Section Two

The ‘Adalah of the Sahabah in the Sunnah

1. Abu Sa’id al Khudri radiya Llahu ‘anhu narrates that Rasul Allah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam:

يأتي على الناس زمان فيغزو فئام من الناس فيقولون فيكم من صاحب رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم فيقولون نعم فيفتح لهم ثم يأتي على الناس زمان فيغزو فئام من الناس فيقال هل فيكم من صاحب أصحاب رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم فيقولون نعم فيفتح لهم ثم يأتي على الناس زمان فيغزو فئام من الناس فيقال هل فيكم من صاحب من صاحب أصحاب رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم فيقولون نعم فيفتح لهم

There will come upon the people a time when a large group of people will fight. They will ask, “Is there amongst you a Sahabi of Rasul Allah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam?”

They will say, “Yes.”

Thus, they will be granted victory. Thereafter a time will come upon the people and large group of people will fight and it will be asked, “Is there amongst you a companion of the Sahabah of Rasul Allah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam?”

They will say, “Yes,” and thus they will be granted victory.

Then there will come upon the people a time and a large group of people will fight and it will be asked, “Is there amongst you the companion of the of the companion of the Sahabah of Rasul Allah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam?”

They will say, “Yes,” and they will be granted victory.[1]

2. Abu Hurairah radiya Llahu ‘anhu narrates that Rasul Allah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam said:

لا تسبوا أصحابي فوالذي نفسي بيده لو أن أحدكم أنفق مثل أحد ذهباً ما أدرك مد أحدهم ولا نصيفه

Do not revile my Sahabah; do not revile my Sahabah. For by the one in whose soul is my life, if one of you has to spend gold equivalent to Uhud he would not reach the Mudd[2] of one of them, nor even half a Mudd.[3]

3. Abu Bakrah radiya Llahu ‘anhu narrates from Nabi salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam:

فليبلغ الشاهد منكم الغائب

The present should convey to those absent.[4]

These narrations hold the greatest evidence that the Sahabah radiya Llahu ‘anhum were all people of ‘Adalah and that none was impugned among them, nor weak. For in that case Nabi salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam would have qualified his statement saying, “The upright present person should convey to the absent.” But the fact that he made his statement without any qualifications, denotates that they are all upright. And it is enough an honour for a person to be approbated by Rasul Allah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam.

4. ‘Abdullah ibn Mas’ud radiya Llahu ‘anhu narrates from Nabi salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam:

خير الناس قرني ثم الذين يلونهم ثم الذين يلونهم ثم يجيء قوم تسبق شهادة أحدهم يمينه ويمينه شهادته

The best people are the people of my era, then those who will follow them, and then those who will follow them. Thereafter will come such a people that the testimony of one of them will surpass his oath, and his oath will surpass his testimony.[5]

5. Abu Musa al Ash’ari radiya Llahu ‘anhu narrates from Nabi salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam:

النجوم أمنة للسماء فإذا ذهبت النجوم أتى السماء ما توعد وأنا أمنة لأصحابي فإذا ذهبت أتى أصحابي ما يوعدون وأصحابي أمنة لأمتي فإذا ذهبت أصحابي أتى أمتي ما يوعدون

The stars are the safeguarders of the heaven, when the stars will perish, what the sky has been warned of will befall it. I am the safeguarder of my Sahabah, when I go, what they have been warned of will befall them. My Sahabah are the safeguarders of my Ummah, when my Sahabah go, what my Ummah has been warned of will befall them.[6]

These are but a few of the many narrations which if detailed, the discussion will become very lengthy.

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

إن الله نظر في قلوب العباد، فوجد قلب محمدٍ صلى الله عليه وسلم خير قلوب العباد، فاصطفاه لنفسه، فابتعثه برسالته، ثم نظر في قلوب العباد بعد قلب محمد صلى الله عليه وسلم؛ فوجد قلوب أصحابه خير قلوب العباد، فجعلهم وزراء نبيِّه، يقاتلون على دينه

Allah subhanahu wa ta ‘ala looked into the hearts of the bondsmen and found the heart of Muhammad salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam to be the best of hearts. He, thus, selected him for himself and sent him with his message. He then again looked into the hearts of the bondsmen after the heart of Muhammad salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam and found that the hearts of his Sahabah were the best of hearts. He, thus, made them the governors of his Nabi salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam who would fight for the preservation of his Din.[7]

