Islam Question and Answer - The virtue of the Sahaabah (may Allaah be pleased with them)

Praise be to Allaah.

Belief in
the good character and virtue of the Sahaabah is the belief of Ahl al-Sunnah
wa’l-Jamaa’ah. That is because Allaah has praised them in His Book and they
were also praised by the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) as is narrated in the books of Sunnah. These texts reach the level of
mutawaatir in many cases, which clearly indicates that Allaah gave them
special virtues and noble characteristics, by means of which they attained
that great honour and high status with Him. As Allaah chose for His message
the most pure-hearted of His slaves (i.e., the Prophets), so too He chose as
the heirs of the Prophets those who would be grateful for this blessing and
who were fit for this honour (of conveying the message), as He says
(interpretation of the meaning): 

“Allaah
knows best with whom to place His Message”

[al-An’aam 6:124] 

Ibn
al-Qayyim (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: Allaah knows best where to
place His Message, both with regard to the original recipient and those who
inherit it from him. He knows best who is fit to receive His Message and
convey it to His slaves in a trustworthy and sincere manner, respecting the
Sender and fulfilling his duties towards Him, patiently following His
commands and showing gratitude for His blessings and drawing close to Him,
and He knows who is not fit for that. Similarly, He knows best who among the
nations is fit to be the heirs of His Messengers and to succeed them and
convey the Message that they received from their Lord. 

Tareeq
al-Hijratayn, p. 171 

Allaah says
(interpretation of the meaning): 

“Thus We
have tried some of them with others, that they might say: ‘Is it these (poor
believers) whom Allaah has favoured from amongst us?’ Does not Allaah know
best those who are grateful?”

[al-An’aam 6:53] 

Shaykh
al-Sa’di (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: Those who acknowledge the
blessing and affirm it, and who do what it requires of righteous deeds, are
the ones on whom Allaah bestows His blessing, to the exclusion of those who
are not grateful, for Allaah is wise and He does not place His bounty with
one who is not qualified to receive it. 

Just as
there are many verses and ahaadeeth which speak of their virtue and high
status, so too there are texts which state the reasons why they deserved
this high status, such as the verse in which Allaah says (interpretation of
the meaning): 

“Muhammad
is the Messenger of Allaah. 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 Allaah and (His) Good
Pleasure. The mark of them (i.e. of their Faith) is on their faces
(foreheads) from the traces of prostration (during prayers). This is their
description in the Tawraat (Torah). But their description in the Injeel
(Gospel) is like a (sown) seed which sends forth its shoot, then makes it
strong, and becomes thick and it stands straight on its stem, delighting the
sowers, that He may enrage the disbelievers with them. Allaah has promised
those among them who believe (i.e. all those who follow Islamic Monotheism,
the religion of Prophet Muhammad till the Day of Resurrection) and do
righteous good deeds, forgiveness and a mighty reward (i.e. Paradise)”

[al-Fath
48:29] 

Among the
greatest reasons for the high status of the Sahaabah is that to which Allaah
bore witness of their purity of heart and sincere faith. That, by Allaah, is
a mighty testimony from the Lord of mankind, which no human being can attain
after the cessation of the Revelation. 

Listen to
the words of Allaah (interpretation of the meaning): 

“Indeed,
Allaah was pleased with the believers when they gave the Bay‘ah (pledge) to
you (O Muhammad) under the tree, He knew what was in their hearts, and He
sent down As‑Sakeenah (calmness and tranquillity) upon them, and He rewarded
them with a near victory”

[al-Fath
48:18] 

Ibn Katheer
(may Allaah have mercy on him) said in Tafseer al-Qur’aan al-‘Azeem
(4/243): 

“He knew
what was in their hearts” i.e., of sincerity and loyalty, and the
willingness to hear and obey. End quote. 

How
beautiful are the words of ‘Abd-Allaah ibn Mas’ood (may Allaah be pleased
with him): “Whoever among you wishes to follow (someone), let him follow one
who has died, for the one who is still alive is not safe from fitnah. The
companions of Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) were
the best of this ummah, the most righteous of heart and the deepest in
knowledge and the most straightforward, people whom Allaah chose to
accompany His Prophet and establish His religion. So acknowledge their
virtue and follow in their footsteps, and adhere as much as you can to their
morals and religion, for they were following right guidance. 

Narrated by
Ibn ‘Abd al-Barr in al-Jaami’, no. 1810. 

Allaah
promised Paradise and eternal bliss to the Muhaajireen and Ansaar, and He
stated that He is pleased with them in verses that will be recited until the
Day of Resurrection. Can anyone think that this would be given to one who
does not deserve that bounty? 

