2. The Superiority of the Companions radiya Llahu ‘anhum over those who came after them

The status of the Companions of the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam in Islam is high and the rank of companionship by Allah subhanahu wa ta ‘ala is second to the status of prophethood. The reason for this is that they are the people who possessed the highest level of guidance and iman, and the greatest amount of taqwa and conviction after the prophets and messengers; and this is the basis of superiority.

Al Imam Ibn Abi Jamrah reported:

قال عليه السلام ما‏ فضلكم أبو بكر بصوم ولا صلاة ولكن بشيء وقر في صدره‏

The Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam said, “Abu Bakr did not surpass you with fasting or prayer, but with something that was firmly established in his heart.”^[1]

That which was firmly established in his heart was the strength of iman and conviction. Similarly, the Companions radiya Llahu ‘anhum, to the last of them, only surpassed others with that (iman and conviction), which was firmly established in their hearts.^[2]

Al Hakim al Tirmidhi reports in Nawadir al Usul:

روي عن الحسن أنه قال إن عمر لم يغلب الناس بكثرة صوم ولا صلاة انما غلبهم بالصبر واليقين

Al Hasan is reported to have said, “‘Umar did not overcome the people with excessive fasting or Salah. Rather, he overcame them with patience and conviction.”^[3]

Loving them, honouring them, and purifying them all, are among the greatest beliefs of iman, and the prohibition of delving into the disputes and quarrels that occurred amongst them, arising from differences in Ijtihad is known to every religious person, except for the necessity of responding to the doubts raised by the people of hatred and rejection. There is no need to emphasise these matters in this book. Allah has given me the opportunity to explain some of them in two separate chapters—the second and third chapters—of my book Daf’ al Shubuhat al Mu’adiyah ‘an Wajh Sayyidina Muawiyah radiya Allah ‘anhu. Whoever seeks further detail should refer to the aforementioned book.^[4]

As for the superiority of the Companions of the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam over those who came after them, narrations regarding that has reached the status of tawatur. Al Hafiz Ibn Hajar al ‘Asqalani, at the beginning of al Isabah, and al Hafiz al Suyuti alluded to that, as mentioned in Fayd al Qadir of al Munawi. Al Laqqani stated this explicitly in Jawharat al Tawhid and its commentaries. Al ‘Allamah al Nabhani quoted it from him in al Asalib al Badi’ah as well as al Kattani in Nazm al Mutanathir.^[5]

In the explanation of his statement in al Jawharah:

فتابعي فتابعٌ لمن تبع

و صحبه خير القرون فاستمع

His Companions are the best of all generations, so listen well.

Then the followers (Tabi’in) and then those who followed the followers (Atba’ al Tabi’in).

Al Imam al Laqqani states:

يعني أن مما يجب اعتقاده أن أصحابه صلى الله عليه وسلم وهم الذين آمنوا به وصحبوه ولو قليلا أفضل من غيرهم من جميع أهل القرون للأحاديث البالغة مبلغ التواتر وإن كانت تفاصيلها آحادا

This means that it necessary to believe that his Companions radiya Llahu ‘anhum—they are those who believed in him and accompanied him even for a little while—are better than others from all generations, due to the ahadith that have reached the level of tawatur, even though in details they are solitary narrations.^[6]

Al Imam al Laqqani states in ‘Umdat al Murid:

وردت‏ الأحاديث الصحاح والآيات بإثبات فضل الصحابة على غيرهم بمعنى أنهم أكثر ثوابا ممن سواهم وانعقد عليه إجماع الأمة

Sahih ahadith and verses have been reported that prove the superiority of the Companions over others, meaning that they are more rewarded than others are; the consensus of the Ummah has been established on this.^[7]

Indicating to this is the hadith of the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam:

إن الله اختار أصحابي على العالمين سوى النبيين والمرسلين

Allah has selected my Companions over everyone in the worlds, except for the prophets and messengers.^[8]

