 100]
And He says:
"Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah. And those who are with him are severe against the disbelievers, merciful towards one another. You can see them bowing and prostrating (in prayer), seeking Bounty from Allah and (His) Good Pleasure. Their marks (of Faith) are on their faces (foreheads) from the traces of prostration. This is their description in the Torah. But their description in the Gospel is like that of a cultivated seed, which sends forth its shoot, then makes it strong and becomes thick, and it stands straight on its stem, pleasing the farmers, that he may enrage the disbelievers with them. Allah has promised those among them who believe and do good deeds, forgiveness and a mighty reward." [Surah Al-Fath: 29]
In Allah's saying concerning the Sahabah:"that he may enrage the disbelievers with them", there is found the severest ruling, the harshest threat and the worst of warnings for those who are enraged by the Sahâbah or those who have some hatred for them in their hearts.
Allah says:
” Not equal among you are those who spent and fought before the Victory (Treaty of Hudaybiyah) [i.e. they are not equal to those who came after the Victory]. They are higher in degree than those who spent and fought (in Allah's Cause) afterward. But to all, Allah has promised the best reward. And Allah is All-Aware of what you do." [Surah Al-Hadid: 10]
Concerning the distribution of war-booty, Allah says:
"(And there is also a share in this booty) for the poor emigrants who were expelled from their homes and properties, seeking bounties from Allah and looking to please Him, and helping Allah and His Messenger. These are the truthful ones.
And (it is also) for those who before them, had homes (in Madinah) and then accepted the Faith (Islam). They are the ones who love those who migrated to them, and they have no jealousy in their hearts for that which they (Muhajirin) have been given (of booty from Banu Nadir). Instead, they give them preference over themselves even though they had more of a need for it than them. And whoever guards himself from his own miserliness, then these will be the successful.
And those who come after them say: 'Our Lord! Forgive us and our brothers who preceded us in Faith. And put not in our hearts any hatred against those who have believed. Our Lord, You are indeed full of kindness, most Merciful.'" [Surah Al-Hashr: 8-10]
The first of these three ayat from Surat Al-Hashr is in reference to the Muhajirin (the Sahabah who migrated from Makkah to Madinah). The second ayah refers to the Ansar (the Sahabah who resided in Madinah and who helped and took in the Muhâjirîn). The third ayah refers to those who will come after the Muhajirin and the Ansar, and who seek Allah's forgiveness for them, and ask Allâh not to put hatred in their hearts for them. And there is nothing beyond these three groups except for one who deserts (them) and falls into one of the traps of the Devil. This is why'? Aishah (ra) told 'Urwah Ibn Az-Zubair concerning the condition of some of those who deserted and were forsaken:
"They were commanded to seek forgiveness for the Companions of Allâh's Messenger, but they (instead) reviled them."
Imam
Muslim transmitted this report in the last part of his Sahih. An-Nawawi
said in his explanation of it, after mentioning the ayah in Surah
Al-Hashr: "Imam Malik used this as proof for his ruling that the one who
reviles the Sahabah has no right to the war-booty. This is because
Allah only made it for those who seek forgiveness for them from amongst
those who come after them."
Ibn Kathir said in his tafsir of this ayah:
"How great is the ruling that Imam Malik derived from this ayah, in that the Rafidi - the one who reviles the Companions - has no portion of the wealth from the war-booty, due to his lack of characterizing himself with the attributes of those whom Allah has praised in His saying: 'Our Lord! Forgive us and our brothers who have preceded us in Faith. And put not in our hearts any hatred against those who have believed. Our Lord, You are indeed full of kindness, most Merciful.'"
The Prophet (pbuh) said: "The best of mankind is my generation, then those that come after them, then those that come after them." [Sahîh Hadîth: Reported by Al-Bukhârî and Muslim from the hadîth of Ibn Mas'ûd. Many Companions narrated this hadîth, amongst them 'Imrân Ibn Husayn and An-Nu'mân Ibn Bashîr. See As-Sahîhah of Imâm Al-Albânî: (699-700)].
Ibn Kathir said in his tafsir of this ayah:
"How great is the ruling that Imam Malik derived from this ayah, in that the Rafidi - the one who reviles the Companions - has no portion of the wealth from the war-booty, due to his lack of characterizing himself with the attributes of those whom Allah has praised in His saying: 'Our Lord! Forgive us and our brothers who have preceded us in Faith. And put not in our hearts any hatred against those who have believed. Our Lord, You are indeed full of kindness, most Merciful.'"
