The Hadeeth Narrators Amongst The Sahaba(companions).

Bismillah Al-Rahman Al-Raheem,

Inshallah in this article we will share some information about the different hadeeth narrators from amongst the companions(ashaab) of Rassul-ul-Allah may peace be upon them, their families and their Prophet and leader Muhammad ibn ‘Abdulllah Salla Allahu ‘Alayhi wa Aalihi wa Sallam.Along with clearing some common misconceptions which people have and also refuting some arguments raised by enemies of Sahaba.

The topics covered under this articles are:

(i). Definition of a Companion(Sahabi)

(ii). How is the companionship of any particular Sahabi proven?

(iii). Which type of Companions Preserved the Sunnah?

(iv). Concept of Adaalah of Sahaba(as), That is; All Sahaba(as) were truthful while narrating the ahadeeth of Prophet Muhammad(Saw).

(v). REFUTATION OF SHIA ARGUMENT THAT, SINCE FEW SAHABA(AS) WERE CRITICIZED IN QURAN, SO THEY ARE UNRELIABLE.

(vi). Some important points in praise and defence of Sahaba(as).

(vii). Number of the Companions.

(viii). What are the Tabaqat(classes) of the Companions?

(ix). Who were the first to enter Islam?

(x). Who made the most Fatwas(religious verdicts)?

(xi). Who narrated the most Hadeeths from the Prophet(Saw)?

(xii). Were some Sahaba adherent of Abdullah ibn Saba(la)?

 

Definition of a Companion(Sahabi):

We think that most readers know the definition of a Sahabi(companion of Prophet Muhammad(Saw)). but we’ll go over it briefly for the benefit of our esteemed readers.

First of all there are two definitions for a Sahabi(companion), one is Lughawi(linguistic) and one is Istilahi(technical or Standard), The Lughawi meaning is basically the meaning of the word companion or Sahib in the Arabic tongue and it simply means a person who has accompanied another person for a certain period of time. The definition of the word Companion or Sahabi in the Istilahi sense or in light of the religious context is given below and it has special conditions:

Esteemed Sunni scholar Al-Hâfidh Ibn Hajar (d.852H) – rahimahullâh – said: “The most correct of what I have come across is that a Sahâbî (Companion) is one who met the Prophet sallallâhu ’alayhi wa sallam whilst believing in him, and died as a Muslim. So that includes the one who remained with him for a long or a short time, and those who narrated from him and those who did not, and those who saw him but did not sit with him and those who could not see him due to blindness.” (Source: Al-Isâbah (1/4-5) of al-Hâfidh lbn Hajar. )

We find similar defination of a Sahabi in Shia books:

A Sahabi (pl. Sahabah) or “Companion”, is someone who met the Prophet (S), believed in him and died a Muslim.{(Source: Introduction to Hadith including Dirayat Al-Hadith, Shahid Al Thani – pg 25 – Section IV (terminology pertaining to the names and generations of reporters). [Scan page]}.

 

How is the companionship of any particular Sahabi proven?

Following are the methods through which companionship of Sahaba is proven.

1- First: By “Tawatur” such as of, Abu Bakr al-Siddiq, ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab, Uthman, Ali, Khadeejah bint Khwaylid, Khalid bin al-Waleed ect. Tawatur is defined as “a tradition which has been handed down by a number of different channels of transmitters or authorities, hence supposedly ruling out the possibility of its having been forged.” .

2- Second: By “al-Ishtihar” and the great number of narrations which do not reach the level of Tawatur which simply means that many people know them such as: Damam ibn Tha’alabah, Thabit bin Qays, Bureirah the Mawlat of ‘Aisha and others…

3- Third: A narration by a companion(Sahabi) stating that a certain individual met the Prophet PBUH, For Example the Hadith of Ibn ‘Abbas(ra) regarding the 70,000 who will enter heaven without being questioned: “Ukahsa ibn Muhsin” stood up and said: O Messenger of Allah make Du’aa so that Allah would make me one of them, and the Prophet SAWS did so”.

