Are The Shi’ites Negative Towards The
Companions?
Muslim scholars differ in answering two questions
pertaining to the companions of the Messenger of
God:
- Who are the companions of the Prophet
Muhammad?
Most of the Sunni scholars consider all those who
adopted Islam during the time of the Prophet, saw
the Prophet, and prayed with him to be of his
companions. However, it seems that the Messenger
himself did not agree with these scholars. Al-Tabari
in his History part 3, page 68, reported that there
was an argument between Khalid Ibn Al-Walid and
Abdul Rahman Ibn Awf when Khalid killed some
members of Banu Jadhimah.
The Messenger of God sent Khalid as a missionary
for Islam (not as a fighter). Khalid exceeded the
order of the Messenger and killed a number of men
from Banu Jadhimah after he gave them the
assurance of no-harm.
Some men from Banu Jadhimah had killed Al-Fakih
Ibn Al-Mughirah Al-Makhzumi, uncle of Khalid,
and Awf Ibn Abd-Awf, father of Abdul Rahman,
before the conquest of Mecca. Now Khalid acted
in revenge in spite of the Prophet’s orders.
In their heated dialogue, Abdul Rahman said to
Khalid: “You followed the method of the
pre-Islamic era.” Khalid said: “I only avenged the
killing of your father.” Abd Al-Rahman: “You lie. I
already killed the killer of my father, but you
avenged the killing of your uncle.”
Their heated argument led to a verbal abuse on the
part of Khalid. When the Prophet found out about
it, he said to Khalid: “…Khalid, leave my
companions alone. By God, should you have a
piece of gold the size of Uhud Mountain, and you
spend it in the path of God, your charity would not
compare to a morning or evening trip in defense of
Islam by any one of my companions.” (Ibn
Hisham, in his Sirat of the Prophet, part 2, page
421).
This statement of the Prophet indicates that Khalid
was not considered a companion of the Prophet
because he told him to leave his companions
alone.
Thus, the Prophet clearly indicated that Khalid is
not one of his companions. Yet, this statement was
uttered by the Prophet after the conquest of Mecca
(which took place two years after Khalid adopted
Islam, shortly after the pact of Al-Hudaybiyyah).
The exclusion of Khalid from the community of the
Prophet’s companions means the exclusion of
thousands of companions who adopted Islam
during the time of the Prophet, who met the
Prophet, and who prayed behind him.
- Are all Companions of the Prophet
Righteous?
The righteousness of all the companions and their
worthiness of confidence are matters about which
the Shi’ites and the Sunnis argue.
The majority of the Sunni scholars believe that all
the companions are righteous and worthy of our
confidence. The Shi’ite scholars are selective.
The Sunni scholars cite Qur’anic verses for
substantiating their claim:
"Muhammad is the Apostle of God; and
those who are with him are firm against
unbelievers, compassionate towards one
another. You see them bowing and
prostrating, seeking grace from God and
His satisfaction ... The mark of
prostration shows on their faces... Allah
has promised those among them who
believe and do righteous deeds
forgiveness, and a great reward." (ch.
48. v. 29)
Thus, the Almighty described the companions of
the Messenger as firm against the unbelievers,
merciful among themselves; and that they bow and
prostrate. The mark of their prostration shows on
their foreheads; and that Allah promised those who
believe and do righteous deeds forgiveness and a
great reward.
All these descriptions substantiate the piety and
virtue of the companions. The verse, however,
does not include all the companions. It only
includes the companions who were firm against the
unbelievers, merciful among themselves.
Thus, the companions who were not firm against
the unbelievers or were unmerciful to the believers
would not be included by the verse.
It would be only logical to say that those who shed
the blood of Muslims without justification in civil
wars such as Talhah, Zubayr, and Mu’awiyah are
not included in this Qur’anic statement, plus all
companions who joined them in their unrighteous
wars against Imam Ali, and those who divided the
Muslims and destroyed their unity.
Furthermore, the end of the verse clearly indicates
that the praise was not to include all the
companions because it declares that only those
who believed in Islam and did good deeds will be
entitled to forgiveness and great rewards.
