The Custodians of This Ummah (Nation)

Dear noble reader, know, may Allaah shower his mercy upon you, that the Sahaabah (the companions) of the Prophet sallallaahu 'alahi wa sallam are the best of mankind, after the Prophets and the Messengers of Allaah. They are not as some people say “they are men and we are men.” Meaning by this that there are people who are equal in virtue and in intellect to the Companions of the Prophet sallallaahu 'alahi wa sallam.

How could this be the case when they witnessed the revelation being revealed to the Prophet sallallaahu 'alahi wa sallam. They saw him sweating on the coldest of nights when the revelation was being revealed to him. They were the ones who upheld Islaam in times of difficulty: physical and mental; the likes of which we have never faced.

Dear noble reader, remember the likes of Bilaal radi’allaahu anhu when he was taken out into the hot desert, asked to lay down, and a huge boulder was placed on his body, yet, his only words were, “Ahadun Ahad” meaning ‘Allah is one.’ And the likes of Ka’ab when he was ordered to make a suit of metal armor, and then ordered to wear it, and then he was placed in the hot, boiling sun until his skin was burnt. And the likes of Sumayyah, the first female martyr who was murdered at the hands of the enemies of Allaah. All of this, for the only reason that they accepted Islaam wholeheartedly and adhered to it strictly, even though they faced hardships.

They understood this religion the way Allaah willed it to be understood. They learnt this deen first hand, from the best of all human beings, the best of all the Prophets, the best of teachers, Muhammad sallallaahu 'alahi wa sallam. So, should we not learn from those who understood this religion the best?

Allaah attested to their virtue when He says,

“Among the believers are men who have been true to their covenant with Allaah and showed not their backs to the disbelievers, of them some have fulfilled their obligations and some of them are still waiting, but they never changed (i.e. they never proved treacherous to their covenant which they concluded with Allaah) in the least.” [al-Ahzaab 33:23]

Who were the believers when this ayah was revealed? Was it the idol worshippers? Or was it the Prophet and his Companions? It was the Prophet and his Companions, who Allaah called the believers.

And Allaah says,

"And if they (the rest of mankind) believe as you all believe, only then will they be rightly guided." [al-Baqarah 2:137]

Who is Allaah referring to when he says: “… you all believe…”? Was it the idol worshippers? Or was it the Prophet and his Companions? It was the Prophet and his Companions, who Allaah called the believers. So Allaah is telling us that in order for us to be rightly guided we have to believe exactly as the Prophet sallallaahu 'alahi wa sallam and his companions believed.

And Allaah says:

"Allaah is well pleased with them and they are well-pleased with Allaah" [at-Tawbah 9:100]

Subhaanallaah, Allaah is attesting that He is pleased with them. With who?
 

Was it the idol worshippers? Or was it the Prophet and his Companions? It was the Prophet and his Companions, who Allaah was pleased with. So, if Allaah is pleased with a people, shouldn’t we be pleased with them too? And shouldn’t we take them as examples in every aspect of our lives and take from their understanding of this religion.

Allaah also warns:

"Whosoever contends with the Messenger, even after guidance has been clearly conveyed to him, and follows a path other than that of the Believers, We shall leave him in the path he has chosen and land him in Hell, what an evil destination." [an-Nisaa 4:115]

Who are The Believers Allaah is referring to? Was it the idol worshippers? Or was it the Prophet and his Companions? It was the Prophet and his Companions, who Allaah called the believers.

So Allaah warns that we would incur His anger and our abode will be the Fire by not only disobeying the Messenger sallallaahu 'alahi wa sallam but also by not following the path of the Companions. We seek Allaah’s refuge from this.

The Prophet sallallaahu 'alahi wa sallam said:

"Khairun-Naas (The most excellent of mankind) is my generation, then those who follow them, then those who follow them.” [al-Bukhaaree and Muslims]

So the best generations are
1. The Companions of the Prophet sallallaahu 'alahi wa sallam,
2. The Taabi’een: those who followed after i.e. students of the Companions,
3. the Atbaa-taabi’een: the followers of the followers of the Companions.

The Prophet sallallaahu 'alahi wa sallam also said:

"You will not cease to be upon good as long as there are amongst you those who saw me and accompanied me. By Allaah! You will not cease to be upon good as long as there are amongst you those who saw me and accompanied me." [Related by Ibn Abee Saybah in al-Musannaf]

So, he sallallaahu 'alahi wa sallam referred being upon good to being amongst the Companions.

The Prophet sallallaahu 'alahi wa sallam also said:

"And my Companions are the custodians for my Ummah." [Muslim and Ahmad]

The Prophet sallallaahu 'alahi wa sallam said:

"Adhere to my Sunnah (way) and the Sunnah of the rightly guided Khulafaa'. Bite on to it with your molar teeth, and beware of newly invented matters, for verily every bid'ah (innovation) is a going astray." [Ahmad, Abu Dawood, Ibn Maajah, & at-Trimidhee]

The Prophet sallallaahu 'alahi wa sallam warned:

"Let none of you abuse (slander) my Companions. For by Him in whose Hand is my life, if one of you spent (in the way of Allaah) the equivalent of mount Uhud in gold it would not reach a handful nor half a handful of what they spent" [al-Bukhaaree & Muslim]

So, noble reader, know the merits of the Companions.

And from the Companions themselves:

The Companion Abdullaah Ibn Mas’ood radi’allaahu anhu said:

“Whoever wishes to follow someone, then let him follow one who has already died. Since those that are living are not safe from the Fitnah (trial and discord). These are the Companions of the Messenger of Allaah sallallaahu 'alahi wa sallam, the people with the most righteous of hearts, the most earnest of them in knowledge, the least of them in hypocrisy, the strongest in terms of guidance, and the best of them in condition. They were a people who were chosen by Allaah to accompany the Prophet sallallaahu 'alahi wa sallam. So recognize their excellence and follow their narrations since they were upon upright guidance.” [al-Baghawi in Sharhus-Sunnah and ibn Abdul-Barr in Jaami’ bayaanil-ilm wa fadlihi]

There comes in a narration where the Prophet sallallaahu 'alahi wa sallam said: If Allaah wishes Khair (good/excellence) for an individual he gives them understanding of this religion. Also the Hadeeth where the Prophet sallallaahu 'alahi wa sallam said: Khairun-Naas (the most excellent of people) … It shows that since the Companions are the most Khair (good/excellent of people) they are also the best in understanding the religion.

By definition, a Sahaabi (Companion), is the one who met the Prophet sallallaahu 'alahi wa sallam, whilst believing in him, even for a day, an hour, or a minute, and died upon that belief, and even if the person was blind.

In conclusion, dear noble reader, may Allaah shower His Mercy upon you, we understand the virtue of the Companions –may Allaah be pleased with all of them- and the importance of their understanding of this religion and that it is imperative for us to learn from them and understand as they understood. So give thanks to Allaah that He not only sent us the Qur'aan and with that He sent the Messenger sallallaahu 'alahi wa sallam to teach us and also as an example, He also gave us the Companions of the Prophet sallallaahu 'alahi wa sallam and those who followed them as more examples and a source of learning and implementing this religion. All thanks is due to Allaah and may He send peace and blessings upon His Messenger, his family and Companions, and those who follow them upon goodness until the Day of Judgment.