4- Fourth: A narration from a trustworthy follower (al-Tabi’een) that a certain individual met the Prophet PBUH.

5- Fifth: He himself claims to be a companion and this is tied to his trustworthiness and how the scholars of ‘Ilm al-Rijal(a science pertaining to the gradation of a hadith as Dhaif (Weak) and Sahih (Sound) by technical standards laid down for the purpose.) view him, Also it is tied to when he declares his companionship and it must not be after 100 years of the Prophet’s PBUH death, an example of this is the lying sheikh Ratan al-Hindi who claimed companionship after 600 hijri according to what al-Hafiz al-Dhahabi said in al-Meezan 2/45.

 

[IMP]- Which type of Companions Preserved the Sunnah?

It seems that Shias are under the impression that we Sunnis get our religion from random companions that only converted for financial gains or for power. However, as many of you are aware, the vast majority of our narrations come from one of two groups, the Muhajireen, that risked their lives to come/migrate to Madinah for the sake of Islam, and the Ansar, who open their hearts to the calling of the Prophet (pbuh) and raised the name of the deen(religion).

Shias, though, assume that most of what we have is from the “Mu’alafati Quloobuhum.” This is a term used to describe those that were hesitant to join Islam, and the Prophet (pbuh) used to reward them in the short term after battles in order for them to have a greater allegiance towards him. Now, there is no doubt that the Muhajireen and Ansar are greater in status than these late Sahabis, who mainly accepted Islam after the Conquest of Makkah, however, these “Mu’alafati Quloobuhum”, are still multitudes greater in status than the rest of the Muslims, for they too have served the Prophet (pbuh) and raised the banner of Islam together.

In any case, we found a great list of the Mu’alafa Quloobuhum and we weren’t aware that such a thing existed. You will notice that most of these companions are relatively unknown, even though there are a few whose names are familiar. Next to their names, we’ve included the number of their narrations according to Ibn Hazm. The list was compiled by Scholar Al-Saghani (d. 650 AH).

1- (Al-Akhnas) Ubai bin Shareeq – {Nil}
2- Uhaiha bin Umaya – {Nil}
3- Al-Aqra’a bin Habis – Ibn Al-Jawzi mentioned that he has {one hadith}
4- Jubair bin Mut’im – {60 hadiths}
5- Al-Jad bin Qais – {Nil}
6- Al-Harith bin Hisham – {Two narrations}
7- Harmala bin Hawtha – {Nil}
8- Hakeem bin Hizam – {40 Narrations}
9- Hakeem bin Taleeq – {Nil}
10- Huwaitib bin Abdul Uza – {One narration}
11- Khalid bin Usaid bin Abi Al-Ais – {Nil}
12- Khalid bin Qais – {Nil}
13- Khalid bin Hisham – {Nil}
14- Khalid bin Hawtha Al-Amiri – {Nil}
15- Zaid Al-Khail Al-Ta’ee – {Nil}
16- Sa’eed bin Yaboo’ – {Nil}
17- Suhail bin Amr bin Abdul Shams – {Nil}
18- Suhail bin Amr Al-Jumhi – {Nil}
19- Shaiba bin Uthman bin Abi Talha – {One narration}
20- Abu Sufyan – {One narration}
21- Safwan bin Umaya – {Thirteen narrations}
22- Al-Abbas bin Mirdas – {Nil}
23- Abdulrahman bin Yarboo’ – {Nil}
24- Adi bin Qais Al-Sahami – {Nil}
25- Ikrimah bin Amir – {Nil}
26- Al-Ala’a bin Jariya – {Nil}
27- Ilqima bin Ulatha – {Nil}
28- Amr bin Ba’kak – {Nil}
29- Amr bin Mirdas – {Nil}
30- Umair bin Wadaqa – {Nil}
31- Umair bin Wahb Al-Jumhi – {Nil}
32- Uyayna bin Hisn – {Nil}
33- Qais bin Adi Al-Sahami – {Nil}
34- Qais bin Makhrama – {One narration}
35- Labeed bin Rabee’a – {Nil}
36- Malik bin Awf – {One narration}
37- Makhrama bin Nawfal – Ibn Al-Jawzi mentioned that he has {one narration}
38- Mu’awiyah bin Abi Sufyan – {163 narrations}
39- Al-Mugheera bin Al-Harith bin Abdul Mutalib – {Nil}
40- Al-Nudhair bin Al-Harith bin Alqama – {Nil}
41- Hisham bin Amr – {Nil}
42- Hisham bin Al-Waleed bin Al-Mugheera – {Nil}

