The Creed of Ahl us-Sunnah Regarding the Companions of the Prophet ﷺ
This lecture explains the moderate creed of Ahl us-Sunnah wal-Jama'ah regarding the Companions of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ. It details the obligation of loving them, believing in their uprightness, and refraining from discussing their disputes. The speaker also highlights how defaming the Sahabah is an indirect attack on the Prophet ﷺ himself, as noted by Imam Malik.
When Imam Malik ibn Anas was asked about people who insult the Companions (RA),
he said, "These people wanted to defame the Prophet ﷺ,
but they found no way to do so, so they defamed his Companions (RA)."
This general belief, in reality, regarding the noble Companions (RA)
is based on clear principles: loving them,
praising them, refraining from discussing their disputes,
having a sound heart towards them, believing in their uprightness,
and it is a transmitted, consensus-based belief, not subject to ijtihad or dispute.
O seeker of excellence, who seeks his Lord to attain from Him the ultimate of hopes.
O seeker of excellence, who seeks his Lord to attain from Him the ultimate of hopes.
Look at the era of the Companions (RA) and what they were upon in times past.
May the peace, mercy, and blessings of Allah ﷻ be upon you.
“In the name of Allāh, the Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful.”
“[All] praise is [due] to Allāh, Lord of the worlds -” (Quran 1:1-2)
and grant peace to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ,
his family, his companions, and those who follow him.
To proceed, welcome, my brothers and sisters, to this meeting within this series,
We gathered lessons with the first generation of the Prophet's ﷺ companions
in previous episodes, whose topics were diverse and different. Today,
I will speak about one of the most important matters
concerning the companions of the Prophet ﷺ, which is:
the creed of the people of Islam concerning the noble companions (RA).
My brothers and sisters, the creed of Islam
concerning the companions of the Prophet ﷺ
is not a historical matter, nor is it a cultural opinion, for example,
or a matter of personal preference open to discussion.
Rather, it is a fundamental principle of belief.
upon which depends the soundness of religion and the correctness of methodology,
and the rectitude of understanding from Allah and from the Messenger of Allah ﷺ,
As for what is contrary to that, it is sheer hypocrisy,
Therefore, we find that the scholars of Islam paid great and utmost attention
regarding the creed towards the Companions of the Prophet ﷺ,
Thus, they included it in the books of creed and reached a manifest consensus on it,
and they made it a dividing line between the people of Sunnah and adherence
and the people of desires and division.
Therefore, if we want to speak about
the creed of the people of Islam regarding the noble Companions (RA),
as established by the verifying scholars,
it actually divides into two parts:
The first part: the creed regarding the Companions in general,
and the second part: the creed regarding the Companions in detail.
As for the belief of Ahl al-Sunnah wal-Jama'ah
regarding the Companions of the Prophet ﷺ in general,
it truly represents the moderate, middle path,
and this is a prominent characteristic of Ahl al-Sunnah wal-Jama'ah.
Therefore, we find Ahl al-Sunnah wal-Jama'ah in the middle
regarding the Companions, between two deviant groups:
between those who went to extremes, raising them above their status,
attributing infallibility to them, or making them independent sources of legislation.
Indeed, some of them even bestowed holiness upon them,
which is not permissible except for Allah ﷻ.
This holiness was not given by Allah ﷻ
neither to a close angel nor to a sent prophet.
On the other hand,
between those who turned away, questioning their integrity,
insulting them, or doubting their intentions,
or accusing them of hypocrisy, or making them a subject of doubt and suspicion.
Therefore, the creed of Ahl us-Sunnah wal-Jama'ah is just and equitable,
which, in reality, reflects the correct creed of the people of Islam.
This creed is based on text, not on desire, and on following, not on fanaticism.
Therefore, there is indeed a beautiful statement by Imam al-Tahawi (RH) in his creed,
the famous and comprehensive one, which the scholars accepted. What did he say?
He said: "We love the Companions of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ,"
"and we do not go to extremes in loving any of them, nor do we disown any of them."
"We hate those who hate them or speak of them unjustly, and we only mention them with good."
"Loving them is religion, faith, and excellence, and hating them is disbelief, hypocrisy, and transgression."
These words from Imam al-Tahawi indeed are not...
These are not merely literary expressions or ornate quotations
with beautiful phrasing, or rhyming prose without substance.
Rather, they are —
if we look at each sentence and each word, each truly represents a confirmed creedal principle.
We love the Companions of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.
Why? Because Allah ﷻ loved them and was pleased with them.
We do not go to excess regarding any of them — a negation of extremism (ghuluww).
And we do not disavow — a negation of cold rejection (jafa').
And we do not mention them except with good.
This closes the door to criticism and slander against the Companions of the Prophet ﷺ.
His saying loving them is religion, because Allah ﷻ commanded following them.
And we mentioned in previous episodes the value and rank of the Companions in the religion of Islam.
His saying hating them is hypocrisy, because hating those whom Allah ﷻ was pleased with —
can only stem from a deficiency in faith and a deficiency in creed,
because Allah ﷻ was pleased with them.
Allah ﷻ is pleased with them.
And He praised them; indeed, our Lord, Majestic and Exalted, purified them.
Our Lord purified them with truthfulness.
Indeed, He even disclosed the secrets of their consciences and hearts, and purified them, Glorified is He.
For this reason, what did Imam Ahmad, the Imam of Ahl al-Sunnah wal-Jama'ah, say?
He said, "If you see a man mentioning any of the Companions of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ
with evil, then question his adherence to Islam."
Abdullah ibn al-Mubarak, this venerable scholar, had an amazing saying. He said, "Whoever belittles
the Companions is not upon Islam."