And Muhammad al Zurqani mentions:

فأنت ترى من هذه الشهادات العالية في الكتاب والسنة ما يرفع مقام الصحابة إلى الذروة وما لا يترك لطاعن فيهم دليلا ولا شبه دليل. والواقع أن العقل المجرد من الهوى والتعصب يحيل على الله في حكمته ورحمته أن يختار لحمل شريعته الختامية أمة مغموزة أو طائفة ملموزة تعالى الله عن ذلك علوا كبيرا. ومن هنا كان توثيق هذه الطبقة الكريمة طبقة الصحابة يعتبر دفاعا عن الكتاب والسنة وأصول الإسلام من ناحية ويعتبر إنصافا أدبيا لمن يستحقونه من ناحية ثانية ويعتبر تقديرا لحكمة الله البالغة في اختيارهم لهذه المهمة العظمى من ناحية ثالثة. كما أن توهينهم والنيل منهم يعد غمزا في هذا الاختيار الحكيم ولمزا في ذلك الاصطفاء والتكريم فوق ما فيه من هدم الكتاب والسنة والدين

So, as you can see that these high testimonies of the Qur’an and the Sunnah elevate the status of the Sahabah radiya Llahu ‘anhum to the pinnacle and leave no evidence, in fact, not even the inkling of evidence for any criticizer. The truth is that a non-egotistic and chauvinistic mind will deem it impossible that Allah subhanahu wa ta ‘ala with His Wisdom and Mercy will choose a nation that is impugned and a people that are compromised as custodians of his final Shari’ah. Free is Allah subhanahu wa ta ‘ala from that.

It is for this reason that defending this noble generation of the Sahabah radiya Llahu ‘anhum, is on the one hand, defending the Book of Allah subhanahu wa ta ‘ala, the Sunnah, and the principles of Islam. And on the other hand, it is also their right that they be defended with fairness and respect. And it is also an appreciation of the great wisdom of Allah subhanahu wa ta ‘ala in choosing them for this great mission. Just as degrading them and disparaging them is equivalent to criticizing this wise choice, and tarnishing that divine selection and veneration, over and above that entailing the destruction of the Qur’an the Sunnah and the Din.[8]

NEXT⇒ Section Three – The Consensus of the Ummah Regarding the ‘Adalah of the Sahabah

[1] Sahih al Bukhari: chapter of Jihad and: sub-chapter regarding those who seek the help of the weak and the pious in battle: hadith no. 2740; Sahih Muslim: chapter on the merits of the Sahabah radiya Llahu ‘anhum: sub-chapter regarding the virtue of the Sahabah: hadith no. 2532.

[2] A measurement which is about 750 ml.

[3] Sahih al Bukhari: Chapter on the Merits of the Sahabah: sub-chapter about the statement of Nabi salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, “Had I taken a bosom friend”: hadith no. 3470; Sahih Muslim: merits of the Sahabah: sub-chapter about the impermissibility of the reviling the Sahabah radiya Llahu ‘anhum: hadith no. 2540.

[4] Sahih al Bukhari: chapter of knowledge: sub-chapter: ‘The present should convey to the absent,”: hadith no. 105; Sahih Muslim: chapter of Qasamah: sub-chapter regarding the severe prohibition of bloodshed and violation of dignity and property: hadith no. 1679.

[5] Sahih al Bukhari: chapter of the merits of the Sahabah: sub-chapter about the virtues of the Sahabah: hadith no. 3451; Sahih Muslim: chapter of the merits of the Sahabah radiya Llahu ‘anhum: sub-chapter about the Sahabah radiya Llahu ‘anhum, those who followed them, and those who followed them: hadith no. 2533.

This attestation of their goodness confirms the attestation of Allah subhanahu wa ta ‘ala: “You are best nation produced for mankind.” (Surah Al ‘Imran: 110).

[6] Sahih Muslim: chapter on the merits of the Sahabah radiya Llahu ‘anhum: sub-chapter regarding the presence of Nabi salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam being a protection for his Sahabah…: hadith no. 2531.

[7] Musnad Ahmed, 1/379; and al Haythami has said in Majma’ al Zawa’id 1/428: “Narrated by Ahmed, al Bazzar, and al Tabarani in al Mujam al Kabir. Its narrators have been approbated.”

[8] Manahil al ‘Irfan, 1/233.

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