We can see from this list that the main narrators from the “Mu’alafati Quloobuhum” are: Mu’awiyah bin Abi Sufyan, Jubair bin Mut’im and Hakeem bin Hizam. Safwan bin Umaya only narrated thirteen narrations, and the rest of these men either narrated one or NO narrations.

Conclusion: The “Mu’alafati Quloobuhum”, are those that are seen as to have been brought into Islam under less honorable pretenses, did not serve as the main protectors of the Sunnah, when it came to the preservation and transmission of the teachings of the Prophet (pbuh), but only played a minor part in doing so.

This study confirms that popular view that the main protectors of the Sunnah are the Muhajireen and the Ansar, may Allah’s blessings be upon all the companions of the Prophet (pbuh).

 

Concept of Adaalah of Sahaba(as), That is; All Sahaba(as) were truthful while narrating the ahadeeth of Prophet Muhammad(Saw).

Regarding the trustworthiness of the companions, Esteemed Sunni scholar Ibn Hazm says: “And the companions – may Allah be pleased with them – are all just and trustworthy, whether they took part in the Fitnah or not, according to the consensus of the reliable scholars”, see “al Tadreeb” 2/214.

This means that they will avoid lying and distorting the narrations and that whatever they narrate is accepted as the Prophet SAWS himself praised them in many narrations such as: “The best of the generations is my generation (al-Sahaba), then those after them (al-Tabi’een), then those after them (Tabi’u al-Tabi’een).”

Proof of Adalah(trustworthiness) of Sahaba(as):

Sahi Bukhari 2.795: Ibn `Abbas said: “Allah’s Apostle delivered a sermon on the Day of Nahr, and said, ‘O people! (Tell me) what is the day today?’ The people replied, ‘It is the forbidden(sacred) day.’ He asked again, ‘What town is this?’ They replied, ‘It is the forbidden (Sacred) town.’ He asked, ‘Which month is this?’ They replied, ‘It is the forbidden(Sacred) month.’ He said, ‘No doubt! Your blood, your properties, and your honorare sacred to one another like the sanctity of this day of yours, in this (sacred) town (Mecca) of yours, in this month of yours.’ The Prophet repeated his statement again and again. After that he raised his head and said, ‘O Allah! Haven’t I conveyed (Your Message) to them’. Haven’t I conveyed Your Message to them?’ ” Ibn `Abbas added, “By Him in Whose Hand my soul is, the following was his will (Prophet’s will) to his followers:−−It is incumbent upon those who are present to convey this information to those who are absent. Beware don’t renegade (as) disbelievers (turn into infidels) after me, Striking the necks (cutting the throats) of one another.’

Comment: Here we find that Prophet(Saw) command Sahaba(as) to deliver the Islamic information, which was given by Prophet Muhammad(Saw), to people who would come later. This is one of the strongest proof regarding Adalah of Sahaba(as), because Prophet(Saw) didn’t appoint a small group or selective Sahaba or Ahlelbayt for this job. This hadeeth is from sermon which was given by Prophet(Saw) during the Farewell pilgrimage.