As for Imam Malik, the Imam of Dar al-Hijrah, Imam Malik ibn Anas, when he was asked about
people who abuse the Companions,
he said, "These people wanted to defame the Prophet ﷺ,
but they found no way to do so, so they defamed his Companions."
This general creed, in reality, regarding the noble Companions (RA), is based on clear principles:
loving them, praising them, refraining from discussing their disputes,
having a sound heart towards them, and believing in their integrity.
It is a creed based on textual evidence and consensus, not subject to ijtihad or dispute.
This is the reality, and I believe we have covered some of these details in previous episodes and sessions.
As for the creed regarding the Companions in terms of detail,
it actually concerns the matter of their hierarchy and ranks.
You know, as I mentioned at the beginning of these sessions, that
hierarchy is a universal, predestined law, even among the Prophets (AS).
“Those messengers - some of them We caused to exceed others. Among them were those to whom Allāh spoke, and He raised some of them in degree. And We gave Jesus, the son of Mary, clear proofs, and We supported him with the Pure Spirit [i.e., Gabriel]. If Allāh had willed, those [generations] succeeding them would not have fought each other after the clear proofs had come to them. But they differed, and some of them believed and some of them disbelieved. And if Allāh had willed, they would not have fought each other, but Allāh does what He intends.” (Quran 2:253)
Among the angels, Gabriel is the best.
Among lands, the best of lands is Mecca.
Among months, the best month is Ramadan.
Among nights, the Night of Decree; among days, Friday.
Likewise is the case with the companions of the Prophet ﷺ.
This is the general virtue that I mentioned a short while ago.
Ahl al-Sunnah wal-Jama'ah do not claim absolute equality among the Sahabah,
but rather they believe in their variation in status and rank.
They vary in status and rank,
as has been established, and this is from the universal laws of Allah ﷻ.
And this variation—let us pay attention to this point—
this variation is looked at from two aspects.
First, variation in general terms.
Ahl al-Sunnah wal-Jama'ah believe
that the people of Badr are absolutely the best of the Sahabah in general terms,
and that is due to what was reported in the authentic hadith from the Prophet ﷺ that he said:
"Perhaps Allah ﷻ looked upon the people of Badr and said, 'Do what you wish, for I have forgiven you.'"
Then after that, the people of the Pledge of Ridwan (RA),
then the foremost, first Muhajirun and Ansar, then those who came after them.
Although there is some disagreement regarding the ranking after the people of Badr.
For this reason, Abu al-Abbas Taqi al-Din ibn Taymiyyah (RH) said: "The people of Badr are better than the people of Uhud,
and the people of the Pledge of Ridwan are better than those after them."
This is clear in general terms.
As for the second case, which concerns individuals.
Ahl al-Sunnah wal-Jama'ah have agreed on their ranking as follows:
First, Abu Bakr al-Siddiq (RA), this giant among the giants of the Companions.
This man comes right after the Prophet ﷺ.
Therefore, the best of this Ummah after its Prophet ﷺ is Abu Bakr al-Siddiq (RA),
then Umar al-Faruq (RA), then Uthman ibn Affan (RA),
then Ali bin Abi Talib, may Allah be pleased with them all.
This order is indicated by the texts,
and the consensus of the Salaf has settled upon it, as reported by many Imams.
Imam Ahmad (RH) said:
"The best of this nation after its Prophet is Abu Bakr, then Umar, then Uthman, then Ali."
And Al-Shafi'i (RH) said:
"The Companions of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ agreed on prioritizing Abu Bakr, then Umar."
And Ibn al-Qayyim, Shams al-Din Abu Abdillah, said:
"Whoever challenges their order has contradicted the text and the consensus."
However, I would like to point out one matter:
that this order does not imply disparaging the one surpassed, nor detracting from his status,
Rather, they are all upright, and all of them
are included in the promise of Allah ﷻ of the best reward, as He said:
Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah (RH) has a truly beautiful statement.
This statement summarizes this issue for us, and it is one of the most just things said on this matter.
He (RH) says: "Regarding the tribulations that occurred among the Companions (RA), they exercised ijtihad.
The one who was correct receives two rewards, and the one who erred receives one reward, and his error is forgiven."
Therefore, my brothers and sisters, no one is infallible after the Prophets (AS),
and there is no questioning of integrity due to an error,
nor should history be turned into an indictment court or platforms for mudslinging
regarding the Companions of the Prophet ﷺ, because the matter is settled.
This is the creed of the people of Islam regarding the Companions of the Prophet ﷺ.
Therefore, we find that the firm creed of the people of Islam regarding the Companions (RA)
is built upon love, justice, and emulation.
We love them all and pray for Allah to be pleased with them all,
and we refrain from their disputes.
We believe in their integrity, virtue, and varying ranks.
And we hold that defaming them is, in essence, defaming the religion they transmitted.
For this reason, Imam al-Bukhari (RH) said in his Sahih:
"Chapter: The saying of the Prophet ﷺ: 'Do not abuse my Companions.'"
Then he cited the Hadith to make this chapter a fundamental principle...
...in creed, not a secondary issue; it is not a secondary issue.
My brothers and sisters, perhaps I have summarized the creed of the people of Islam
regarding the noble Companions of the Prophet (RA).
This discussion has a continuation on other topics related to the Companions of the Prophet ﷺ.
I leave you in Allah's care. Peace, mercy, and blessings be upon you.
Al-Ihsan seeks its Lord to attain from Him the ultimate of hopes.
Look at the era of the Companions (RA) and what they were upon in times past.