Similarly, the hadith wherein the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam said:

لا تسبوا أصحابي فلو أن أحدكم أنفق مثل أحد ذهبا ما بلغ مد أحدهم ولا نصيفه

Do not revile my Companions, for if one of you were to spend the equivalent of Mount Uhud in gold, he would not reach the level of one mudd (type of measure) of theirs or even half of it.^[9]

Likewise, the famous hadith wherein the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam said:

خير‏ القرون قرني

The best of generations is my generation.^[10]

‘Abdullah ibn Mas’ud radiya Llahu ‘anhu said:

إن الله نظر في قلوب العباد فوجد قلب محمد خير قلوب العباد فاصطفاه وبعثه برسالته ثم نظر في قلوب العباد بعد قلب محمد فوجد قلوب أصحابه خير قلوب العباد فجعلهم وزراء نبيه يقاتلون عن دينه

Allah looked into the hearts of the servants and found the heart of Muhammad salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam to be the best of hearts, so He selected him and sent him with His message. Then He looked into the hearts of the servants after the heart of Muhammad and found the hearts of his Companions to be the best of hearts, so He made them vicegerents of His Prophet, fighting for His din.^[11]

Al Imam Abu al Qasim al Qushayri, the Imam of the Sufis in his time and after his time, states in al Risalah al Qushayriyyah when discussing the reason for naming the Sufis by this name:

إن المسلمين بعد رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم لم يتسم أفاضلُهم في عصرهم بتسمية علم سوى صحبة رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم إذ لا فضيلة فوقها فقيل لهم الصحابة

After the Messenger salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, the prominent Muslims in their time were not called by a designated name other than the companionship of the Messenger salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, for there is no virtue above it. Hence, they were called the Sahabah (Companions).^[12]

Sheikh Ahmed al Sarhindi states in al Maktubat:

إن‏ الوحشي قاتل حمزة رضي الله عنه الذي نال صحبة خير البشر عليه وعلى آله الصلاة والسلام مرة واحدة أفضل من أويس القرني الذي هو خير التابعين

Wahshi, the killer of Hamzah radiya Llahu ‘anhu, who attained the company of the best of humanity salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam once, is better than Uways al Qarni, who is the best of the Tabi’in.^[13]

May Allah have mercy on ‘Abdullah ibn al Mubarak, the head of the pious ascetics,^[14] when he was asked about Sayyidina Muawiyah radiya Llahu ‘anhu and ‘Umar ibn ‘Abdul ‘Aziz rahimahu Llah, which of them is superior, he replied:

لغبار دخل في أنف فرس معاوية مع رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم خير من كذا وكذا من عمر بن عبد العزيز وهل أدرك عمر بن عبد العزيز أن يقول ربنا ولك الحمد خلف النبي عليه السلام في الصلاة لما يقول سيدنا رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم سمع الله لمن حمده

Dust that entered the nose of Muawiyah’s horse with the Messenger of Allah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam is better than such-and-such of ‘Umar ibn ‘Abdul ‘Aziz. Did ‘Umar ibn ‘Abdul ‘Aziz have the privilege to say ‘Rabbana wa laka al hamd’ (our Lord, for You is all praise) behind the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam in Salah when the Messenger of Allah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam said ‘Sami’a Allah li man hamidah’ (Allah heard the one who praised Him)?^[15]

This is the belief of the pious predecessors and the Ahlus Sunnah. They do not declare superiority for anyone over the noble Companions radiya Llahu ‘anhum, nor do they even consider anyone equal to them. This is what the texts that we have quoted from the Imams of the Ahlus Sunnah clearly state. They did not pay attention to some of the reports that appear to be contrary to this belief, but rather they diverted them from their apparent meaning. They did not pay attention to the difference of opinion that Ibn ‘Abdul Barr mentioned due to those apparent meanings, nor did they give it any weight.

