بَابُ مَنَاقِبِ الصَّحَابَةِؓThe Virtues of the Companions (RA)

¹ His statement “Do not revile my companions”: The address is to the entire nation, including those beyond the companions, as he knew through the light of prophethood that such would occur among the innovators, so he prohibited it with this Sunnah. In Sharh Muslim: Know that reviling the companions is forbidden and among the greatest enormities. Our position and that of the majority is that the one who does so is disciplined. Some Malikis said: He is to be killed. Qadi Iyad said: Reviling one of them is among the major sins. Some of our scholars explicitly stated that one who reviles the two Shaykhs (Abu Bakr and Umar) is to be killed. In the book As-Siyar from Kitab al-Ashbah wa an-Naza’ir by Az-Zayn ibn Nujaym: Every disbeliever who repents, his repentance is accepted in this world and the Hereafter, except for a group: one who disbelieves by reviling the Prophet, the two Shaykhs, or one of them, or by sorcery or heresy, even if a woman, if caught before repentance. It is said: Reviling or cursing the two Shaykhs is disbelief, and if one prefers Ali over them, he is an innovator. (As stated in Al-Khulasah) I say: Because there is no choice in love, and accountability lies in choice. In Radd al-Muhtar: The scholar Mulla Ali al-Qari wrote a treatise refuting Al-Khulasah. Thus, we know with certainty that what is attributed to Al-Jawharah regarding disbelief with no acceptance of repentance, if it exists in Al-Jawharah, is baseless and invalid, and acting upon it is not permissible. It has been mentioned that if there is disagreement on an issue, even a weak narration, the mufti should incline toward not declaring disbelief. So how can one incline here toward declaring disbelief, which opposes consensus, let alone incline toward killing even if he repents? It has also been mentioned that the position is to accept the repentance of one who reviles the Messenger (ﷺ), so how much more so for one who reviles the two Shaykhs? The astonishment is with the author of Al-Bahr, who was extremely lenient in issuing a fatwa for killing while saying: I have committed myself not to issue fatwas with any expressions of disbelief mentioned in fatwa books. Indeed, there is no doubt in declaring disbelief for one who slanders Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her), denies the companionship of As-Siddiq, believes in divinity for Ali, or claims Jibril erred in revelation, or similar explicit disbelief contradicting the Qur’an. But if he repents, his repentance is accepted. This is the sumMaryam (Mary) of what we have established in our book Tanbih al-Wulah wa al-Hukkam. If you seek more, refer to it and rely on it, for it suffices those with understanding. In Sharh al-Aqa’id an-Nasafiyyah: We refrain from mentioning the companions (may Allah be pleased with them) except with good, due to authentic Hadiths about their virtues and the obligation to refrain from slandering them. What occurred among them of disputes and battles has justifications and interpretations. Reviling or slandering them, if it contradicts definitive proofs, is disbelief, such as slandering Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her); otherwise, it is innovation and transgression. In Sharh al-Fiqh al-Akbar: We do not mention the companions, collectively or individually, except with good, even if some appeared to do something seemingly wrong, as it was either due to ijtihad or not from a corrupt intention of persistence or obstinacy. Rather, their return from it was to good, based on good assumptions about them, and due to his statement: The best generation is my generation, and his statement: “When my companions are mentioned, refrain.” Thus, the majority of scholars hold that all companions are just, before and after the turmoil of Uthman and Ali. And due to his statement: My companions are like stars; whichever you follow, you will be guided. [Narrated by Ad-Darimi, Ibn Adi, and others] Ibn Daqiq al-Eid said in his creed: What is narrated about disputes among them, some is false and fabricated, so it is disregarded. What is authentic is interpreted with good interpretations, as Allah’s praise of them precedes, and later statements are subject to interpretation. The doubtful and speculative do not negate the established and known. Ash-Shafi‘i (may Allah have mercy on him) said: Those are bloods Allah has purified our hands from, so let us not stain our tongues with them. Ahmad (may Allah have mercy on him) was asked about the matter of Ali and Aishah, and he said: “That was a nation that has passed; they have what they earned, and you have what you earn, and you will not be asked about what they did.” [Al-Baqarah: 134] Abu Hanifah (may Allah have mercy on him) said: Were it not for Ali, the way to deal with the Khawarij would not be known.

