The Companions of the Prophet (the Sahaba) are the stars of guidance, radiant stars of piety and faith. After the Messenger (peace be upon him), it was they who carried the banner of Islam and raised it to the ends of the earth. It is through them that Islam reached us, and for that we remain forever in their debt. They are the best and finest of generations, whom Allah chose to be the companions of His Prophet. Narrated from Abdullah ibn Mas’ud, the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “The best of people are those of my generation, then those who come after them, then those who come after them.” (Bukhari 2652)
The saying of Abdullah ibn Mas’ud is worth pondering. He said: “If anyone wishes to follow a path, let him follow the path of the Companions of Muhammad (peace be upon him), for they were the most righteous of this ummah in heart, the deepest in knowledge, the least given to affectation, the most correct in guidance and the soundest in state. They are a people whom Allah chose for the company of His Prophet and for the establishment of His religion. So recognise their rank and follow their footsteps, for they stood upon the straight path.” (Mishkat 193) The sense of his words is that, after the Prophet (peace be upon him), if there is anyone on earth worth following, it is the Companions. In the holy Quran, Allah has declared His pleasure with them, and they too are pleased with Him.
Even if the good deeds of all the people of the world were gathered together, they would not equal a single moment of the deeds of the Companions. Abdullah ibn Umar said: “Do not abuse the Companions of Muhammad (peace be upon him), for the merit of a single moment of their deeds is greater than a lifetime of yours.” (Ibn Majah 162)
Narrated from Abdullah ibn Mughaffal, the Messenger (peace be upon him) said: “Fear Allah, fear Allah concerning my Companions. Do not make them a target of criticism after me. For whoever loves them loves them out of love for me, and whoever dislikes them dislikes them out of dislike for me. Whoever hurts them hurts me, whoever hurts me hurts Allah, and whoever hurts Allah — Allah will soon seize him.” (Tirmidhi 3862)
If someone who claims to be a Muslim abuses them and harbours malice toward them, such conduct aligns him with the disbelievers. According to the Quran, it is only the disbelievers who bear malice toward the Companions. Allah has commanded us to believe as the Companions believed; so can those who, fourteen and a half centuries later, rise up against them still be called Muslims?
The true Muslims are those who say: “Our Lord, forgive us and our brothers who preceded us in faith, and leave no rancour in our hearts toward those who have believed; our Lord, indeed You are Kind, Most Merciful.” (Sura al-Hashr 10)
On the verse of Sura al-Fath (29), “that He may enrage the disbelievers by them,” Imam Malik said: “Whoever harbours malice toward the Companions also falls under this ruling.”
Imam Abu Zur’a ar-Razi said: “When you see someone belittling the standing of any of the Companions, know that he is a heretic. For the Messenger (peace be upon him) is truth, and the Quran is truth; and it was the Companions who conveyed the Quran and the Sunnah to us. Such people wish only to wound our proofs so that they may nullify the Quran and Sunnah — they are the heretics.” (Minhaj us-Sunnah 1/18)
Of those who bear malice toward the Companions, the Prophet foretold: “Soon a group will emerge who will blame, accuse and abuse my Companions. Beware! Do not sit in their gatherings, do not eat or drink with them, do not pray with them, and do not pray for them.” (Al-Jami’ li Akhlaq ar-Rawi wa Adab as-Sami’ 1353)
Narrated from Anas ibn Malik, the Messenger (peace be upon him) said: “Whoever abuses my Companion, upon him is the curse of Allah, the angels and all mankind, and Allah will accept from him neither obligatory nor voluntary deeds.” (Tabarani 2108)
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