The Prophet (pbuh) said: "The best of mankind is my generation, then those that come after them, then those that come after them." [Sahîh Hadîth: Reported by Al-Bukhârî and Muslim from the hadîth of Ibn Mas'ûd. Many Companions narrated this hadîth, amongst them 'Imrân Ibn Husayn and An-Nu'mân Ibn Bashîr. See As-Sahîhah of Imâm Al-Albânî: (699-700)].
Muslim
reported it on the authority of Abu Hurairah with the wording: "The best
among my nation (ummah) is the generation I was sent to - then those
that come after them, then those that come after them." Allah knows best
if he mentioned the third or not. Muslim also reported it from '?
Aishah that she said: "A man once asked the Prophet: 'Which people are
the best?' So he responded: 'The generation of people that I am in (now,
then the second (generation), then the third’.'"
Messenger of
Allah (pbuh) said:
"There will come upon the people a time in which a group of people will fight, and it will be said: 'Is there anyone amongst you who accompanied Allâh's Messenger?' (I.e. the Sahabah) They will reply 'Yes' and so they will be given victory. Then there will come upon the people a time in which a group of people will fight, and it will be said: 'Is there anyone amongst you who accompanied the Companions of Allah's Messenger?' (I.e. The Tabieen) They will reply 'Yes' and so they will be given victory. Then there will come upon the people a time in which a group of people will fight, and it will be said: 'Is there anyone amongst you who accompanied those who accompanied the Companions of Allah's Messenger?' (I.e. The Atba' At-Tabieen) They will reply 'Yes' and so they will be given victory." [Sahîh Hadîth: Reported by Al-Bukhârî (6/88 and 610 of al-fat'h), Muslim (3532), Ahmad (3/7), Al-Humaidî (743), Al-Baghawî in Sharh-us-Sunnah (14/73-74) from the path of Jâbir Ibn 'Abdillâh from Abu Sa'îd Al-Khudrî]
Ibn Battah reported with an authentic chain of narration - according to Minhaj As-Sunnah of Ibn Taimiyyah - from Ibn 'Abbas (ra), that he said:
"Do not revile the Companions of Allah's Messenger, for one hour spent with Allah's Messenger by one of them is better than a good deed of one of you (done) for forty years."
"There will come upon the people a time in which a group of people will fight, and it will be said: 'Is there anyone amongst you who accompanied Allâh's Messenger?' (I.e. the Sahabah) They will reply 'Yes' and so they will be given victory. Then there will come upon the people a time in which a group of people will fight, and it will be said: 'Is there anyone amongst you who accompanied the Companions of Allah's Messenger?' (I.e. The Tabieen) They will reply 'Yes' and so they will be given victory. Then there will come upon the people a time in which a group of people will fight, and it will be said: 'Is there anyone amongst you who accompanied those who accompanied the Companions of Allah's Messenger?' (I.e. The Atba' At-Tabieen) They will reply 'Yes' and so they will be given victory." [Sahîh Hadîth: Reported by Al-Bukhârî (6/88 and 610 of al-fat'h), Muslim (3532), Ahmad (3/7), Al-Humaidî (743), Al-Baghawî in Sharh-us-Sunnah (14/73-74) from the path of Jâbir Ibn 'Abdillâh from Abu Sa'îd Al-Khudrî]
Ibn Battah reported with an authentic chain of narration - according to Minhaj As-Sunnah of Ibn Taimiyyah - from Ibn 'Abbas (ra), that he said:
"Do not revile the Companions of Allah's Messenger, for one hour spent with Allah's Messenger by one of them is better than a good deed of one of you (done) for forty years."
In the wording reported by Waki', he says: "...better than a good deed of one of you (done) for his entire life."
And when Said Ibn Zayd (ra) mentioned the ten Companions who were given the good tidings of (entering) Paradise, he said:
"I swear by Allah, the meeting of one man amongst them with the Messenger of Allah is better than the deed of one of you, even if he does it for the length of Nuh's life." Reported by Abu Dawud and At-Tirmidhi. [Hasan Hadîth: Reported by Abu Dawûd (4650), An-Nasâ'î in Al-Kubrâ, Ibn Mâjah (134) and Ahmad (1629)]
Jabir reported that: "It was once said to'? Aishah: 'There are some people that seek to lower the Companions of Allah's Messenger, even Abu Bakr and 'Umar.' So she said: 'And you are not pleased with this? Their deeds came to an end, but Allah loved that their reward not come to an end.'"
