Sunni view of the Sahaba
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Sunnis have a very positive view of the Sahaba (the Companions of the Prophet Muhammad), honouring them greatly and believing it a Muslim obligation to love them.
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[edit] Introduction
They respect them so highly because they believe that the Sahaba did their utmost to support Muhammad and to continue his work, and that Muhammad confirmed their high status. Sunni also value the Sahaba for their part in the narrations where Muhammad's Sunnah is described.
In short, they have a very positive view of every single Sahaba, however, they do not believe them to be infallible, but they believe every single one of them had the best of intentions, even when they went to war with each other.
[edit] Sub-articles
[edit] Ranking
Sunnis have several ways of ranking the Sahaba.
Some verses they use:
- [9.20] Those who believed and fled (their homes), and strove hard in Allah's way with their property and their souls, are much higher in rank with Allah; and those are they who are the achievers (of their objects).
- [57.10] And what reason have you that you should not spend in Allah's way? And Allah's is the inheritance of the heavens and the earth, not alike among you are those who spent before the victory and fought (and those who did not): they are more exalted in rank than those who spent and fought afterwards; and Allah has promised good to all; and Allah is Aware of what you do.
One method is:
[edit] Ahl al-Bayt
The Ahl al Bayt, or family members of the Prophet, are an entirely separate category. Sunni, unlike Shi'a, believe that the wives of the Prophet also belong in this category.
This is further authenticated in Ayat-e-Tatheer.
[edit] The Ten Promised Paradise
- The Ten Promised Paradise are Sahaba whom, so the Sunni believe, were specifically promised Paradise by Muhammad, in a single list.
[edit] Rank of other Sahaba
- Then the senior Companions among those who fought at the battle of Badr (all those who fought at Badr having been promised Paradise).
- Then those who gave bay`at al-ridwân under the Tree and those Ansar distinguished for the two pacts preceding Emigration (al-`aqabatayn).
- Then those who entered Islam the year of the conquest of Mecca.
- Then the younger Companions who saw the Prophet as child. Muhammad ibn Abu Bakr would belong to this category.
[edit] Doctrines
Sunnis have a number of doctrines regarding the Sahaba:
[edit] Uprightness of all Sahaba
Sunnis believe all Sahaba were upright and truthful and most Sunnis accept all of them in chains of narrations (isnad) without scrutiny.
[edit] All Sahaba go to heaven
Although Sunnis believe that there are differences in rank between the Sahaba, they believe that all are going to heaven.
Sunnis believe that ten Sahaba were granted paradise even as they lived, not implying that the rest would go elsewhere. The rest of the Sahaba were regarded equal in status, all granted blessings by God:
and many others.
[edit] Not mentioning the faults of the Sahaba
To not mention the faults of the Sahaba is one of the doctrines the Sunnis have.
Sunnis write: Hazarat Maolana Samsul haque Faridpuri, Principal of Lalbag Jamia Korania has written a book titled ‘Corrigendum’ to warn his countrymen against the anti-Islamic thoughts and ideas of Jamat. Somethere in the book, he writes
- "……..It will not be permissible for any Muslim to Join, and work in Jamat. Those who indulge in finding faults with Sahaba Ekram, whoever they may be, it will certainly not be permissible to make them Imams and say prayers being them. Because, on account of finding faults with Sahaba Ekram, they have stood discarded from Ahl al-Sunna wa al-Jama'ah|Ahale Sunnat Wal Jamat.”' [1], [2]
Sunni also write:
- Our attitude towards the Sahaba should be that of love, respect, peace and purity of our hearts and tongues. Allah has described this in His saying: "And those who come after them say: '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.'" [59:10] And the Prophet (s.a.w.) said, "The sign of faith is love of the Ansar and the sign of hypocrisy is the hatred of Ansar" [al-Bukharee, Muslim]. Why should we not be thankful to those who believed in the Prophet, assisted him, strove with their lives and wealth to make the Word of Allah supreme, preserved and transmitted to us our Religion? Who is more deserving that we pray for them and speak of them in the best manner and think of them with the best thoughts?
- We should therefore mention their virtues and remain silent about any mistakes they made and about anything that occurred between them, as the Prophet (s.a.w.) advised us: "When my Companions are mentioned then withhold" [Saheeh, at-Tabaranee]. And he also said, "Do not abuse my Companions, for if any of you were to spend gold equal to (mountain of) Uhud in charity, it would not equal a handful of one of them or even half of that" [al-Bukharee, Muslim]. And he said, "Whoever abuses my Companions, upon them is the curse of Allah, the angels and all the people" [Saheeh, At-Tabaranee]. [3]
The former Wahhabi, and then later Shi'a scholar[citation needed] Muhammad al-Tijani, wrote in his And then i was Guided:
- I remember, for example, when our Arabic Rhetoric teacher was teaching the Shaqshaqiyyah oration from the book "Nahj al-Balaghah" by Imam Ali, that I was puzzled, as were many other students, when we read it, but I dared to ask the following question: "Are these truly the words of Imam Ali?" He answered: "Definitely, who would have had this eloquence apart from him. If it were not his saying, why should the Muslim scholars like Shaykh Muhammad Abduh, the Mufti of Egypt, concern themselves with its interpretation?" Then I said, "Imam Ali accuses Abu Bakr and Umar that they robbed him of his right to succeed as Caliph".
- The teacher was outraged and he rebuked me very strongly and threatened to expel me from the class, and added, "We teach Arabic Rhetoric and not history. We are not concerned with the dark episodes of history and its bloody wars between Muslims, and in as much as Allah has cleaned our swords from their blood, Cursing Sahaba is Kufr|let us clean our tongues by not condemning them". [4]
[edit] Cursing Sahaba is Kufr
Sunnis believe that someone who curses the Sahaba goes outside of Islam and will eventually go to Hell. Shia's belief is the same but 'only' for those Sahabas who were considered to be true Sahabas by Muhammed himself and not for those Sahabas who he evicted out of meetings.
[edit] Qur'an
This Sunni use the following verses to argue their case:
- Hashr: 8-10 [1]
- "Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah and those with him are harsh with the disbelievers and gentle among themselves. So that the disbelievers may become enraged with them."[1]
- "If ye help not (Muhammad (may Peace Be Upon Him)), (it is no matter): for Allah did indeed help him, when the Unbelievers drove him out: he had no more than one companion (Abu Bakr): they two were in the Cave, and he said to his companion, Have no fear for Allah is with us." (9:40)[1]
[edit] Shia view of the Sunni view
Shi'a reject the Sunni view in its entirety, as a means of shutting off objective investigation of the events that occurred in early Islam, in order to decide who was right in conflicts like the ones between Abu Bakr and Fatima Zahra.
Shi'a believe that the Sunni doctrines are solely based to prevent the conclusion that Abu Bakr and Umar opposed the Ahl al-Bayt, painting a romantic view of Abu Bakr, Umar, Ali and Muawiya being the best of friends, a view that Shi'a believe is based on loose evidence, conjecture and a lot of good will on the part of the believer of those doctrines, a view that does not hold to any close scrutiny, but rather ends in a circular argument of referring to the greatness of the Sahaba when trying to prove their greatness.
[edit] See also
- Uprightness of all Sahaba (Sunni doctrine)
- Not mentioning the faults of the Sahaba (Sunni doctrine)
- Shia view of the Sahaba
- Ahlul Bayt
- Sahaba
- Lives of the Sahaba (book)