Proof of Adalah(trustworthiness) of Sahaba(as) from Shia hadeeth:

The Concept of Adalah, which implies that all Sahaba(as) were trustworthy in regards narrating hadeeth of Prophet(Saw), is not only affirmed by Ahlesunnah but even by Imams of Ahlebayt, this can be proven from shia book:

علي بن إبراهيم، عن أبيه، عن ابن أبي نجران، عن عاصم بن حميد، عن منصور بن حازم قال: قلت لابي عبدالله عليه السلام: ما بالي أسألك عن المسألة فتجيبني فيها بالجواب، ثم يجيئك غيري فتجيبه فيها بجواب آخر؟ فقال: إنا نجيب الناس على الزيادة والنقصان، قال: قلت: فأخبرني عن أصحاب رسول الله صلى الله عليه وآله صدقوا على محمد صلى الله عليه وآله أم كذبوا؟ قال: بل صدقوا، قال: قلت: فما بالهم اختلفوا؟ فقال: أما تعلم أن الرجل كان يأتي رسول الله صلى الله عليه وآله فيسأله عن المسألة فيجيبه فيها بالجواب ثم يجيبه بعد ذلك ما ينسخ ذلك الجواب، فنسخت الاحاديث بعضها بعضا.

Ali ibn Ibrahim has narrated from his father from ibn Abi Najran from ‘Asim ibn Humayd from Mansur ibn Hazim who has said:”I said to (Imam) abu ‘Abdallah (alaihi salam), ‘It is confuses me that when I ask you a question and you give an answer and then other person comes and you give a different answer for the same question.’” The Imam replied, “We answer people in a larger and reduced forms.” I then asked, “Did the Sahabah, companions of the holy Prophet speak the truth or lies when narrating his Hadith?” The Imam replied, “They spoke the truth.” I then said, “Why then they have differences?” Have you not considered the fact that a man would come to the holy Prophet (sallalahu alaihi wa ali) and ask a question and would give him an answer and then he would answer that would abrogate the previous answer. Thus, Ahadith abrogated other Ahadith.” [Kulayni narrated in his “al-Kafi” (1/65), and Majlisi said it’s hasan (good) in Miraat al-Uqool, vol 1, page 216]

Comment: Sunni belief is that the Sahabah would not make up something and attribute it to the Prophet(saw), and this is the definition of adalah and this very same thing was affirmed by shia Imam also. We have been trying to explain this clear and simple concept to the ignorant Shias over a thousand year. If we say ‘Adala Al-Sahaba, the shias start mocking, and pointing how many mistakes the Sahaba committed, as if we don’t know that Sahaba also made mistakes.WE Ahlesunnah, believe that none of the sahaba were Ma’soom(infallible). Adala Al-Sahaba does not mean, that the Sahaba never made mistakes, or never sinned, Adala Al-Sahaba means: The Sahaba (those who met the Prophet AND died with Imaan) do not like about the Prophet Muhammad(Saw).

IMPORTANT POINT REGARDING ADALAH OF SAHABA(AS):

We need to keep in mind THE BASIC point, that Adalah(trustworthiness) of Sahaba is confined to ahadeeth which Sahaba narrated from Prophet(Saw) OR anything related to deen(religion) OR they being truthful about what they say about Prophet Muhammad(Saw), this does not cover any other personal matters of any Sahabi, like if he/she committed Sins, etc. Most of the times the Shia deceivers come up with some reports where in we find that Sahaba committed sins or mistakes or they disputed with any other Sahabi, etc and based on these the Shia deceivers try to spread their evil motives by claiming that these things effect the concept of Adalah of Sahaba(as), However as we explained earlier, personal matters of Sahaba(as) doesn’t have any relation to Adalah. So if we remain strong in our BASICS then we can give mouth breaking responses to the Shia deceivers.

 

REFUTATION OF SHIA ARGUMENT THAT: SINCE FEW SAHABA(AS) WERE CRITICIZED IN QURAN, SO THEY ARE UNRELIABLE OR THEY CAN BE CRITICIZED BY US.

