اعوذ باللہ من الشیطان الرجیم
بسم اللہ الرحمن الرحیم
السلام علیکم ورحمۃ اللہ وبرکاتہ
"Peace, mercy, and blessings of Allah be upon you."
All the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them all) were believers, their religion is reliable, and in religious matters, they are trustworthy and just. Their integrity, honesty, and trustworthiness in religion are confirmed. Allah Himself has testified to their justice. Through them, Allah has established proof over the entire Ummah and made them transmitters of the religion. The Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him), through his noble character, made them the embodiment of Islamic manners. In this way, the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them all) became a standard of faith and, in fact, a proof of faith itself.
Sayyiduna Abu Bakrah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
“Let those who are present convey (my message) to those who are absent.”
(Sahih al-Bukhari: 105; Sahih Muslim: 1679)
So, whoever Allah has promised will not be disgraced on the Day of Judgment, and whom He testified to be following the pure religion of Abraham, it is not permissible to accuse such people of lying.
For it is impossible that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) would say:
‘Whoever lies about me deliberately, let him take his seat in the Fire,’
about someone whom Allah has promised not to disgrace.
(Kitab al-Majruhin: 1/36)
In fact, this warning applies to those who came after the Companions "may Allah be pleased with them all".
As for those who witnessed the revelation and accompanied the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), criticizing them is not lawful.
Speaking ill of them is in direct opposition to faith, and demeaning any one of them is pure hypocrisy, because they were the best people after the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), as declared by the one whom Allah said:
‘Nor does he speak from his own desire. It is only a revelation revealed.’
(Surah An-Najm, 53:3–4)”
Imam Ibn ‘Abd al-Barr (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
“They are the best generation, the best nation raised for mankind. The justice of all of them is confirmed by the praise of Allah the Almighty and His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him). There is no one more just than the one whom Allah chose for the companionship and support of His Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). There can be no better endorsement than this, and no more complete validation than that.”
(Al-Isti‘ab: 1/1)
Meaning of the Justice of the Companions
Imam al-Zarkashi (may Allah have mercy on him) reports from al-Abiyari (may Allah have mercy on him):
“What is meant by their justice is not that they were infallible or that it was impossible for them to commit a sin. Rather, the meaning is that their narrations are accepted without the need to investigate the reasons for their justice or to seek further validation—unless some clear evidence proves otherwise. But nothing of that sort is proven, and all praise is due to Allah.
Therefore, we uphold that they remained just as they were in the time of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), unless something contrary is established.
As for what the historians mention regarding some of them, we do not pay attention to that because it is not authentic. And whatever is authentic has a sound explanation.
Also, the criticism of some Hanafis toward the narrations of Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him), based on the claim that he was not a jurist, is invalid—because they themselves have acted upon his opinions in issues like washing a vessel three times when a dog licks it, and others.”
(Al-Bahr al-Muhit fi Usul al-Fiqh: 6/189)
✍ Compiled By:Al-‘Allāmah Ghulam Mustafa Manpuri (Hafizahullah)
(May Allah preserve him)
📘 English Translation by:Noor-e-Huda
[ If there are any errors, they are solely mine in translation. I seek Allah’s forgiveness for any shortcomings.]