Allaah, may
He be glorified and exalted says (interpretation of the meaning): 

“And the
foremost to embrace Islam of the Muhaajiroon and the Ansaar and also those
who followed them exactly (in Faith). Allaah is well-pleased with them as
they are well-pleased with Him. He has prepared for them Gardens under which
rivers flow (Paradise), to dwell therein forever. That is the supreme
success”

[al-Tawbah 9:100] 

The leader
of mankind, the foremost among the Messengers and Prophets, also testified
to their virtue. He was a witness over them during his lifetime; he saw
their sacrifices and their sincere resolve, and he (peace and blessings
of Allaah be upon him) spoke immortal words of the honour of his companions
and his love for them.  

It was
narrated from Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him) that the
Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said:
“Do not revile my companions, for by the One in Whose hand is my soul, if
one of you were to spend the equivalent of Uhud in gold, it would not amount
to a mudd of one of them, or half of that.” Narrated by al-Bukhaari (3673)
and Muslim (2540). 

It was
narrated from ‘Abd-Allaah ibn Mas’ood (may Allaah be pleased with him) that
the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “The best
of the people are my generation, then those who come after them, then those
who come after them.” Narrated by al-Bukhaari (2652) and Muslim (2533). 

Al-Khateeb
al-Baghdaadi (may Allaah have mercy on him) said in al-Kifaayah
(49): 

Even if
there was nothing narrated from Allaah or His Messenger about them, the
things that they did such as migrating (hijrah), engaging in jihad,
supporting (the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and
Islam), expending their lives and their wealth, killing their fathers and
sons (in jihad), sincerely following the deen, believing strongly and with
certainty, is definitive proof of their good character and sincerity, and
shows that they are superior to all those sincere people of good character
who come after them, for all time. This is the view of all the scholars, and
of the fuqaha’ whose opinion counts. End quote. 

If we were
to list the attitudes with which they supported the deen and the righteous
deeds by means of which they deserved that high status, we would fill
volumes. Their whole lives were spent for the sake of Allaah and what book
is big enough to contain the lives of hundreds of the Sahaabah who filled
the world with goodness and righteousness? 

Ibn Mas’ood
(may Allaah be pleased with him) said: 

Allaah
looked into the hearts of His slaves, and He saw that the heart of Muhammad
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) was the best of people’s
hearts, so He chose him for Himself and sent him with His message. Then He
looked into the hearts of His slaves after the heart of Muhammad, and He
found that the hearts of his companions were the best of people’s hearts, so
He made them the supporters of His Prophet, who fought for His religion. So
whatever the Muslims think is good, is good before Allaah, and whatever they
think is bad, is bad before Allaah. End quote. 

Narrated by
Ahmad in al-Musnad (1/379). The scholars of hadeeth said: Its isnaad
is hasan. 

That is also
discussed in detail in the answers to questions no.
13713 and
45563. 

Secondly: 

It is
essential to understand that the Sahaabah were not infallible. This is the
view of Ahl al-Sunnah wa’l-Jamaa’ah. Rather they were human beings like any
others.  

Whatever
sins or mistakes any of them may have made maybe overlooked in comparison to
the honour of accompanying the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah
be upon him) and they were forgiven and pardoned. Good deeds take away bad
deeds. The support that the Sahaabah gave to the Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) at any given moment for the sake of this
religion cannot be matched. 

Shaykh
al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:  

Ahl
al-Sunnah speak well of them, and pray for mercy and forgiveness for them,
but they do not believe that anyone is infallible or that anyone is
protected from making mistakes in their ijtihaad except the Messenger of
Allaah; it is possible for anyone else to commit sins or make mistakes, but
they are as Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): 

“They are
those from whom We shall accept the best of their deeds and overlook their
evil deeds. (They shall be) among the dwellers of Paradise ___ a promise of
truth, which they have been promised”

[al-Ahqaaf 46:16]. 

The virtue
of any deeds is to be judged by the results and consequences. Majmoo’
al-Fataawa, 4/434. 

This is
confirmed in the Qur'aan and Sunnah, in more than one place. 

Allaah
forgave those of the Sahaabah who turned back on the day of Uhud, as He says
(interpretation of the meaning): 

“Those of
you who turned back on the day the two hosts met (i.e. the battle of Uhud),
it was Shaytaan (Satan) who caused them to backslide (run away from the
battlefield) because of some (sins) they had earned. But Allaah, indeed, has
forgiven them. Surely, Allaah is Oft‑Forgiving, Most Forbearing”

[Aal
‘Imraan 3:155] 

When one of
the Sahaabah sinned by telling Quraysh that the Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) was coming with the army during the year of
the Conquest, and ‘Umar ibn al-Khattaab wanted to execute him, the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “He was present at
Badr, and you do not know, perhaps Allaah looked upon the people of Badr and
said: ‘Do what you wish, for I have forgiven you.’”  Narrated by al-Bukhaari
and Muslim (2494). 

And there
are other cases in which some of the Sahaabah committed sins, then Allaah,
may He be exalted, pardoned them and forgave them, which is indicative of
their virtue and honour and that cannot be undermined by any mistake that
they made during the time of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah
be upon him) or after he died. The verses quoted above, which speak of their
virtue and give them the glad tidings of Paradise, cannot been abrogated by
anything.

And Allaah
knows best.

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