Ibn Al-Athir mentioned this in his book Jami'-ul-Usul. What provides evidence for what she said is the saying of the Prophet in the authentic hadith:
"The bankrupt person from my ummah will come on the Day of Judgement with prayer, fasting and Zakat. But he also abused this person, slandered that person, took money wrongfully from this person, spilled the blood of that one, and beat this one. So some of his good deeds will be given to this person and some of them to that person. So if his good deeds run out before he makes up for what is against him, he will take from their sins and they will be charged against him. And then he will be flung into the Hellfire." [Sahîh Hadîth: Reported by Muslim (2581), At-Tirmidhî (2418), Ahmad (2/303), Al-Bayhaqî (6/93) from the path of Al-'Alâ Ibn 'Abdir-Rahmân from his father from Abu Hurairah in marfû' form. At-Tirmidhî said it was hasan sahîh]
Al-Bukhari reported in his Sahih on the authority of Abu Said Al-Khudri (ra) that the Prophet (pbuh) said:
"Do not revile my Companions! For if one of you were to give away the size of mount Uhud in gold for charity, it would not equal a mudd (handful using two hands cupped together) of one of them nor even half of it."
Muslim reported it in his Sahih on the authority of Abu Hurairah (ra) that the Prophet (pbuh) said:
"Do not revile my Companions! Do not revile my Companions! For by the One whose Hand my soul is in, if one of you were to give away the size of mount Uhud in gold for charity, it would not equal a mudd of one of them nor even half of it."
He also reported it from Abu Said (ra) with the wording:
"There was a dispute between Khalid Ibn Al-Walid and 'Abdur-Rahman Ibn 'Awf, so Khalid reviled him. So Allah's Messenger (pbuh) said: "Do not revile anyone from my Companions. For if one of you were to give away the size of mount Uhud in gold for charity, it would not equal a mudd of one of them nor even half of it."
So if the Sword of Allah, Khalid Ibn Al-Walid and others who accepted Islâm after the treaty of Hudaybiyah cannot have their large amount of good deeds compare to the small amount performed by 'Abdur-Rahman Ibn 'Awf and others who accepted Islam previously - even though all of them are honored by accompanying the Prophet - then how is it for those who did not attain the honor of (being from) the Companions as compared to those superior individuals? Truly the distance is great and indeed the difference is far! So how far is the ground from the sky, rather how far is the seventh (lowest) level of earth from the seventh (highest) level of heaven! This is the bounty of Allah, which He bestows upon whom He wills. And Allah possesses the greatest of bounties!
These are some of the Quranic ayat and prophetic ahadith that provide evidence for the virtue of these best of people, the like of which did not exist before and will not exist afterward. May Allâh be pleased with them.
All of the Companions of Allah's Messenger are trustworthy based on Allah's testifying that for them and because of His praise for them and the praise of His Messenger for them. An-Nawawi said in At-Taqrib, which As-Suyuti explained in his Tadrib Ar-Rawi:
"All of the Companions are trustworthy - those who were involved in the afflictions (fitan) and those other than them - according to the consensus of the scholars."
Al-Hafidh Ibn Hajr said in Al-Isabah:
"Ahl-us-Sunnah have unanimously agreed that all of them (the Sahabah) are trustworthy and no one opposed this except some deviants amongst the innovators."
This is why there is no harm in not knowing a Companion in a chain of narration. So if a Tabi says: "On the authority of a man who accompanied the Prophet..." this does not affect the report. This is because not knowing the Companions (in the chain) causes no harm since they are all trustworthy.
"I swear by Allah, the meeting of one man amongst them with the Messenger of Allah is better than the deed of one of you, even if he does it for the length of Nuh's life." Reported by Abu Dawud and At-Tirmidhi. [Hasan Hadîth: Reported by Abu Dawûd (4650), An-Nasâ'î in Al-Kubrâ, Ibn Mâjah (134) and Ahmad (1629)]
Jabir reported that: "It was once said to'? Aishah: 'There are some people that seek to lower the Companions of Allah's Messenger, even Abu Bakr and 'Umar.' So she said: 'And you are not pleased with this? Their deeds came to an end, but Allah loved that their reward not come to an end.'"
