***In Defence Of The Companions*** 3) The `Adaalah (Justice) of the Companions (May Allah be pleased with them all). This is a small treatise to explain the `Adaalah (Justice/fairness/uprightness) of the Companions of the Prophet ﺻﻠﻰ ﺍﻟﻠﻪ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻭﺳﻠﻢ: Definition of “the Companion”: Al-Haafidh Ibn al-Hajar ﺭﺣﻤﻪ ﺍﻟﻠﻪ said: “The most correct opinion which I have accepted is that a Companion is: the one who met the Prophet ﺻﻠﻰ ﺍﻟﻠﻪ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻭﺳﻠﻢ while believing in him, and had died upon Islaam (as a Muslim). Included in this (definition) is: the one who had spent a long period of time in the company of the Prophet ﺻﻠﻰ ﺍﻟﻠﻪ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻭﺳﻠﻢ and also the one who had spent only a short instance; and the one who narrated from him ﺻﻠﻰ ﺍﻟﻠﻪ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻭﺳﻠﻢ and the one who did not; and the one who participated with him ﺻﻠﻰ ﺍﻟﻠﻪ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻭﺳﻠﻢ in military expeditions and the who did not; and the one who had seen him ﺻﻠﻰ ﺍﻟﻠﻪ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻭﺳﻠﻢ only once, even if he did not attend his gathering; and the one who was not able to see him because of an excuse, like a blind person.” [al-Isaabah Fee Tamyyiz al- Sahaabah (1/4)] Imaam an-Nawawee ﺭﺣﻤﻪ ﺍﻟﻠﻪ said: “The correct position, which is that of the great majority, is that every Muslim who saw the Prophet ﺻﻠﻰ ﺍﻟﻠﻪ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻭﺳﻠﻢ even for an hour, then that person is from his Sahaabah.” [Sharh Saheeh Muslim (16/85) of an-Nawawee] Imaam Ahmad ﺭﺣﻤﻪ ﺍﻟﻠﻪ said: “Every person who accompanied the Prophet ﺻﻠﻰ ﺍﻟﻠﻪ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻭﺳﻠﻢ whether for a year, a month, a day, an hour, or even just saw him - is from his Companions.” [Al-Kifaayah fee `Ilmir- Riwaayah (p.99) of al-Khateeb al-Baghdaadee] Imaam al-Bukhaaree ﺭﺣﻤﻪ ﺍﻟﻠﻪ said: “He who accompanied the Prophet ﺻﻠﻰ ﺍﻟﻠﻪ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻭﺳﻠﻢ or saw him - from the Muslims - then he is from his Sahaabah.” [Fath al-Baaree (7/1)] Definition of al-`Adal (being just): Al-Haafidh Ibn Hajar ﺭﺣﻤﻪ ﺍﻟﻠﻪ said: “By `Adal it means: The one who possesses power, and he uses it upon al-Taqwaa . And by al-Taqwaa it means: to refrain from evil acts such as Shirk , immorality or Bid`ah .” The consensus of the scholars about the justice of the companions: The Ahl al-Sunnah wal-Jamaa`ah have unanimously agreed to the fact that all the Companions ﺭﺿﻲ ﺍﻟﻠﻪ ﻋﻨﻬﻢ were just. Imaam al-Nawawee, Ibn Hajar, al-Khateeb (al- Baghdadee), Ibn al-Mulqin, Ibn al-Salaah, al- Qurtobee and other than them ﺭﺣﻤﻬﻢ ﺍﻟﻠﻪ have cited a consensus for this. Imaam Ibn al-Salaah ﺭﺣﻤﻪ ﺍﻟﻠﻪ said: “The Ummah has agreed that all of the Companions were just.” [Ma`rifah al-Anwa’ al-`ilm al- Hadeeth (398)] Al-Haafidh Ibn Hajar ﺭﺣﻤﻪ ﺍﻟﻠﻪ said: “Apart from some of the innovators, the Ahl al- Sunnah agrees that all Companions are just.” [al-Isaabah Fee Tamyyiz al-Sahaabah (1/6)] Imaam al-Qurtobee ﺭﺣﻤﻪ ﺍﻟﻠﻪ said: “The Companions, all of them are just, the Awliyaa’ of Allaah ﺗﻌﺎﻟﻰ and His elite, His best creation after the Prophets and Messengers. And upon this is the agreement of the Imaams of this Ummah. Except for a group, which is of the (false) opinion that the status of the Companions is similar to that of those other than them and it is necessary to look at their character (if they were just or not).” [Tafseer al-Qurtobee] I say: “Do not turn to the saying of these slanderers, those who want to defame the Companions ﺭﺿﻲ ﺍﻟﻠﻪ ﻋﻨﻬﻢ ﺍﺟﻤﻌﻴﻦ and throw doubts on their