Why do Enlightenment advocates attack the Companions of the Prophet (PBUH)?

It is a well-established principle that casting doubt on the authenticity of any information begins by targeting the person or persons who conveyed it. In other words, disparaging the reporter amounts to disparaging what is reported, for assassinating a reporter’s character undermines people’s confidence in the report itself. For this reason, the advocates of Enlightenment singled out the Companions as the primary targets of their campaign of slander and vilification, since they were the first to transmit information concerning Islam. Put differently, attacking the Companions serves as a springboard for attacking the Qurʾān and the Sunnah. As the scholars stated, “Defaming the conveyor is a defamation of what he conveys.” If the Companions—those who transmitted the religion to us—are defamed, then the religion itself will be defamed. Once the advocates of Enlightenment undermine the standing of the Companions in the hearts of Muslims, it becomes easy for them to interpret any sharʿī (Islamic legal) text according to their own whims. Accordingly, they invalidate religious rulings that are qaṭʿiyy ath-thubūt wa-ad-dalālah (based on sources considered free of all doubt with respect to both text and meaning) and readily reject what is known of the religion by necessity (simple, agreed-upon matters of Islam that every Muslim is expected to know). If it is explained to them that their understanding directly opposes what the Muslim nation has unanimously agreed upon and contradicts the explicit, apparent, and linguistic meanings of sharʿī texts, they will not care, because they have already discredited the Companions, who are the role models for all ages and the most knowledgeable regarding the exegesis of the Qurʾān. In short, nothing will prevent them from interpreting sharʿī texts according to their own whims.

Attacking the Companions is an easy and effective means of attacking Islam, for it is the Companions who preserved the Qurʾān and the Sunnah for us. Consequently, slandering the Companions amounts to slandering the revelation they conveyed. Abū Zurʿah ar-Rāzī said: “If you see a man disparaging any one of the Companions of the Messenger of Allāh (PBUH), then know that he is a zindīq (heretic), for the Messenger is true for us, and the Qurʾān is true, and what he brought is true. It is indeed the Companions of the Messenger of Allāh (PBUH) who conveyed to us this Qurʾān and the Sunnah, and they seek to discredit our witnesses in order to invalidate the Book and the Sunnah; attacking them is thus most fitting, and they are heretics.”¹ The advocates of Enlightenment are fully aware that the Companions serve as a bulwark against any tampering with Allāh’s religion. The Companions were closest to the message of Islam, having witnessed the revelation of the Qurʾān and preserved it through both memorization and recording. Moreover, they were the most knowledgeable of people in Arabic, which is essential for grasping the intended meanings of the revelations. Hence, their comprehension of revelations extended beyond the literal meaning, and they understood the objectives of the Sharīʿah better than anyone else. As the Prophet (PBUH) said, “My Companions are a source of security for my nation and when they depart, there will befall my nation what they have been promised.”² The Companions are a source of security for the Muslim nation and for the proper understanding of the Qurʾān and the Sunnah. That is, when they are no longer present, the nation becomes vulnerable to disagreement and division. In other words, a sign of the approach of seditions is the absence of the Companions and the loss of their guidance.

The advocates of Enlightenment understand fully the status of the Companions. Therefore, by attacking them, they seek to undermine the means of security and the bulwark of the Muslim nation, thereby making it easier to attack the Qurʾān and the Sunnah. When Imām an-Nasāʾī, the author of as-Sunan al-Kubrá, was asked about Muʿāwiyah ibn abī Sufyān [may Allāh be pleased with him], a Companion of the Prophet (PBUH), he said: “Islam is like a house with a door, and the door of Islam is the Companions. Thus, whoever seeks [to discredit] the Companions seeks [to discredit] Islam itself, just as one who knocks on the door seeks only to enter the house. Hence, whoever seeks [to discredit] Muʿāwiyah seeks [to discredit], in reality, the Companions [themselves].”³ Being a scholar of great intelligence, Imām an-Nasāʾī understood that the purpose behind targeting Muʿāwiyah for criticism was something deeper. Disrespect and enmity toward the Companions is, in fact, disrespect and enmity toward Islam itself. This is why Imām al-Barbahārī said: “And know that whoever speaks against any of the Companions of the Messenger of Allāh (PBUH) has, in reality, intended Muḥammad (PBUH).”⁴ The status of the Companions is exalted, and their path is the path of the believers. The Qurʾān obliges Muslims to follow the Companions and adhere to their path, and it warns that those who oppose their path will face a severe punishment: {And whoever defies the Messenger after guidance has become clear to them and follows a path other than that of the believers, We will let them pursue what they have chosen, then burn them in Hell—what an evil end!} (Qurʾān 4:115). This verse is a clear and unequivocal indication of the obligation to follow the path of the believers, which is that of the Companions.