Ibn Al-Athir mentioned this in his book Jami'-ul-Usul. What provides evidence for what she said is the saying of the Prophet in the authentic hadith:
"The bankrupt person from my ummah will come on the Day of Judgement with prayer, fasting and Zakat. But he also abused this person, slandered that person, took money wrongfully from this person, spilled the blood of that one, and beat this one. So some of his good deeds will be given to this person and some of them to that person. So if his good deeds run out before he makes up for what is against him, he will take from their sins and they will be charged against him. And then he will be flung into the Hellfire." [Sahîh Hadîth: Reported by Muslim (2581), At-Tirmidhî (2418), Ahmad (2/303), Al-Bayhaqî (6/93) from the path of Al-'Alâ Ibn 'Abdir-Rahmân from his father from Abu Hurairah in marfû' form. At-Tirmidhî said it was hasan sahîh]
Al-Bukhari reported in his Sahih on the authority of Abu Said Al-Khudri (ra) that the Prophet (pbuh) said:
"Do not revile my Companions! For if one of you were to give away the size of mount Uhud in gold for charity, it would not equal a mudd (handful using two hands cupped together) of one of them nor even half of it."
Muslim reported it in his Sahih on the authority of Abu Hurairah (ra) that the Prophet (pbuh) said:
"Do not revile my Companions! Do not revile my Companions! For by the One whose Hand my soul is in, if one of you were to give away the size of mount Uhud in gold for charity, it would not equal a mudd of one of them nor even half of it."
He also reported it from Abu Said (ra) with the wording:
"There was a dispute between Khalid Ibn Al-Walid and 'Abdur-Rahman Ibn 'Awf, so Khalid reviled him. So Allah's Messenger (pbuh) said: "Do not revile anyone from my Companions. For if one of you were to give away the size of mount Uhud in gold for charity, it would not equal a mudd of one of them nor even half of it."
So if the Sword of Allah, Khalid Ibn Al-Walid and others who accepted Islâm after the treaty of Hudaybiyah cannot have their large amount of good deeds compare to the small amount performed by 'Abdur-Rahman Ibn 'Awf and others who accepted Islam previously - even though all of them are honored by accompanying the Prophet - then how is it for those who did not attain the honor of (being from) the Companions as compared to those superior individuals? Truly the distance is great and indeed the difference is far! So how far is the ground from the sky, rather how far is the seventh (lowest) level of earth from the seventh (highest) level of heaven! This is the bounty of Allah, which He bestows upon whom He wills. And Allah possesses the greatest of bounties!
These are some of the Quranic ayat and prophetic ahadith that provide evidence for the virtue of these best of people, the like of which did not exist before and will not exist afterward. May Allâh be pleased with them.
All of the Companions of Allah's Messenger are trustworthy based on Allah's testifying that for them and because of His praise for them and the praise of His Messenger for them. An-Nawawi said in At-Taqrib, which As-Suyuti explained in his Tadrib Ar-Rawi:
"All of the Companions are trustworthy - those who were involved in the afflictions (fitan) and those other than them - according to the consensus of the scholars."
Al-Hafidh Ibn Hajr said in Al-Isabah:
"Ahl-us-Sunnah have unanimously agreed that all of them (the Sahabah) are trustworthy and no one opposed this except some deviants amongst the innovators."
This is why there is no harm in not knowing a Companion in a chain of narration. So if a Tabi says: "On the authority of a man who accompanied the Prophet..." this does not affect the report. This is because not knowing the Companions (in the chain) causes no harm since they are all trustworthy.
Al-Khatib Al-Baghdadi said in his book Al-Kifayah:
"Every hadîth that has a chain of narration that is connected between the one who reported it and the Prophet is not to be acted upon until first having affirmed the trustworthiness and reliability of its men (in the chain). And it is an obligation to investigate into their conditions, except the Sahabi (Companion) who raises it (or attributes the hadith) to the Prophet. This is because the trustworthiness of the Companions is established and well known based on Allâh's asserting that for them and His informing us of their pure state and His preference of them in the texts of the Quran..."
Then he goes on to list some ayat and ahadith concerning their virtue and then says:
"And even if Allah or His Messenger (pbuh) had not mentioned anything about them from what we just stated now (of their virtues), the condition they were upon of having made Hijrah, fought in Jihad, of having offered their support, sacrificed their lives and wealth, experienced the killings of their parents and children, of mutually advising for the Religion and having strong Faith and unshakeable Certainty, (all of this) would necessitate their trustworthiness and one having a firm belief in their honesty and integrity. And it would necessitate that they are the best of those that receive testimony and approval as to their trustworthiness and reliability from all of the people that will come after them forever and ever."