Al Imam Ibn Raslan said:

أما أفضلية الصحابة وهم القرن الأول على من بعدهم فلا يخفى ولا يلتفت إلى قول من زعم أنه يكون فيمن بعدهم أفضل منهم أو مساو لهم

As for the superiority of the Companions—who were in the first era—over those who came after them, it is obvious. No attention should be given to the statement of those who claimed that those who came after them were superior to them or equal to them.^[16]

From amongst those narrations is the hadith of Abu Jumu’ah radiya Llahu ‘anhu that al Imam Ahmed narrated, wherein he states:

تغدينا مع رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم ومعنا أبو عبيدة بن الجراح فقال يا رسول الله هل أحد خير منا أسلمنا وجاهدنا معك قال نعم قوم يكونون من بعدكم يؤمنون بي ولم يروني

We had lunch with the Messenger salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam. With us was Abu ‘Ubaidah ibn al Jarrah. He said, “O Messenger of Allah, is there anyone better than us; we accepted Islam and participated in Jihad with you?”

He replied, “Yes, there are people who will come after you, who will believe in me without seeing me.”^[17]

There is no doubt that this hadith indicates the virtue of all those who believed after the Companions radiya Llahu ‘anhum over the Companions radiya Llahu ‘anhum, but no one from the Ahlus Sunnah took this apparent meaning, neither Ibn ‘Abdul Barr nor anyone else. Rather, they saw the necessity of diverting it from its apparent meaning and interpreting it. Ibn ‘Abdul Barr excluded the likes of the participants of (the Battle of) Badr and the Pledge of Ridwan from the dispute, as no one who came after the Companions radiya Llahu ‘anhum can be equal to them.

Was this exception by Ibn ‘Abdul Barr based on definitive evidence that led him to that? If so, what is that evidence? The truth is that there is no evidence for this exception except those ahadith that were narrated by the Ahlus Sunnah to give superiority to all the Companions radiya Llahu ‘anhum over all those who came after them. Furthermore, the texts that Ibn ‘Abdul Barr cited to oppose the standpoint of the Ahlus Sunnah, if they were truly contradicting the standpoint of the Ahlus Sunnah in declaring the superiority of the Companions radiya Llahu ‘anhum over others, then they would inevitably contradict his exception of the likes of the participants of Badr and others also. Therefore, what he responds with to this contradiction is what would also be an answer for the Ahlus Sunnah.

Hence, the Imams have stated that we should not pay attention to the statement of Ibn ‘Abdul Barr and that it is not a valid disagreement. Therefore, it has no place for any attention or consideration.

Likewise, the hadith of al Tirmidhi — from Anas radiya Llahu ‘anhu — from the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, who said:

مثل أمتي مثل المطر لايدرى أوله خير أم آخره

The example of my nation is like rain, it is not known whether its beginning is better or its end.^[18]

He remarked that the hadith is hasan gharib.^[19] Outwardly, it indicates to doubt and hesitation in the matter of superiority between the Companions radiya Llahu ‘anhum and non-Companions, but no one doubted it by citing its apparent meaning, as stated by al ‘Allamah al Fattani.^[20] Rather, they diverted it from its apparent meaning so that it would not contradict the consensus regarding the superiority of the Companions radiya Llahu ‘anhum over others.

It is necessary to divert the statements of al ‘Allamah al Sa’d in al Talwih^[21] from the apparent meaning, if it is accepted that it indicates to doubt, as mentioned by al ‘Allamah al Fattani also.^[22]

Al ‘Allamah Muhammad Tahir al Fattani, after narrating this hadith and others like it, states:

فتبصر فإن الاغترار بمثل هذه الظواهر يدل على عدم البصارة بمذهب أهل الحق في هذا المقام

So be careful, being deceived by such apparent meanings indicates to a lack of insight into the standpoint of the people of truth in this regard.^[23]

Al Hafiz al ‘Ala’i said:

وحديث أبي جمعة لم تتفق الروايات فيه على لفظ هل‏ أحد خير منا ‏ بل قد تقدم رواية معاوية بن صالح له هل‏ من قوم أعظم منا أجرا ومعاوية بن صالح أحفظ من أسيد بن عبد الرحمن فروايته أرجح ويتأول الحديث على ما ذكرناه آنفا بالنسبة إلى بعض الأعمال التي يمكن وقوعها من الطائفتين دون ما اختص به الصدر الأول من الصحبة

وأما حديث أمتي كالمطر فحماد بن يحيى الأبح وإن وثقه ابن معين فقد قال فيه أبو زرعة ليس بالقوي‏ وذكره البخاري في باب الضعفاء وقال يهم‏ في الشيء بعد الشيء وقال الجوزجاني روى‏ عن الزهري حديثا معضلا وقال ابن عدي بعض حديثه لا يتابع عليه وذكر من جملة حديثه حديث أنس هذا وهو شاذ أو منكر لتفرد حماد بن يحيى به دون أصحاب ثابت البناني ولا يحتمل منه مثل هذا التفرد

Regarding the hadith of Abu Jumu’ah, narrations do not collaborate on the wording ‘is anyone better than us?’ In fact, the narration of Muawiyah ibn Salih has been mentioned previously, which states ‘is there a nation greater in reward than us?’ Muawiyah ibn Salih had a better memory than Usayd ibn ‘Abdur Rahman, so his narration would be more preferable. The hadith will be interpreted according to what we mentioned earlier with regard to some of the actions that can be practiced by both groups, not that which was specific to the first era, such as companionship.

As for the hadith ‘My Ummah is like rain’, the narrator Hammad ibn Yahya al Abahh, even though Ibn Ma’in regarded him to be thiqah (reliable); however, Abu Zur’ah said about him, “He is not strong.” Al Bukhari mentioned him in the chapter on weak narrators and said, “He makes mistakes in one thing after another.” Al Juzajani said, “He narrated mu’dal^[24] ahadith from al Zuhri.” Ibn ‘Adi said, “Some of his ahadith are not corroborated. From amongst those ahadith, he mentioned this hadith of Anas radiya Llahu ‘anhu. It is a shadh (anomalous) or munkar (rejected) narration because Hammad ibn Yahya was isolated from the companions of Thabit al Bunani in this narration and such isolation cannot be tolerated from him.”^[25]

After citing this hadith, in his commentary of the verse:

ﯠ ﯡ ﯢ ﯤ ﯥ ﯦ

(They will be) a multitude from earlier generations and a few from later generations.^[26]

Al Hafiz Ibn Kathir states:

هذا‏ الحديث بعد الحكم بصحة إسناده محمول على أن الدين كما هو محتاج إلى أول الأمة في إبلاغه إلى من بعدهم كذلك هو محتاج إلى القائمين به في أواخرها وتثبيت الناس على السنة وروايتها وإظهارها والفضل للمتقدم وكذلك الزرع الذي يحتاج إلى المطر الأول وإلى المطر الثاني لكن العمدة الكبرى على الأول واحتياج الزرع إليه آكد فإنه لولاه ما نبت في الأرض ولا تعلق أساسُه فيها

This hadith, after ruling its isnad to be authentic, means that din, just as it needs the first of the Ummah to convey it to those after them, similarly, it needs those who will establish it in its later stages and establish people on the Sunnah, its narration and propagation. Superiority is for the former, as the crops need the first rain and the second rain. However, the greater reliance is on the first rain, as the crops need it more, because without it, it would have not grown on the earth and its foundation would not have been established.^[27]

The reality is that the superiority of the Companions radiya Llahu ‘anhum is due to the superiority of the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam. Just as he is the best of the prophets, likewise, his Companions radiya Llahu ‘anhum are the best of people after all the prophets. Al Imam al Suyuti considered this one of the characteristics of the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, as he said:

وبناته وزوجاته أفضل نساء العالمين.. وأصحابه أفضل العالمين إلا النبيين‏ ويقاربون عدد الأنبياء وكلهم مجتهدون

His daughters and wives are the most superior women of the worlds. His Companions are the best of the worlds except for all the prophets.^[28] They are close in number to the prophets and they are all Mujtahids.^[29]

NEXT⇒ 3. Superiority between the Companions radiya Llahu ‘anhum

^[1] This is from the statements of Bakr ibn ‘Abdullah al Mizzi, which al Hakim al Tirmidhi narrated from him. Its referencing will come later, Allah willing.