One of the verses which is offered as evidence of
the righteousness of all the companions of the
Prophet is the following:
"And the early Muslims from the
Meccan migrants and the Medinite Ansar
(the helpers) and those who followed
them with their good deeds, Allah is well
pleased with them, and they are well
pleased with Him; and He has prepared
for them gardens beneath which rivers
flow, to dwell therein forever. That is the
mighty achievement." (ch. 9, v. 100)
This verse, however, speaks of the virtue of the
migrants and Medinites who adopted Islam at the
early state of the Islamic era. Thus, it does not
include the thousands of the companions who
adopted Islam after the Hudaybiyyah truce or after
the conquest of Mecca. These were not from the
early Muslims. Their Islam took place about twenty
years after the proclamation of Islam and about
eight years after Hijrah.
Another verse which is cited for the righteousness
of all companions is the following:
"Allah was well pleased with the
believers when they swore allegiance
unto thee beneath the tree; He knew what
was in their hearts, and He sent down
tranquility to them and rewarded them
with a speedy victory..." (ch. 48, v. 18)
This verse also does not include all the companions
who declared their Islam after signing the
Hudaybiyyah pact which took place during the
sixth year after Hijra. The declaration of the
allegiance to the Prophet under the tree took place
shortly before signing the pact.
The companions who gave allegiance under the tree
at Hudaybiyyah were about fourteen hundred.
It is worthy to mention that a number of students of
the companions (such as Sa’id Ibn Al-Musayyab
and Al-Shi’abi and Ibn Sirin) said that the early
migrants were those who prayed to the two Qiblas
(Al-Masjid Al-Aqsa and Al-Ka’bah). (Abu 'Umar
Yusuf Ibn Abd-Barr, Al-Isti’ab part 1, pages 2-3)
Do The Hadiths Of The Prophet Substantiate
The Righteousness Of The Companions
Some scholars tried to substantiate the
righteousness of the companions through a number
of hadiths:
l. It is reported that the Messenger of God said,
“None of those who attended the battle of Badr or
the pact of Hudaybiyyah will enter Hell.”
- It is also reported that the Prophet said: “None
of those who gave their allegiance under the tree
(during the event of Hudaybiyyah) will enter the
Fire.” (Ibn Abd al-Barr, page 4)
The two hadiths do not substantiate the
righteousness of any companions except the
companions who were present at Badr and
Hudaybiyyah. Putting them together, their number
would not reach two thousand, while the number of
the companions was much bigger. Those who
attended the conquest of Mecca were ten thousand,
and those who went with the Prophet to Tabuk
were about twenty-five thousand.
Thus, the majority of the companions of the
Prophet would not be included in these two
hadiths.
The Opinions Of The Selectionists
The Shi’ite Muslim scholars did not put all the
companions in one rank; nor did they say that all of
them were righteous. Some of them were righteous
to the highest degree. Some of them were truthful
and worthy of confidence, but they were not
entirely righteous. Some of them were not known to
be righteous or unrighteous, and some of them
were known to be devious.
Qur’anic Verses Support The Selectionists
These scholars who view that some of the
companions were neither righteous nor in a place of
confidence support their view with a number of
Qur’anic verses:
"And they say: 'obedience'; but when
they leave thee, some of them spend the
night planning other than what they say
to you. Allah records what they plan by
night. Disregard them and put thy trust in
Allah. Allah is Sufficient Trustee." (ch.
4, v. 81)
This verse declares that a number of those who
were residents of Medina were Muslims, and they
prayed with the Prophet and attended his gatherings
and heard the Messenger commanding the Muslims
to do some good deeds. They used to say to the
Prophet: “We heard you and we will obey you;”
but when they left him, they did not obey the
Messenger.
We find in chapter nine of the Holy Qur’an many
verses which indicate that some of the companions
of the Messenger were people of hypocrisy, and
the Messenger did not know their hypocrisy.
"And among those around you of the
wandering Arabs are hypocrites and
among the people of Medina there are
some who persist in hypocrisy whom
thou (0 Muhammad) know not. We
know them and We shall chastise them
twice; then they will be relegated to a
painful doom." (ch. 9, v. 101)
"O Prophet! Combat the disbelievers
and the hypocrites and be hard on them.