The Muslim community at large cannot concur in error, as the Prophet (PBUH) said: “Indeed, Allāh will never gather my ummah (nation)—or as he said, the ummah of Muḥammad (PBUH)—upon misguidance, and the Hand of Allāh is with the Jamāʿah (the main body of the Muslims), and whoever strays, he has strayed toward the Fire.”⁵ The consensus of the Companions is authoritative, and their path is the only path to salvation. They had direct personal contact with the Prophet (PBUH) and were taught by him without any intermediary. They were eyewitnesses to all his actions in establishing the early Islamic community. Ibn Masʿūd [may Allāh be pleased with him] said of them: “Whoever among you seeks to emulate someone should emulate the Companions of Muḥammad (PBUH), for they had the most pious hearts of this nation, the deepest knowledge, the least pretension, the most upright guidance, and the best conduct. They are a people whom Allāh chose to accompany His Prophet (PBUH) and establish His religion, so recognize their merits, and follow in their footsteps, for they were upon the straight guidance.”⁶ The Companions were honored as the first to receive the Qurʾān after it was revealed to the Prophet (PBUH). They witnessed the events that prompted the revelation of many verses and chapters, and they engaged with the revelations, understanding them in their proper context. Moreover, they held a distinct advantage over all who came after them regarding the interpretation of the revelations, for the Prophet (PBUH) explained both the Qurʾān and the Sunnah to them. Thus, no one could understand the revelations better than they did. Accordingly, they serve as the role models in understanding the Sharīʿah and in pursuing its objectives. That is, they understood the Islamic law and applied it in a way that achieved its intended benefits and higher purposes; they were not merely literalists, but practical exemplars of the spirit and objectives of Islamic guidance. In numerous passages, Allāh praises the Companions and expresses His pleasure with them, as well as with those who follow in their footsteps: {as for the foremost—the first of the Emigrants and the Helpers—and those who follow them in goodness, Allāh is pleased with them and they are pleased with Him. And He has prepared for them Gardens under which rivers flow, to stay there for ever and ever. That is the ultimate triumph} (Qurʾān 9:100). The scholars have cited this verse as evidence that it is obligatory upon Muslims to follow the Companions and adopt their opinions. Moreover, the following verse of the Qurʾān was primarily addressed to the Companions of the Prophet (PBUH), as ibn Jarīr narrated on the authority of aḍ-Ḍaḥḥāk: {you are the best community ever raised for humanity—you encourage good, forbid evil, and believe in Allāh} (Qurʾān 3:110). Allāh, the Almighty, further says: {But the Messenger and the believers with him strived with their wealth and their lives. They will have all the best, and it is they who will be successful. Allāh has prepared for them Gardens under which rivers flow, to stay there forever. That is the ultimate triumph} (Qurʾān 9:88–89).

