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OUR BELIEF TOWARDS THE PROPHET'S COMPANIONS

A Sahabi (companion) is a person who met the Prophet , believed in him after the Prophet received the revelation from Allah and died in the state of Islam. The companions (Sahabah ) of the Prophet were chosen by Allah to accompany His Prophet and to establish His religion.

The noble characteristics of the Sahabah were not seen in any other generation neither before nor after them. They were very sincere in spreading the message of Islam. They followed the Prophet’s footsteps. They sacrificed their wealth and souls for the sake of Allah. They lived very close to the Prophet , understood their religion properly and passed it to those who came after them, accurately and honestly. Therefore, they are the medium between the Prophet and those who came after their generation.

Among the principles of Ahl As-Sunnah Wal–Jama’ah lies the attitude of peace and purity of their hearts and tongues towards the Prophet’s companions.

Allah has mentioned this attitude in the following verse: “And those who came after them say: Our Lord! Forgive us and our brethren 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.” (59:10). 

Ahl As-Sunnah Wal Jama’ah give superior esteem to those who spent and fought for the sake of Allah before the victory, that is, the truce of al-Hudaybiyah over those who spent and fought after that. They keep themselves uninvolved in the differences that arose among the Sahabah , and believe that the right stand in this connection is to be silent because the Sahabah either grasped the correct position by Ijtihad or committed a mistake. Ahl As Sunnah do not believe that the Sahabah are ma'soom (free of minor and major sins), but rather that it is possible in general that they commit sins. But Sahabah have such superior and virtuous deeds to their credit that their mistakes would be forgiven.

The Qur’an, in many verses, mentioned the Sahabah with the best attributes and promised them the best of rewards. For example, Allah said:

“And the first to embrace Islam of thc Muhajirum and the Ansar and also those who followed them exactly, Allah is well-pleased the them as they are well-pleased with Him. He has prepared for them gardens under which rivers flow, to dwell therein forever. That is the supreme success” (9:100). Another verse expresses Allah’s satisfaction with them: “Indeed, Allah was pleased with the Believers when they gave their Pledge to you (the Prophet ) under the tree. He knows what was in their hearts, and He sent down calmness and tranquility upon them, and He rewarded them with a near Victory” (48:18).

In another verse Allah had described them in the Torah and in the Gospel, as mentioned in the following verse: “Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, and those who are with him are severe against disbelievers, and merciful among themselves. You see them bowing and falling down prostrate in prayer, seeking bounty from Allah and His good pleasure. The mark of their Faith is on their faces from the traces of prostration during prayers. This is their description in the Torah. But their description in the Gospel is like a seed which sends forth its shoot, then makes it strong, it then becomes thick, and it stands straight on its stem, delighting the sowers—that He may enrage the disbelievers with them. Allah has promised those among them who believe and do righteous good deeds, forgiveness and a mighty reward” (48:29). As the last verse clearly shows, whoever feels enraged with the Sahabah, , is a disbeliever.

These attributes of the Sahabah were not only mentioned in the Qur’an, but also in the Sunnah of the Prophet . For instance, Allah’s Apostle said: “The stars are a source of security for the sky, and when the stars disappear there comes to the sky what it has been promised. And I am a source of safety and security to my companions and when I go away there would fall to my companions what has been decreed for them. And my companions are a source of security for the Ummah; as they go there would fall to my Ummah what has been decreed for them (i.e. tribulations)” (Related by Muslim). In another Hadith, the Prophet ; warns and threatens those who harm his companions or their names: “Do not rebuke my companions. If any of you spends as much gold as the mount of Uhud, he will not reach the reward of a handful of any of them, nor half of it” (al-Mishkat).

Finally we close this article by what Ibn Mas’ud , said about the Sahabah, , “They are the companions of Muhammad ; they were, by Allah, the best of this Ummah, the most righteous, the deepest in knowledge and the least pretending. They were chosen by Allah to accompany His Prophet and to establish His religion. Thus, know their virtues and follow their footsteps and stick as much as you can to their morals and religion, because they were on the right path.”

[From Friday Report, Denver, CO]