^[2] Ibn Abi Jamrah: Bahjat al Nufus, 1/131.

^[3] Al Hakim al Tirmidhi: Nawadir al Usul, 5/415.

^[4] It is one of the publications of Kursi al Imam al Ash’ari, Malabar, India, 1439 AH/2018 CE. Then it was reprinted by Dar al Imam al Nabhani in Beirut in 1441 AH.

^[5] Al Nabhani: Al Asalib al Badi’ah, pg. 369 (printed with Shawahid al Haqq); al Kattani: Nazm al Mutanathir min al Hadith al Mutawatir, pg. 199.

^[6] Al Laqqani: Hidayat al Murid Sharh Jawharat al Tawhid, pg. 861.

^[7] Al Laqqani: ‘Umdat al Murid Sharh Jawharat al Tawhid, 3/1059.

^[8] Al Haythami: Majma’ al Zawa’id, 10/16.

^[9] Sahih al Bukhari, 5/8, Hadith: 3673; Sahih Muslim, 16/93, Hadith: 2541, from Abu Sa’id al Khudri radiya Llahu ‘anhu.

^[10] Sahih Muslim, Hadith: 2534, from Abu Sa’id al Khudri radiya Llahu ‘anhu.

^[11] Musnad Ahmed, Musnad ‘Abdullah ibn Mas’ud, 1/379, Hadith: 3600; al Busayri: Ithaf al Khiyarah al Maharah, book on the signs of prophethood, 7/58, Hadith: 6372; al Ajurri: Al Shari’ah, chapter on the merits of all the Companions radiya Llahu ‘anhum, 1/613, Hadith: 1127.

^[12] Al Risalah al Qushayriyyah, 1/74, (Copy of Ihkam al Dalalah by Sheikh al Islam); al Suharwardi: ‘Awarif al Ma’arif, pg. 64.

^[13] Al Sarhindi: Al Maktubat, 1/172.

^[14] See Ihya’ ‘Ulum al Din to understand the extent of asceticism and piety.

^[15] Ibn Kathir: Al Bidayah wa al Nihayah, 8/142; Ibn Hajar: Al Sawa’iq al Muhriqah, pg. 211.

^[16] Ibn Raslan: Sharh Sunan Abi Dawood, 18/164.

^[17] It was narrated by al Darami and al Hakim who authenticated it and al Dhahabi agreed with him; al Tabarani: Al Mujam al Kabir, 4/22, Hadith. 3573. It appears in Sahih Muslim, Hadith: 249, from the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, who said:

وددت أنا قد رأينا إخواننا قالوا يا رسول الله أولسنا إخوانك قال أنتم أصحابي وإخواننا الذين لم يأتوا بعد

“I wish we had seen our brothers.”

They (the Companions) said, “O Messenger of Allah, are we not your brothers?”

He said, “You are my Companions. Our brothers are those who have not yet come.”

^[18] Sunan al Tirmidhi, 5/152, Hadith: 2869. The ruling on the status of this hadith will come in the words of al Hafiz al ‘Ala’i, so refer to it.

^[19] Hasan is that hadith that does not meet the isnad requirements to be sahih; however, its flaws are not serious enough to be considered weak. Gharib is that hadith which was transmitted by only one narrator in a particular era.

^[20] Muhammad Tahir al Fattani: Majma’ Bihar al Anwar, 5/679.