Allāh was pleased with the Companions. He says: {Indeed, Allāh was pleased with the believers when they pledged allegiance to you ˹O Prophet˺ under the tree. He knew what was in their hearts} (Qurʾān 48:18). Allah also says: {Muḥammad is the Messenger of Allāh. And those with him are firm with the disbelievers and compassionate with one another. You see them bowing and prostrating ˹in prayer˺, seeking Allāh’s bounty and pleasure} (Qurʾān 48:29). Allah further says: {˹Some of the gains will be˺ for poor emigrants who were driven out of their homes and wealth, seeking Allāh’s bounty and pleasure, and standing up for Allāh and His Messenger. They are the ones true in faith. As for those who had settled in the city and ˹embraced˺ the faith before ˹the arrival of˺ the emigrants, they love whoever immigrates to them, never having a desire in their hearts for whatever ˹of the gains˺ is given to the emigrants. They give ˹the emigrants˺ preference over themselves even though they may be in need. And whoever is saved from the selfishness of their own souls, it is they who are ˹truly˺ successful} (Qurʾān 59:8–9). Whoever believes in what the Companions believed will be rightly guided: {so if they believe in what you believe, then they will indeed be ˹rightly˺ guided. But if they turn away, they are simply opposed ˹to the truth˺} (Qurʾān 2:137). That is why the Prophet (PBUH) issued stern warnings against criticizing the Companions in any way, for they were the best, purest, noblest, and most pious mortals to have ever lived after the Prophets. He (PBUH) said: “Do not revile my Companions! Do not revile my Companions! For by Him in Whose Hand is my soul, were any one of you to spend gold equal to Mount Uḥud, you would not attain the reward of even a handful of one of them, nor [even] half of it.”⁷ Indisputably, the era of the Companions represents the greatest era in the history of the Muslim nation. Numerous narrations attest to the elevated rank of the Companions. The Prophet (PBUH) said: “The best of people are those of my generation.”⁸ The generation of the Companions is the best in the history of the Muslim nation in knowledge, in virtues, in deeds, and in intentions. Ibn Taymiyyah [may Allāh have mercy on him] asserted that anyone respected for their knowledge or piety would acknowledge that the Companions are the best generation of this nation.⁹ Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal said: “The fundamentals of the Sunnah with us are holding fast to what the Companions of the Messenger of Allāh (PBUH) were upon and following their example.”¹⁰ It is noteworthy that the doctrine of Imām Mālik is based on giving preponderance to ʿamal ahl al-Madīnah (the practice of the people of al-Madīnah), for they were the closest to the implementation of the Qurʾān and the Sunnah. Such is the exalted status of the Companions, and it is incumbent upon every Muslim to treat them accordingly.

The ijtihād (independent reasoning) of the Rightly Guided Caliphs constitutes a ḥujjah—an authoritative source upon which sharʿī (Islamic legal) rulings and judgments are established and which must be followed. This is because they were the best and most eminent of the Companions, and because the Prophet (PBUH) explicitly commanded Muslims to adhere to their guidance. He (PBUH) said: “Adhere to my Sunnah and the Sunnah of the Rightly Guided Caliphs; hold fast to it and cling to it [firmly] with your molar teeth.”¹¹ It suffices to know that the Prophet (PBUH) said: “My nation will split into seventy-three sects, all of which will be in the Fire except one. They said, ‘Which one is that, O Messenger of Allah?’ He said, ‘That which I and my Companions are upon.’”¹² The Prophet (PBUH) said that the saved sect is those who adhere steadfastly to the creed, understanding, and jurisprudence of the Companions. Our attitude toward the Companions should be one of love and respect, for Allāh has commended them for their unwavering faith in Him. They believed in the Prophet (PBUH) and supported him from the inception of Islam, enduring all the hardships that accompanied it. They sacrificed their lives and all that they possessed for the sake of Islam. It is through them that the religion was successfully transmitted to subsequent generations of the Muslim nation up to the present. Therefore, we should love them, follow their guidance, defend them, and reject all waves of attack against them. We should also convey to others their immense virtues and our duty toward them. Allāh chose a trustworthy conveyor for His religion—the Prophet (PBUH)—and for His noble Messenger, He chose Companions who were noble and trustworthy supporters: the best of Companions for the best of Prophets. ʿAbd Allāh ibn Masʿūd [may Allāh be pleased with him] said: “Verily, Allāh looked into the hearts of His servants and found the heart of Muḥammad (PBUH) to be the best of all hearts. Thus, He chose him for Himself and sent him with His Message. Then He looked into the hearts of His servants after the heart of Muḥammad (PBUH) and found the hearts of his Companions to be the best among them. Hence, He made them the ministers of His Prophet, fighting in the cause of His religion. Accordingly, whatever the Muslims regard as good is good in the sight of Allāh, and whatever they regard as evil is evil in His sight.”¹³ When Ibn ʿAbbās [may Allāh be pleased with him] went to the gathering of the Kharijitesto refute their erroneous interpretation of Islam, he said to them at the outset of the debate: “I have come to you from the Companions of the Prophet (PBUH)—from the Muhājirūn (lit. the Emigrants: the early Muslims who believed in the Prophet (PBUH) and migrated to al-Madīnah) and the Anṣār (lit. the Helpers: the Muslims of al-Madīnah who supported the Prophet (PBUH) and the Muhājirūn)—and from the cousin and son-in-law of the Messenger of Allāh (PBUH). Upon them the Qurʾān was revealed, and they are more knowledgeable of its interpretation than you, and there is not among you a single one of them. I have come to convey to you what they say, and to convey to them what you say.”¹⁴