Then he reports a narration with the chain connected to Abu Zur'ah, who said:
"If you see a man seeking to belittle anyone amongst the Companions of Allâh's Messenger (pbuh), then know that he is a heretic (zindiq). This is because according to us the Messenger of Allah is true and the Quran is true. And the only ones who brought this Quran and the Sunan (plural of Sunnah) to us are the Companions of Allah's Messenger. They only wish to disparage and demolish our witnesses so that they can nullify the Book and the Sunnah, whereas they are more deserving of being disparaged for they are the heretics (zanadiqah)."
The madh-hab of Ahl-us-Sunnah wal-Jama'ah concerning the Companions is that of moderateness between the two ends of extremism and heedlessness. It is moderateness between the extremist fanatics who elevate the esteemed ones amongst them to a level that is only befitting for Allah or for His messengers and between the heedless and harsh ones who belittle and revile them. So they are in the middle between those who are excessive and those who fall short - they love all of them and put each one of them in his due place, which they deserve, with fairness and justice. So they do not elevate them to that which they are not deserving of, nor do they belittle them, taking away what they are deserving of. Therefore, their tongues are moist with mentioning them only in good, according to what is befitting for them. And their hearts are filled with love for them.
And whatever is authentic from the disputes and differences that occurred between (some of) them, then with regard to that they were Mujtahidin. Either they were correct and so they will receive a reward for their Ijtihad and a reward for being correct or they were wrong and so they will receive just a reward for their Ijtihad while their error will be forgiven. They were not infallible, for they were human beings, at times they were correct and at times they were in error. But how much more were they correct as compared to others being correct, and how fewer were their errors as compared to the errors of others? And they will have Allah's forgiveness and contentment.
The books of Ahl-us-Sunnah are filled with the elucidation of this pure and clear Creed concerning these elite people, the chosen ones amongst mankind to accompany the best of mankind (pbuh). May Alah be pleased with them all.
An example of this is the statement of At-Tahawi in his (book on the) Creed of Ahl-us-Sunnah:
"We love the Companions of Allah's Messenger and we do not go to extremes in the love for anyone amongst them, nor do we absolve ourselves from any of them. And we hate anyone that hates them or anyone that talks about them in a bad way. And we do not mention them except with good. Loving them is Deen? man and Ihsan and hating them is Kufr, Nifaq (hypocrisy) and Tughyan (transgression)."
Ibn Abi Zayd Al-Qayrawani said in the introduction to his famous Ar-Risalah, where he explains the Creed of Ahl-us-Sunnah:
"And the best of generations is the one that saw the Messenger of Allah. And the best of the Companions are the (four) rightly guided Khalifahs - Abu Bakr, then 'Umar, then 'Uthman, then 'Ali, may Allah be pleased with them all. And none of the Companions should be mentioned except in the best of manners. We believe in refraining from (speaking about) the differences that occurred between them. And that they are the most deserving of people of having excuses made for them and (that) they are to be thought of in the best way."
Imam Ahmad Ibn Hanbal said in his book As-Sunnah:
"And from the Sunnah is mentioning the good qualities of the Companions of Allah's Messenger - all of them - and to refrain from (speaking about) what disputes occurred between them. So whoever reviles the Companions of Allah's Messenger or (just) one of them, then he is an innovator, a Rafidi. Loving them is a Sunnah and making du'a (supplication) for them is a means of getting close to Allah (taqarrub). Following them is a means and taking from their examples is a virtue..."
And he said:
"It is not permissible for anyone to mention any of their faults. Nor can anyone disparage any of them. So whoever does that, then the authority (sultan) is obligated to reprimand him and punish him. And he is not to pardon him, but rather must punish him and then request him to repent. So if he repents, he should accept it from him. And if he doesn't repent, he should reinitiate the punishment upon him and lock him in prison for good until he repents and recants (from his false belief)."
Imâm Abu 'Uthmân As-Sâbûnî said in his book 'Aqîdat-us-Salaf wa Ashâb-il-Hadîth:
"And they held it an obligation to refrain from (speaking about) the differences that occurred between the Companions of Allâh's Messenger and to purify the tongues from mentioning anything that consists of a blemish on them or a degradation of them. And they held it an obligation to ask Allâh for mercy for all of them and to show friendship to all of them."