characters; because their justice, all thanks to Allaah alone, is proven in the Qur’aan and the Sunnah and by the Consensus.” Imaam Abu Bakr al-Khateeb al-Baghdaadee ﺭﺣﻤﻪ ﺍﻟﻠﻪ said: “And it is necessary to see the character (of every narrator) who attributes a narration to the Prophet ﺻﻠﻰ ﺍﻟﻠﻪ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻭﺳﻠﻢ except the Companion; because the justice of the Companions is proven and known because Allaah ﺗﻌﺎﻟﻰ has praised them, and informed us about their purity and has mentioned about them in the Qur’aan.” He then brought the evidences from the Qur’aan and the Sunnah for this and then said: “This is the Madhhab of all the scholars and of all the credible jurists.” [al-Maati` al-Kifaayah Fee `ilm al-Riwaayah] Imaam Ibn `Abd al-Barr ﺭﺣﻤﻪ ﺍﻟﻠﻪ said: “It makes no difference (to the authenticity of the Hadeeth) whether the Taabi` mentions the name of the Companion or not, while reporting a narration from him. Because all the Companions are just, pleased (by Allaah and His Messenger), reliable and trustworthy. And upon this is the consensus of the Scholars of the Hadeeth (the Muhaddithoon).” * And Imaam Ibn `Abd al-Barr ﺭﺣﻤﻪ ﺍﻟﻠﻪ also said: “As for us, if he (the narrator of the Hadeeth whose name is not mentioned) is from a Companion ﺭﺿﻲ ﺍﻟﻠﻪ ﻋﻨﻬﻢ , then it suffices us from searching further about them; this is because of the consensus of the Ahl al-Haqq from the Muslims – and they are the Ahl al-Sunnah wal-Jamaa`ah – that all of them (the Companions) are just.” [al-Isti`aab Fee Ma`rifatul As-haab (23)] Imaam al-Haafidh al-Suyootee ﺭﺣﻤﻪ ﺍﻟﻠﻪ said: “All the Companions are just, those who were involved in the fitnah and other than them as per the consensus [Tadreeb al-Raawee] Imaam al-Nawawee ﺭﺣﻤﻪ ﺍﻟﻠﻪ said: “And that is why, the Ahl al-Haqq , who can be relied upon, have unanimously agreed upon accepting their (the Companions) testimonies and their narrations, and their complete justice ﺭﺿﻲ ﺍﻟﻠﻪ ﻋﻨﻬﻢ ﺍﺟﻤﻌﻴﻦ .” Benefit: Al-Ibyaaree ﺭﺣﻤﻪ ﺍﻟﻠﻪ said: “By establishing justice for the Companions, it doesn’t mean that they were infallible or free from sin. Rather, establishing justice for the Companions means: to accept their narrations without searching further about their background or looking for the Tazkiyah** (recommendation for them); except for the one who was proved to be otherwise; and alHamdulillaah, there is none (from the Companions who was doubted for his justice).” [al-Bahr al-Muheet (4/300)] *The example for this is: Imaam Ahmad reported in his Musnad that Bahz (bin Asad) and `Affaan informed him saying: Hammaam informed them on the authority of Katheer, on the authority of Abu `Iyaadh that a person from the companions said: “The Prophet ﺻﻠﻰ ﺍﻟﻠﻪ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻭﺳﻠﻢ prohibited from sitting in between the sun and the shade and he ﺻﻠﻰ ﺍﻟﻠﻪ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻭﺳﻠﻢ said: “(this is how) Shaitaan sits.” [Musnad Ahmad (14995) and graded as “Saheeh” by Shaikh al-Albaanee in al-Saheehah (838, 3110)] **The example for this is: Narrated `Abdullaah bin `Umar ﺭﺿﻲ ﺍﻟﻠﻪ ﻋﻨﻬﻤﺎ : Sa`d bin Abi Waqqaas ﺭﺿﻲ ﺍﻟﻠﻪ ﻋﻨﻪ said: “The Prophet ﺻﻠﻰ ﺍﻟﻠﻪ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻭﺳﻠﻢ passed wet hands over his Khuffs.” `Abdullaah bin `Umar asked (his father) `Umar (ibn al- Khattaab) ﺭﺿﻲ ﺍﻟﻠﻪ ﻋﻨﻪ about it. `Umar replied in the affirmative and added: “Whenever Sa`d narrates a Hadeeth from the Prophet ﺻﻠﻰ ﺍﻟﻠﻪ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻭﺳﻠﻢ , there is no need to ask anyone else about it.” [Saheeh al-Bukhaaree (202)]
Posted on: Wed, 26 Mar 2014 02:29:43 +0000
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