² His statement “for if one of you spent, etc.”: This refers to spending. How much more so their striving and sacrificing their lives before the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), as well as their other acts of obedience, worship, battles, and services? Thus, it is obligatory to honor and respect them, as Allah, the Exalted, said: “And those who come after them say: Our Lord, forgive us and our brothers who preceded us in faith and do not place in our hearts any resentment toward those who have believed.” [Al-Hashr: 10] (As stated in Al-Mirqat)

¹ His statement “who revile my companions”: Perhaps the wisdom behind the Rafidah reviling some companions and the Khawarij reviling some of the Prophet’s household is that their deeds ceased with the end of their lives, and Allah intended for their reward to continue for a better outcome, while their enemies return to a severe reckoning and intense punishment. (As stated in Al-Mirqat)

¹ His statement “Allah, Allah”: with nasb in both, meaning fear Allah regarding my companions, i.e., their rights. The meaning is: Do not diminish their rights or revile them. Or it means: I remind you of Allah, then I implore you by Allah regarding the rights of my companions and their honor and respect, as a compassionate father says: Allah, Allah regarding the rights of my children. At-Tibi said: His statement “Do not take them as targets after me”: with fathah on the ghayn and ra, meaning a target for your foul speech about them in discussions or slandering them in their absence with accusations and disliked matters. His statement “Whoever loves them by my love”: i.e., because of my love for them, he loves them. At-Tibi said: Because of his love for me, he loves them, which is more fitting with his statement “and whoever hates them by my hatred hates them.” The meaning is: He only loves them because he loves me, and he only hates them because he hates me, and refuge is with Allah, the Exalted. His statement “it is imminent that He will seize him”: i.e., punish him in this world or the Hereafter. (As stated in Al-Mirqat)

¹ His statement “from his father”: i.e., Abu Musa al-Ash‘ari. He said: “raised,” meaning the Prophet (ﷺ). This is Abu Burdah’s statement, and the pronoun in “he meaning” refers to “his father,” i.e., Abu Musa intends by the pronoun the subject in “raised,” meaning the Prophet (ﷺ), omitting his name due to its obviousness. The meaning: The Prophet (ﷺ) raised. His statement “and he often raised his head to the sky”: i.e., awaiting divine revelation through the descent of the angel. At-Tibi said: “from” explains “often,” or it may be an extra “from,” and it is the predicate of “was,” i.e., he was often raising his head, and “what” is a verbal noun. The sentence is an intervening circumstantial clause. (As stated in Al-Mirqat)

² “Source of security”: with two fathahs, meaning safety, i.e., a cause of safety, as in Allah’s statement: “When He envelops you with drowsiness as a security from Him” [Al-Anfal: 11]. Or it is the plural of “trustee,” meaning guardian, like “ambassador” and “ambassadors,” or the plural of “secure,” like “great” and “great ones.” Perhaps this makes it a relative form. It is narrated with a sukoon on the mim, meaning security. (As stated in Al-Lama’at) In Al-Mirqat, quoting At-Tibi: If “source of security” is attributed to the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), it has two interpretations: either it is an intensive verbal noun, like “just man,” or a plural, as in Allah’s statement: “a blazing flame, watching” [Al-Jinn: 9], i.e., watchers, and His statement: “Indeed, Ibrahim was a nation, obedient to Allah” [An-Nahl: 120]. Thus, he was a source of security for his companions, like a community.

³ His statement “what was promised to the sky comes”: i.e., what was promised to it of splitting and folding on the Day of Resurrection. The meaning of “the stars go” is their rolling, scattering, and vanishing, as stated in An-Nihayah and elsewhere. His statement “what was promised to my companions comes”: i.e., trials, oppositions, and tribulations. His statement “when my companions go”: i.e., all of them. His statement “what was promised to my nation comes”: i.e., the departure of the people of goodness, the arrival of the people of evil, and the establishment of the Hour upon them. (As stated in Al-Mirqat)

¹ His statement “about the differences among my companions”: i.e., about the wisdom of their differences in the branches of the Shariah. His statement “So whoever takes something from what they differed on”: explains “something” from their differences. At-Tibi said: It refers to differences in branches, not fundamentals, as indicated by his statement “he is with Me on guidance.” As-Sayyid Jamal ad-Din said: It is clear that it means differences in religion, not for worldly purposes, so it is not problematic with the differences of some companions regarding the caliphate and leadership. I say: It is clear that the difference regarding the caliphate is also a matter of differences in the branches of religion, arising from each one’s ijtihad, not from worldly motives driven by personal desires. Thus, kings are not compared to blacksmiths. (As stated in Al-Mirqat)

¹ His statement “except that he is raised”: i.e., that one of my companions is resurrected. “As a leader”: i.e., for the people of that land, and “a light”: i.e., a guide for them. (As stated in Al-Mirqat)