The Companions are the most knowledgeable of people in Islamic jurisprudence, and following them effectively closes the door to innovation in religion. This is because they received the pure teachings of Islam before the emergence of fitan (seditions), and absolute adherence to the Sunnah of the Prophet (PBUH), along with complete disapproval of innovation in religious matters, was their defining characteristic. If the knowledge, way, and understanding of the Companions were disregarded, people would inevitably misinterpret the Qurʾān, removing it from the meaning that Allāh, the Law-giver, intended. For this reason, the project of the advocates of Enlightenment to corrupt people’s religion revolves around attacking the Companions. Scholars consider the defamation of the Companions of the Prophet (PBUH) a clear sign of the people of innovation and hypocrisy, who seek to discredit the Sharīʿah by discrediting its transmitters. ʿAbd Allāh, the son of Imām Aḥmad, said: “I asked my father about a person who insults a Companion of the Prophet (PBUH).” He replied: “…I do not consider him to be a Muslim.”¹⁵ “Whoever insults the Companions of the Messenger of Allāh (PBUH) has no share in the fayʾ (the booty that the Muslims acquire from the disbelievers without fighting them). Allāh, Glorified and Sublime be He, says: {˹Some of the spoils will be˺ for poor emigrants who were driven out of their homes and wealth, seeking Allāh’s bounty and pleasure...} (Qurʾān 59:8). These are the Companions of the Messenger of Allāh (PBUH) who emigrated with him. Then He said: {and those who were settled in the city and ˹embraced˺ the faith before ˹the arrival of˺ the emigrants…} (Qurʾān 59:9); these are the ʾAnṣār. Then He said: {And those who come after them} (Qurʾān 59:10). Mālik said: Allāh, Glorified and Sublime be He, made an exception by saying: {Our Lord! Forgive us and our fellow believers who preceded us in faith} (Qurʾān 59:10). The fayʾ is therefore for these three groups. Hence, whoever insults the Companions of the Messenger of Allāh (PBUH) is not among these three groups and thus has no right to the fayʾ.”¹⁶ The first category entitled to a share of the fayʾ is the Companions of the Messenger of Allāh (PBUH) who emigrated with him. The second category is the ʾAnṣār, who welcomed and supported them in al-Madīnah. The third category consists of those who follow the way of the Companions. Muslim scholars have reached a consensus that every Companion of the Prophet (PBUH) possesses ʿadālah (moral integrity). Imām al-Nawawī said: “All the Companions are ʿudūl (possessors of moral integrity), those among them who were involved in the fitnah (the first civil war in the Muslim community) and others [alike]. This is according to the consensus of those [scholars] who [whose opinions] are worthy of consideration (i.e., authoritative).”¹⁷ Anyone who disputes the Companions’ ʿadālah necessarily undermines his acceptance of the sharʿī (Islamic legal) texts because they are transmitted through them. Ibn aṣ-Ṣalāḥ said: “The Muslim nation is unanimously agreed upon the ʿadālah (moral integrity) of all the Companions. Those among them who were involved in the fitan are likewise [regarded as possessing moral integrity], by the consensus of the scholars whose opinions are authoritative in matters of consensus— out of having a favorable presumption regarding them (i.e., giving them the benefit of the doubt) and in view of their early merits. It is as though Allāh, Glorified and Exalted, enabled consensus upon this because they are the transmitters of the Sharīʿah.”¹⁸ “You will not cease to be upon goodness so long as there remain among you those who saw me and accompanied me. By Allāh, you will not cease to be upon goodness so long as there remain among you those who saw those who saw me and accompanied those who accompanied me. By Allāh, you will not cease to be upon goodness so long as there remain among you those who saw those who saw those who saw me, and accompanied those who accompanied those who accompanied me.”¹⁹ Indeed, the Companions are the vital link between the Muslim nation and the Prophet (PBUH). Without them as this link, the Qurʾān and the Sunnah could not have been faithfully preserved. O Allāh, grant us love for and support of the Companions! Amen.