Shaikh-ul-Islam Ibn Taimiyyah said in his book Al-'Aqidat-ul-Wasitiyyah:
"Among the Principles of Ahl-us-Sunnah wal-Jama'ah is maintaining pure hearts and tongues towards the Companions of Allah's Messenger (pbuh), as Allah has described them in His saying: 'And those who come after them say: 'Our Lord! Forgive us and our brothers who preceded us in Faith. And put not in our hearts any hatred against those who have believed. Our Lord, You are indeed full of kindness, most Merciful.' [Surah Al-Hashr: 8-10]
"Every hadîth that has a chain of narration that is connected between the one who reported it and the Prophet is not to be acted upon until first having affirmed the trustworthiness and reliability of its men (in the chain). And it is an obligation to investigate into their conditions, except the Sahabi (Companion) who raises it (or attributes the hadith) to the Prophet. This is because the trustworthiness of the Companions is established and well known based on Allâh's asserting that for them and His informing us of their pure state and His preference of them in the texts of the Quran..."
Then he goes on to list some ayat and ahadith concerning their virtue and then says:
"And even if Allah or His Messenger (pbuh) had not mentioned anything about them from what we just stated now (of their virtues), the condition they were upon of having made Hijrah, fought in Jihad, of having offered their support, sacrificed their lives and wealth, experienced the killings of their parents and children, of mutually advising for the Religion and having strong Faith and unshakeable Certainty, (all of this) would necessitate their trustworthiness and one having a firm belief in their honesty and integrity. And it would necessitate that they are the best of those that receive testimony and approval as to their trustworthiness and reliability from all of the people that will come after them forever and ever."
Then he reports a narration with the chain connected to Abu Zur'ah, who said:
"If you see a man seeking to belittle anyone amongst the Companions of Allâh's Messenger (pbuh), then know that he is a heretic (zindiq). This is because according to us the Messenger of Allah is true and the Quran is true. And the only ones who brought this Quran and the Sunan (plural of Sunnah) to us are the Companions of Allah's Messenger. They only wish to disparage and demolish our witnesses so that they can nullify the Book and the Sunnah, whereas they are more deserving of being disparaged for they are the heretics (zanadiqah)."
The madh-hab of Ahl-us-Sunnah wal-Jama'ah concerning the Companions is that of moderateness between the two ends of extremism and heedlessness. It is moderateness between the extremist fanatics who elevate the esteemed ones amongst them to a level that is only befitting for Allah or for His messengers and between the heedless and harsh ones who belittle and revile them. So they are in the middle between those who are excessive and those who fall short - they love all of them and put each one of them in his due place, which they deserve, with fairness and justice. So they do not elevate them to that which they are not deserving of, nor do they belittle them, taking away what they are deserving of. Therefore, their tongues are moist with mentioning them only in good, according to what is befitting for them. And their hearts are filled with love for them.
And whatever is authentic from the disputes and differences that occurred between (some of) them, then with regard to that they were Mujtahidin. Either they were correct and so they will receive a reward for their Ijtihad and a reward for being correct or they were wrong and so they will receive just a reward for their Ijtihad while their error will be forgiven. They were not infallible, for they were human beings, at times they were correct and at times they were in error. But how much more were they correct as compared to others being correct, and how fewer were their errors as compared to the errors of others? And they will have Allah's forgiveness and contentment.
The books of Ahl-us-Sunnah are filled with the elucidation of this pure and clear Creed concerning these elite people, the chosen ones amongst mankind to accompany the best of mankind (pbuh). May Alah be pleased with them all.
An example of this is the statement of At-Tahawi in his (book on the) Creed of Ahl-us-Sunnah:
"We love the Companions of Allah's Messenger and we do not go to extremes in the love for anyone amongst them, nor do we absolve ourselves from any of them. And we hate anyone that hates them or anyone that talks about them in a bad way. And we do not mention them except with good. Loving them is Deen? man and Ihsan and hating them is Kufr, Nifaq (hypocrisy) and Tughyan (transgression)."
Ibn Abi Zayd Al-Qayrawani said in the introduction to his famous Ar-Risalah, where he explains the Creed of Ahl-us-Sunnah:
"And the best of generations is the one that saw the Messenger of Allah. And the best of the Companions are the (four) rightly guided Khalifahs - Abu Bakr, then 'Umar, then 'Uthman, then 'Ali, may Allah be pleased with them all. And none of the Companions should be mentioned except in the best of manners. We believe in refraining from (speaking about) the differences that occurred between them. And that they are the most deserving of people of having excuses made for them and (that) they are to be thought of in the best way."
