Islamic Creed — The Prophet, His Household, and His Companions
Section 6: The Prohibition of Abusing the Companions and the Leaders of Guidance
English translation of the Arabic original. The Arabic text remains authoritative.
- Prohibition of abusing the companions: Amongst the principles of the Ahl-us-Sunnah wal Jama ’ah, is the goodness of their hearts and tongues towards the companions of the Messenger of Allah, as Allah has described them. Allah - the Most High - said: “...Our Lord! Forgive us and our brethren who have preceded us in Faith, and put not in our hearts any hatred against those who have believed. Our Lord! You are indeed full of kindness, Most Merciful ” (Qur’an 59:10) Also in obedience to the Messenger Jl regarding his statement: ’Do not abuse my companions, for (I swear) by the One in Whose Hand is my soul, if one o f you spent the size of mount Uhud of gold (in charity), he would not have equated their Mudd (ofgrains) nor half of it.,28 They avoid the path of the Rafidah and the Khawarij who abuse the companions A, despise them, deny their virtues and declare most of them as disbelievers. The Ahl-us-Sunnah wal Jama ah accept what has come in the Qur’an and the Sunnah about their virtues and believe that they are the best generation as the Prophet Jl has said: 28 Al-Bukharf and Muslim ‘The best of people are those in my time... ' When he mentioned the division of the Muslims into seventy-three sects, saying they are all in the Fire except one, and they asked about that one saved sect, he said: ‘They are those who are upon the like of what I and my companions are upon today.'30 Abu Zur'ah, the most notable of the Shaykhs of Imam Muslim said: 'Whenever you see a man disparaging anyone of the companions, know that he is a heretic. This is because the Qur’ an is truth, the Messenger is true and what he has come with is truth, and none has conveyed all of these to us except the Companions. So, whoever disparages them only intends to invalidate the Qur’ an and Sunnah. Thus disparaging him (this person) is more befitting and declaring him heretical and misguided is most valid and The Eminent scholar, Ibn Flamdan said in Nihayatul Mubtadi ’in: ‘Whoever abuses anyone of the Companions believing that it is permissible to do so has disbelieved. ‘He is a disbeliever (whether or not he believes it is permissible to abuse them), and whoever declares any of them a wrong-doer or disparages their religion (i.e. religious uprightness), is a disbeliever.'3' 29 Al-Bukhari and Muslim 30 Reported by Ahmad and others ‘Aqidatu as-Safarini v. 2, pg. 388 - 389
- Prohibition of abusing the leaders of guidance from amongst the scholars of this Ummah (nation) Next to the companions in virtue, honor and station, are the leaders of guidance; from amongst the Tabi 'In (successors of the companions), their successors in the virtuous generations and those who came after them and followed the companions in righteousness, as Allah - the Most High - has said: “And the first to embrace Islam of the Muhajirun (those who migrated from Makkah to Al-Madinah) and the AnSar (the citizens of Al-Madlnah who helped and gave aid to the Muhajirun) and also those who followed them exactly (in Faith), Allah is well-pleased with them as they are well-pleased with Him...” (Qur’an 9:100) It is not permissible to disparage them or abuse them because they are the notable bearers of guidance. Allah - the Most High - had said: “And whoever contradicts and opposes the Messenger [Muhammad yz/ after the right path has been shown clearly to him, and follows other than the believers ’ way, We shall keep him in the path he has chosen and burn him in Hell - what an evil destination. ” The author of Sharh at-Tahawiyyah said: ’It is obligatory upon every Muslim, after taking Allah and His Messenger as allies, to also take as allies all believers, as the Qur 'an has stated, particularly, those who are inheritors of the Prophets, those whom Allah placed in the position of stars by which people are guided in the darkness of the sea and land, and whom all Muslims are agreed that they are upon guidance and good understanding (of the They are his successors in his Ummah and the revivers o f that which has gone into oblivion of his Sunnah. By them, the Qur'an was established (as law in the earth) and by it, they were established (as righteous leaders of mankind). By them, the Qur 'an spoke and with it, they spoke. All of them are unanimously agreed upon the obligation of following the Messenger However, if a statement originates from one of them which is contradicted by an authentic hadeeth, then he must have left it (the hadith) for a valid excuse.' The possible excuses are of three kinds: (i) Not being convinced that the Prophet uttered it. (ii) Not believing that the Prophet intended it to apply to that issue (in which he has contradicted the hadith). (iii) He could believe that the ruling (in the hadith ) has been abrogated. They possess virtues and favors above us; as a result of precedence (i.e. preceding us in Faith), conveying the message with which the Messenger had been sent to us, and clarifying that which would have been hidden to us. So, Allah was pleased with them and made them pleased: “...Our Lord! Forgive us and our brethren who have preceded us in Faith, and put not in our hearts any hatred against those who have believed. Our Lord! You are indeed full of kindness, Most Merciful ” (Qur’an 59:10) Belittling the status of scholars due to errors of Ijtihad (juristic exertion) that some of them fell into is the way of the people of Bid'ah (innovation) and part of the schemes of the enemies of the Ummah, in order to throw doubts about Islam into the minds and to instigate enmity between the Muslims. They also desire thereby, to detach the later generations of this Ummah from their predecessors and to cause divisions between its youth and the scholars as has happened today. So, those beginners at seeking knowledge, who belittle the significance of the scholars and the Islamic Jurisprudence (fiqh), and who abandon their teachings and what is therein of truth and correctness, should take note. They should take pride in their (the scholars’) understanding and respect their scholars, and they should not be duped by misguided calls and those with hidden motives. Allah is the guide to that The definition of Bid 'ah, its types and rulings. The appearance of Bid'ah in the lives of Muslims and the factors that led to it. The position of Islam regarding the innovators and the methodology of the Ahl as-Sunnah wal Jama ‘ah at refuting them. Discussions about some modem day innovations: i) Celebrating the birthday of the Prophet ii) Seeking blessings with some locations, with vestiges (of pious persons), the dead and so on. iii) Innovations in the realm of worship and seeking closeness to Allah.
- Source pages
- 9
- Source work
- Aqidat al-Tawhid? Shaykh Salih ibn Fawzan ibn Abdullah al-Fawzan
- Source
- Aqidat al-Tawhid — Arabic book supplied to the site
- Arabic original
- Read the Arabic section
English text aligned with the corresponding Arabic sections extracted from the user-provided Word source. The Arabic original remains authoritative.