Their abode is Hell, a hapless journey's
end. They swear by Allah that they said
nothing (wrong), yet they did say the
word of disbelief. They disbelieved after
they declared their Islam, and they
plotted that which they could not carry
out, and they sought revenge only
because Allah and His Messenger
enriched them of His bounty..." (ch. 9,
v. 73)
"Among them are men who made a
covenant with Allah (saying): If He gives
us of His bounty we will give alms and
become of the righteous. Yet, when He
gave them of His bounty, they hoarded it
and turned away, averse. So He made a
consequence (to be) hypocrisy in their
hearts until the day when they shall meet
Him, because they broke their word to
Allah and because they lied." (ch. 9, vs.
75-77)
We also find in chapter 33, “The Confederates”:
"And when the hypocrites, and those in
whose hearts is a disease say 'Allah and
His Messenger promised us nothing but
delusions.' And when a party of them
said: 'Oh folk of Yathrib! there is no
stand possible for you; therefore, go
back.' And some of them even ask
permission of the Prophet, saying: 'Our
homes are exposed to the enemy, and
they lay not exposed.' They only wished
to flee." (ch. 33, vs. 12-13)
The chapter of Al-Munafiqun is a clear evidence
that a number of Muslims (who declared their Islam
at the time of the Prophet, and lived with him in
Medina, and prayed with him, were hypocrites.
They came to the Prophet to defend themselves by
taking an oath in the presence of the Prophet that
they did not betray him, and they were liars. They
had believed in Islam then deserted it and Allah
sealed their hearts.
"When the hypocrites come to thee (O
Muhammad), they say: 'We bear witness
that thou art indeed Allah's Messenger.
And Allah knows that thou art indeed
His Messenger, and Allah bears witness
that the hypocrites indeed are speaking
falsely. They made their oaths a shield
so that they may turn (men) from the
way of Allah. Verily, evil is that which
they wanted to do. That is because they
believed and then disbelieved; therefore,
their hearts were sealed so that they
understand not.' " (ch. 63, vs. 1-3)
These numerous verses which are in many of the
Qur’anic chapters testify clearly that many of the
people who declared Islam during the time of the
Prophet, and who lived and prayed with him, were
hypocrites. What testimony could be bigger than
the testimony of the Qur’an?
These hypocrites were living with the rest of the
companions, and their names were not known.
Therefore, it is impossible to avoid taking hadiths
from them or know how many they were.
Historians, among them Al-Tabari in his History,
part 2, page 504, and Ibn Hisham in his Al-Sirah
Al-Nabawiyyah, part 2, page 64, reported that
when the Messenger went with his army to Uhud,
he had with him one thousand companions. But
Abdullah Ibn Abi Salul left the Prophet and went
back to Medina accompanying three hundred from
the Medinites. Islamic history did not inform us of
the names of any of the three hundred except the
name of their chief, Abdullah Ibn Abi Salul.
Knowing that the situation was so, how can we
avoid taking hadiths from these hypocrites, who
were not separated from the good companions
through any mark of distinction?
The Companions Who Shed The Blood Of The
Muslims
We should not forget that there were among the
companions some prominent men such as Talhah,
Zubayr, Mu’awiyah, Amr Ibn Al-As, Al-Nu’man Ibn
Bashir, and Samurah Ibn Jundab who shed Muslim
blood. These should not be considered in a place
of confidence after they shed the blood of
thousands of Muslims in order to reach their
worldly goals.
Allah declared in His book the following:
"And whoever kills a believer
deliberately, his reward is Hell forever,
and the wrath of God is upon him, and
He cursed him and prepared for him a
great punishment." (ch. 4, v. 73)
Thus, if a person kills a believer, his abode will be
the Fire and the wrath of Allah is upon him, and He
curses him and prepares for him a great
chastisement. This will be the fate of people such
as Mu’awiyah, Amr Ibn Al-As, Talhah, and Zubayr
who shed the blood of more than forty-thousand
Muslims.
It would be very illogical to consider people who
committed so many sins righteous and their reports
acceptable. There are people who say that these
men who committed such sins are from the
companions whom Allah likes, because they were
from the early Meccan and Medinite Muslims, and
they were among the ones who gave their allegiance
to the Messenger under the tree of Hudaybiyyah.
These are from among the ones whom Allah was
pleased with; and whoever Allah was pleased with
one time, He will never be angry with. This would
be clear when we look at the end of the verse which
gives the early Muslims of Mecca and the Medinite
the good tidings that they will have gardens under
which rivers flow, wherein they will dwell forever.