Imam Ahmad Ibn Hanbal said in his book As-Sunnah:
"And from the Sunnah is mentioning the good qualities of the Companions of Allah's Messenger - all of them - and to refrain from (speaking about) what disputes occurred between them. So whoever reviles the Companions of Allah's Messenger or (just) one of them, then he is an innovator, a Rafidi. Loving them is a Sunnah and making du'a (supplication) for them is a means of getting close to Allah (taqarrub). Following them is a means and taking from their examples is a virtue..."
And he said:
"It is not permissible for anyone to mention any of their faults. Nor can anyone disparage any of them. So whoever does that, then the authority (sultan) is obligated to reprimand him and punish him. And he is not to pardon him, but rather must punish him and then request him to repent. So if he repents, he should accept it from him. And if he doesn't repent, he should reinitiate the punishment upon him and lock him in prison for good until he repents and recants (from his false belief)."
Imâm Abu 'Uthmân As-Sâbûnî said in his book 'Aqîdat-us-Salaf wa Ashâb-il-Hadîth:
"And they held it an obligation to refrain from (speaking about) the differences that occurred between the Companions of Allâh's Messenger and to purify the tongues from mentioning anything that consists of a blemish on them or a degradation of them. And they held it an obligation to ask Allâh for mercy for all of them and to show friendship to all of them."
Shaikh-ul-Islam Ibn Taimiyyah said in his book Al-'Aqidat-ul-Wasitiyyah:
"Among the Principles of Ahl-us-Sunnah wal-Jama'ah is maintaining pure hearts and tongues towards the Companions of Allah's Messenger (pbuh), as Allah has described them in His saying: 'And those who come after them say: 'Our Lord! Forgive us and our brothers who preceded us in Faith. And put not in our hearts any hatred against those who have believed. Our Lord, You are indeed full of kindness, most Merciful.' [Surah Al-Hashr: 8-10]
And (from their principles is) obedience to the Prophet with regard to his saying: 'Do not revile my Companions! For by the One whose Hand my soul is in, if one of you were to give away the size of mount Uhud in gold for charity, it would not equal a mudd of one of them nor even half of it.'
And they accept what is stated in the Quran, the Sunnah and the Consensus concerning their (the Companion's) virtues and high statuses. And they give preference to those who spent their wealth and fought (in the Way of Allah) before the Victory - which refers to the Treaty of al-Hudaybiyah - over those who gave their wealth and fought after it. And they give precedence to the Muhajirin over the Ansar. And they believe that Allah said to the people who fought in (the Battle of) Badr - who numbered over three hundred people: 'Do whatever you wish, for I have already forgiven you.'
And they believe that no one who pledged their allegiance to the Prophet (saws) under the tree will enter the Hellfire, as the Prophet (pbuh) informed us. In fact, Allah was pleased with them and they were pleased with Him. And they were more than one thousand four hundred people.
They designate to Paradise whoever the Messenger of Allah testified will be in Paradise, such as the Ten (Companions), Thabit Ibn Qays Ibn Shammas and others.
And they confirm what has been reported in tawatur form on the Amir-ul-Mu'minin, 'Ali Ibn Abi Talib (ra) and others that: The best of this ummah after its Prophet are Abu Bakr; then 'Umar. Then they place 'Uthman third and 'Ali fourth, may Allah be pleased with all of them. This is as is indicated in the athar (reports from the Sahabah) and as was unanimously agreed upon that 'Uthman had precedence (over 'Ali) for being pledged allegiance to (for the Khilafah). In spite of this, after unanimously agreeing to the precedence of Abu Bakr and 'Umar, some of the Ahl-us-Sunnah have disagreed with regard to 'Uthman and 'Ali as to which of them is better. So a group of them gave precedence to 'Uthman and then remained silent and placed 'Ali as the fourth. And another group gave precedence to 'Ali. And yet another group remained neutral. But the affair of Al-us-Sunnah settled upon giving precedence to 'Uthman and then 'Ali. But regardless, this issue of 'Uthman and 'Ali is not from the principles by which the one who disagrees concerning it becomes misguided (and deviant), according to the majority of the (scholars of) Ahl-us-Sunnah. Rather, the issue in which the one who opposes becomes misguided is the issue of the Khilafah - and it is that they (must) believe that the Khalifah after Allah's Messenger was Abu Bakr, then 'Umar, then 'Uthman and then 'Ala. And whoever attacks the Khilafah of any one of them, then he is more astray than the donkey of his people."