¹ His statement “food is not complete without salt”: This is an explanatory statement clarifying the point of comparison. The analogy does not require similarity in all aspects, such that one might say: Too much salt spoils food, as was said about grammar: It is in speech like salt in food. Rather, the meaning is that food without it lacks its full purpose. His statement “so how can we be complete”: i.e., in our state. I say: We are completed by their words, narrations, knowledge of their ranks and states, and by following their manners and qualities. For the lesson lies in these things, not in their forms and essences. (As stated in Al-Mirqat)

¹ His statement “group”: i.e., a party. In the Hadith is a miracle of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) and a virtue for his companions, the followers, and their followers. (As stated in Al-Mirqat)

² His statement “Then a fourth detachment”: with the addition, it is a verbal noun, and the described is omitted, i.e., the sending of the fourth detachment. The meaning of “detachment” is the army sent. His statement “Look, is there among them anyone who saw those who saw those who saw”: i.e., that one saw the companions of the Prophet (ﷺ), being two intermediaries. A man is found, and victory is granted to them, i.e., for that follower of the followers of the followers. Since people of goodness were rare in the fourth generation, most narrations limited it to the three generations due to the abundance of scholars and righteous people in them and the scarcity of folly and corruption among them. (As stated in Al-Mirqat)

¹ His statement “my generation”: i.e., those who met me and believed in me, and they are my companions. His statement “then those who follow them”: i.e., the followers. His statement “then those who follow them”: i.e., the followers of the followers. The meaning is that the companions, the followers, and their followers are the three generations ranked in virtue. In An-Nihayah: A generation is the span of time in which the people of that time are associated in their lifespans and conditions. It is said: A generation is forty years, or eighty, or a hundred. The most correct is that it is not fixed by a duration. The generation of Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) is the companions, and their duration was from the mission to the death of the last companion, one hundred and twenty years. The generation of the followers was from one hundred to about seventy, and the generation of the followers of the followers was from then to about two hundred and twenty. At that time, innovations became widespread, the Mu‘tazilah unleashed their tongues, philosophers raised their heads, and scholars were tested to affirm the creation of the Qur’an. Conditions changed drastically, and matters continued to decline until now, and the truth of his statement appeared: “Then lying will spread.” (As stated in Al-Mirqat)

² His statement “without being asked to testify”: in the passive form, i.e., while no one seeks their testimony, so it is a censure for testifying before being asked. An-Nawawi said: This seems to contradict another Hadith: “The best witnesses are those who give testimony before being asked.” They said: The reconciliation is that the censure is for one who hastens to testify about something he knows before its owner asks him, while the praise is for one who has testimony for someone who does not know of it, so he informs him to testify before the judge, or for one who has testimony in matters of rights where concealment is beneficial. This is the position of the majority. It is said: The praise is for rights of Allah, and the censure is for rights of people. (As stated in Al-Mirqat)

³ His statement “betray and are not trusted”: Combining them is for emphasis, or they betray people when entrusted, and they are not made trustees among each other due to their evident betrayal. An-Nawawi said: The meaning of combining “they betray and are not trusted” is that they betray openly, leaving no trust, unlike one who betrays slightly once, as he does not cease to be trustworthy in some contexts.

⁴ His statement “obesity will appear among them”: with kasrah on the sin and fathah on the mim, a verbal noun of “to become fat” with kasrah or dammah. The author of An-Nihayah said: In the Hadith: At the end of time, there will be people who become obese, i.e., they boast of what they do not have and claim honor and perfection that is not theirs. It is said: It means amassing wealth. It is said: They love indulgence in food and drink, which are causes of obesity. At-Turbashti said: It alludes to heedlessness and lack of concern for religion, as the obese are generally unconcerned with disciplining their souls, their main focus being on pursuing pleasures and idleness and sleep. In Sharh Muslim, they said: The censured obesity is that which is acquired, while natural obesity is not included. Thus, the meaning of the narration that Allah hates the obese scholar becomes clear. (As stated in Al-Mirqat) In Al-Lama’at: It is as if obesity in conditions is borrowed from obesity in bodies, meaning they boast of what they do not have and claim honor and perfection that is not theirs.

¹ His statement “the best of you”: The address is to the nation. His statement “Indeed”: for emphasis. “Whoever is pleased with the heart of Paradise”: with two dammahs, i.e., its center and best part, “let him adhere to the community”: i.e., the majority and what the companions, followers, and righteous predecessors agreed upon, including their love and honor primarily. “For Satan is with the solitary one”: with fathah on the fa and tashdid on the dhal, i.e., he accompanies the individual who isolates himself with his opinion. His statement “whoever is pleased by his good deed”: i.e., when it occurs from him, “and saddened by his bad deed”: i.e., it grieves him when it occurs from him, “he is a believer”: i.e., a complete believer. (As stated in Al-Mirqat)