But this verse and the verse of allegiance under the
tree of Hudaybiyyah did not include men such as
Mu’awiyah and Amr Ibn Al-As because they were
not from the early Muslims nor from the early
migrants from Mecca to Medina; nor were they
from the people of the allegiance under the tree of
Hudaybiyyah. Amr Ibn Al-As adopted Islam after
Hudaybiyyah and Mu’awiyah adopted Islam after
the conquest of Mecca.
Furthermore, we cannot find in the Qur’an any
verse that declares that whomever God has been
pleased with, God will not be angry with.
It is inconceivable that Allah will give a permanent
immunity against punishment to a person who did a
good deed, such as being of the early Muslims or
early migrants from Mecca to Medina, and that
Allah will forgive his shedding the blood of
thousands of believers without any justification. If it
were so, it would mean that a companion could
cancel all the Qur’anic rules and the instructions of
the Prophet. Certainly, we can not believe this when
we remember that Allah said to His own Messenger
Muhammad: “Say: surely I fear (if I disobey my
Lord) the chastisement of a grievous day.” (ch. 6,
v. 15)
If a companion can interpret the Qur’anic verses
and the Prophet’s words the way he wants, he may
be able to give a verdict that the five daily prayers
are only desirable and not imperative. He may say
"I understand from Aqimu Al-Salat (offer prayer)
that the prayer is only desirable. Nor do I
understand from the word “salat” that it has to
contain bowing and prostrating, or reading from the
Qur’an or the declaration of the Shahadah. It
would be sufficient in the prayer to supplicate the
Lord to forgive or to give sustenance or to prolong
life because the word Salat used to mean
supplication before Islam.
The Messenger Of God Predicted The
Deviation Of Many Of His Companions
The Messenger informed the Muslims that many of
his companions will deviate after him. Al-Bukhari in
his Sahih, part 2, page 149, reported that the
Prophet said:
"A number of my companions will come
to drink from the basin. When I
recognize them, they will be taken away
from my sight. I would say: 'My Lord,
these are my companions.' And Allah
will say: 'You do not know what they
innovated after you.' "
The same source, page 150, recorded that Abu
Hazim reported that Sahl Ibn Sa’d reported that the
Prophet said:
“I shall come to the Hawd (basin of water) before
you. Whoever meets me there will drink water. And
whoever drinks of it will never be thirsty
afterwards. Groups will come to me, and I will
recognize them and they will recognize me and they
will be screened from me.” Abu Hazim said:
"Al-Nu’man Ibn Ayyash heard me and said: ‘I
testify that Abu Sa’id Al-Khudri said and I heard
him adding to it the following: I will say: "May God
put away from me whoever deviated after me.’ "
Similar to this is reported by Muslim in his Sahih,
part 15, pages 53-54. Al-Bukhari reported in the
section of Al-Hawd that Abu Hurayrah reported
that the Messenger of God said:
"On the Day of Judgement a group of
my companions will come to the Hawd
(Basin), and they will be prevented from
drinking out of the basin. I will say: 'My
Lord, these are my companions.' He will
say: 'Certainly you do not know what
they innovated after you. They deserted
their religion.' "
Al-Bukhari reported in his Sahih, part 4, page 169,
that one reporter quoted Ibn Abbas as saying that
the Prophet said:
"You will be resurrected bare footed,
unclothed, and uncircumcised." Then he
read: 'As We started the first creation,
We shall resurrect it, a promise on Our
part. Certainly We shall fulfill it.' "
"Certainly a number of my companions
will be taken to the left side, and I will
say: 'My companions, my companions.'
Allah will say: 'They continued deserting
their faith after you left them.'"
I will say as the good servant of God
(the Messiah) said: "And I was a witness
on them as long as I was with them..."
Muslim in his Sahih, part 10, page 59, reported that
the Messenger of God said: "I will be the first one
to come to the Basin, and I shall be challenged
about some people and I will lose them, then I will
say: ‘My Lord, these are my companions; these are
my companions.’ I will be told: ‘You do not know
what they innovated after you.’ "
Muslim in his Sahih, part 10, page 64, recorded
that Anas Ibn Malik reported that the Prophet said:
"Men from among the people who
accompanied me shall come (on the Day
of Judgement) to the Basin. When I see
them and they are brought to me, they
will be taken away from me. I will say:
'My Lord, these are my companions.' It
will be said to me: 'You do not know
what they innovated after you.' "