Then he mentioned that they have love and affection for the Members of the Household of Allah's Messenger and that they preserve the Will (final requests) of Allah's Messenger concerning them. And that they have affection for the Wives of Allah's Messenger, the Mothers of the Believers and believe that they will be his wives in the Hereafter. Then he said:
"And they absolve themselves from the way of the Rawafid - those who hate the Companions and revile them - and from the way of the Nawasib - those who abuse the Members of the (Prophet's) Household - by speech or action. And they refrain from (delving into) the disputes that occurred between the Companions. And they say: These narrations, which have been reported concerning their faults, there are amongst them, that which is false, that which things have been added to, that which parts have been omitted and that which has been changed from its original state. As for what is authentic from them, then with regard to that they (the Companions) are excused (and forgiven) - either they made Ijtihad and were correct or they made Ijtihad and were wrong. And on top of that, they do not believe that every one of the Companions is infallible and free of committing major or minor sins. Rather, they are capable of committing sins in general, but they have from precedence and virtues what necessitates that they be forgiven for whatever (sins) they commit - if they did commit any. This is even to the point that they will be forgiven for evil deeds the likes of which those who come after them will not be forgiven for. This is because they possess good deeds that wipe out the evil deeds, the likes of which will not be for those after them.
It is established from the saying of Allah's Messenger (pbuh) that they are the best of generations and that if one of them were to give a mudd (of gold) in charity it would be better than the whole of Mount Uhud in gold of those who came after them. Furthermore, if it was the case that one of them committed a sin, then either he repented from it or he performed some good deed that wiped it out. Or he was forgiven for it due to the virtue of his precedence or by intercession of Muhammad (pbuh), of which the Companions have the most right among people of receiving his intercession. Or perhaps he was tested by some affliction in this world, by which it was expiated from him. So if this is with respect to the sins that were actualized (by them), then what about the matters in which they did Ijtihad? If they were correct they will have two rewards and if they were incorrect they will have one reward and their error will be forgiven.
Furthermore, the amount that is forsaken yet forgiven from the (bad) deeds committed by some of them is tiny in comparison to their virtues and good qualities, such as their belief in Allâh and His Messenger, Jihad in His Way, Hijrah, support (of the Religion), beneficial knowledge and good deeds. And whoever studies the history of the "people" (i.e. the Sahabah) with knowledge and insight, and studies what Allâh bestowed them with of merits, he will come to know with full certainty that they are the best of creation after the prophets. There was not nor will there be anyone like them. And (he will come to know that) they are the safwah (chosen elite) from all the generations of this nation (of Muslims), which is itself the best and most honorable of all nations with Allah."
These are five examples from the sayings of the Salaf As-Salih (righteous predecessors) concerning what we are obligated to believe in with respect to the best of creation after the Prophets and Messengers. One thing we must understand is that defaming these chosen and special people is in fact a defamation of the Religion. This is since the Religion was not passed onto those who came after them except by them. And it has already been stated in the words of Abu Zur'ah that: "The only ones who brought this Quran and the Sunan (plural of Sunnah) to us are the Companions of Allah's Messenger. (So) they only wish to disparage and demolish our witnesses so that they can nullify the Book and the Sunnah, whereas they are more deserving of being disparaged for they are the heretics (zanadiqah)." This refers to those who seek to belittle any of the Companions. And it implies that the one who defames them does not harm them in the least but rather only benefits them, according to the previously stated hadith of the " bankrupt person." And it implies that the one who defames them only causes harm to himself. So whoever finds in his heart love for them and a lack of hatred for them, and he keeps his tongue from mentioning anything but good about them, then he should praise Allah for this blessing. And He should ask Allah to keep him firm upon this guidance. And whoever holds any hatred for them in his heart and his tongue is loose in mentioning them with that which does not befit them, then he must fear Allah and desist from these crimes. And he must repent to Allah so long as the door of repentance is open in front of him, before he regrets when the regret is of no benefit.
Our Lord do not cause our hearts to go astray after having guided us and grant us mercy from Yourself, indeed You are the One who grants all requests. "Our Lord! Forgive us and our brothers who preceded us in Faith. And put not in our hearts any hatred against those who have believed. Our Lord, You are indeed full of kindness, most Merciful."
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