^[21] As he—i.e. al Sa’d—stated in Hashiyat al Talwih, 2/6:

إن‏ قيل وقد قال عليه السلام مثل أمتي مثل المطر لا يدرى أوله خير أم آخره فكيف التوفيق قلنا الخيرية تختلف بالإضافات والاعتبارات فالقرون السابقة خير بنيل شرف قرب العهد بالنبي عليه السلام ولزوم سيرة العدل والصدق واجتناب المعاصي ونحو ذلك على ما أشار إليه قوله عليه السلام ثم يفشو الكذب وأما باعتبار كثرة الثواب ونيل الدرجات في الآخرة فلا يدرى أن الأول خير لكثرة طاعته وقلة معصيته أم الآخر لإيمانه بالغيب طوعا ورغبة مع انقضاء زمن مشاهدة آثار الوحي وظهور المعجزات بالتزامه طريق السنة مع فساد الزمان

If someone objects that, the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam said, “The example of my nation is like rain; it is not known whether its beginning is better or its end.” How can we reconcile?

We say, “Virtue differs due to associations and considerations. The previous eras were better due to attaining the honour of being close to the era of the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, adhering to the way of justice and truthfulness, and avoiding sins etc., in comparison to what was indicated by the statement of the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam when he stated ‘then lying will spread.’ However, taking into consideration the abundance of reward and attaining high stages in the Hereafter, it is not known whether the first is better due to the abundance of obedience and the scarcity of his disobedience, or the latter, due to belief in the unseen willingly and desirously, along with the termination of the time of witnessing the effects of revelation and the appearance of miracles, by his adherence to the Sunnah despite the corruption of time.

The magnificence and precision in this speech is clear. Sheikh al Akbar preceded him in al Futuhat, but despite that, he did not fall into the ambiguity like al ‘Allamah al Sa’d.

^[22] In fact, al ‘Allamah al Sa’d stated in Hashiyat al Talwih, 2/421, that the superiority of the Companions radiya Llahu ‘anhum over others is definitive. The text of his statement will be quoted later.

^[23] Muhammad Tahir al Fattani: Majma’ Bihar al Anwar, 5/679.

^[24] Mu’dal is a narration where two or more links are missing consecutively in the isnad.

^[25] Al Hafiz al ‘Ala’i: Tahqiq Munif al Rutbah, pg. 277.

^[26] Surah al Waqi’ah: 13-14.

^[27] Tafsir Ibn Kathir, 13/354. Also refer to the comments of Sheikh ‘Abdul Fattah Abu Ghuddah on al Tasrih bi ma Tawatara fi Nuzul al Masih of Sheikh Anwar Shah al Kashmiri, pg. 248–270.

^[28] Sayed al Ahdal states in Fath al Qarib bi Sharh Anmudhaj al Labib, pg. 68:

ظاهره تفضيلهم على من اختلف في نبوته كلقمان وهو كذلك

Outwardly, it appears that they are superior to those whose prophethood is disputed, such as Luqman, and this is the case.

^[29] Anmudhaj al Labib fi Khasa’is al Habib salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, pg. 21. As for the fact that they were all Mujtahids, al Busayri indicated to this in his Hamziyyah, when he said:

وصواب وكلهم أكفاء

كلهم في أحكامه ذو اجتهاد

All of them are mujtahids and correct in their rulings, and all of them are competent.

Refer to it with Sheikh Ibn Hajar’s commentary on it in al Minah al Makkiyyah pg. 549. Sheikh Abu Ishaq al Shirazi states in Tabaqat al Fuqaha’, pg. 27:

إن‏ أكثر أصحاب رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم كانوا فقهاء غير أن الذي اشتهر منهم بالفتاوى والأحكام وتكلم في الحلال والحرام جماعة مخصوصة

Most of the Companions of the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam were jurists; however, those who were famous for their verdicts and rulings and discussed Halal and Haram were a specific group.

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