The Shias often quote verses of Quran where Sahaba(as) were criticized, and based on these verses Shias attack Sahaba(as) and their credibility. But what the ignorant Shias whose mind and hearts have been blackened by hatred doesn’t know is that, in all those verses of Quran, Allah called Sahaba or directed his speech towards Sahaba(as), using the word ‘O You Who BELIEVE’. Allah himself testifies them being believers, where as Shia liars say that all of them were murtad except 3 0r 7.

The verses in which Allah criticizes sahaba, were revealed during the learning  stages of Sahaba(As). Sahaba(as) were in the learning stage, they didn’t become infallible soon after becoming muslims, so naturally they will make mistakes and who needed correction. Those sahaba(as) were new converts from extremely polytheist and barbaric environment and it was natural for them to make mistakes in these learning days, months and years.

Furthermore, one can use similar logic against even the Prophet (pbuh) IF ATALL the foolish Shia logic is applied.

Notice the following Quran (5:87):

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آَمَنُوا لَا تُحَرِّمُوا طَيِّبَاتِ مَا أَحَلَّ اللَّهُ لَكُمْ وَلَا تَعْتَدُوا إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَا يُحِبُّ الْمُعْتَدِينَ

O ye who believe! Forbid not the good things which Allah hath made lawful for you, and transgress not. Lo! Allah loveth not transgressors.

Then in Quran (66:1) Allah said:

يَا أَيُّهَا النَّبِيُّ لِمَ تُحَرِّمُ مَا أَحَلَّ اللَّهُ لَكَ تَبْتَغِي مَرْضَاةَ أَزْوَاجِكَ وَاللَّهُ غَفُورٌ رَحِيمٌ

O Prophet! Why bannest thou that which Allah hath made lawful for thee, seeking to please thy wives? And Allah is Forgiving, Merciful.

Now, according to the logic of those un-intelligent Shias, the Prophet (pbuh) banned what is lawful, and therefore, is a transgressor and that Allah doesn’t love him(Ma’zallah). Of course, for one to be able to pull of such an interpretation, one needs to take everything out of context, like the most obvious latter part of the verse about Allah being merciful. Then one would need to forget about the rest of the praise towards the Prophet (pbuh) in the Qur’an as a whole. With such a mentality, we can condemn the Prophet (pbuh) for any of his actions that do not appeal to us.

Similarly, one would need to take all the verses in which Allah was critical of the Sahaba and take them out of context, misinterpret them, and forget about all the praise directed at them in general and on an individual level(for eg), for one to hold such a view against the Sahaba.

We would like to advice unbiased and truth-seeking Shia readers that the verses where Allah criticizes sahaba, were in stages of learning. Sahaba(as) were in the learning stage, they didn’t become infallible soon after becoming muslims, so naturally they would make mistakes and needed correction, those sahaba(as) were new converts from extremely polytheist and barbaric environment and it was natural for them to make mistakes in these learning days, months and years. Thus, no honest and sensible person should attack Sahaba(as) or their credibility using those verses, as it would be nonsensical, unfair and evil.

Secondly, the Shias even use few events from the Islamic history, where some of the Sahaba retreated from the battlefield. Shias try to malign those Sahaba due to this mistake of theirs without even realizing that, the Lord himself have forgiven them. For example:

After Battle of Uhud, Allah forgave the Sahaba as mentioned in Quran:

{And Allah had certainly fulfilled His promise to you when you were killing the enemy by His permission until [the time] when you lost courage and fell to disputing about the order [given by the Prophet] and disobeyed after He had shown you that which you love. Among you are some who desire this world, and among you are some who desire the Hereafter. Then he turned you back from them [defeated] that He might test you. And He has already forgiven you, and Allah is the possessor of bounty for the believers. [Remember] when you [fled and] climbed [the mountain] without looking aside at anyone while the Messenger was calling you from behind. So Allah repaid you with distress upon distress so you would not grieve for that which had escaped you [of victory and spoils of war] or [for] that which had befallen you [of injury and death]. And Allah is [fully] Acquainted with what you do…….(As for) those of you who turned back on the day when the two armies met, only the Shaitan sought to cause them to make a slip on account of some deeds they had done, and certainly Allah has pardoned them; surely Allah is Forgiving, Forbearing. (Quran 3:152-153 &155).}

Allah forgave Sahaba after Battle of Tabuk:

Allah even forgave Sahaba after the Battle of Tabuk, which occurred in the year 9 A.H, and this was after the Battle of Hunayn which occurred in the month of Shawwal in the year 8 A.H(See Tafseer ibn Katheer). Hence the forgiveness from Allah even encompasses the mistake of some Sahaba in Battle of Hunayn.

{Allah has already forgiven the Prophet and the Muhajireen and the Ansar who followed him in the hour of difficulty after the hearts of a party of them had almost inclined [to doubt], and then He forgave them. Indeed, He was to them Kind and Merciful. And [He also forgave] the three who were left behind [and regretted their error] to the point that the earth closed in on them in spite of its vastness and their souls confined them and they were certain that there is no refuge from Allah except in Him. Then He turned to them so they could repent. Indeed, Allah is the Accepting of repentance, the Merciful. (Quran 9:117-118).

Therefore, those Shias who out of ignorance attack Sahaba for their mistake, even after Allah forgave them, they are actually rejecting the forgiveness from Allah. Surely, neither Sahaba nor the Muslims, demand forgiveness from these extremist Shias, forgiveness is sort from Allah and Allah has forgiven them and this is sufficient for the Muslims. And not to forget that Allah states in Quran that, He was pleased with them.

Lastly, the teaching of Quran is to pray for Muslims who preceded us, esp Sahaba(s).

Our Lord, forgive us and [forgive] our brethren who preceded us in faith. And do not put in our hearts rancour towards the Believers. Our Lord, You are Most Kind, Most Merciful.” (59:10).

 

Some important points in praise and defence of Sahaba(as).

(1). There is a difference between those who discuss this issue, thinking badly in those noble Companions because of well-known ideologies and beliefs and those who revere and respect the Companions because of their noble attitudes in supporting the religion, defending it, observing patience in bearing the harm and sacrificing their souls and monies for its sake.

Did not you see how did `Urwah ibn Mas`ud Ath-Thaqafy praised the Companions in the treaty of Al Hudaybiyah when he went back to his people saying:”O my people, By Allah! I have met kings such as Caesar, Chosroes and the Negus, but I did not see a king who is respected by his Companions as the Companions of Muhammad respect him (peace be upon him). By Allah, if he never spat phlegm but one of his Companions would take it by hand and rubs his face and skin with it. When he commands them, they quickly respond to his command. When he performs ablution, they are about to kill one another to use the water of his ablution. When they speak before him, they lower their voices and never stare at him out of reverence. Al Bukhari (2731 – 2732).

(2). As for `Amr ibn Al `As(ra), did not the Prophet (peace be upon him) know his status when he appointed `Amr as an emir to the Army of Dhat Al Salasil which included Abu Bakr and `Umar (may Allah be pleased with them) [Al Bukhari (3662) and Muslim (2384)]? Is not he one of those who embraced Islam willingly and migrated before the conquest of Makkah? What is the intention of those people?

(3). Likewise, Mu`awiyah ibn Abi Sufyan(ra) and how did the Prophet (peace be upon him) entrusted him with writing the revelation if he is not trustworthy? How did `Umar ibn Al Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) trusted him and appointed him as an emir to the army of the Levant while we know how `Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) was precise in choosing his emirs to the extent that he relieved Sa`d ibn Abu Waqqas (may Allah be pleased with him) of duty? How did the rest of the Companions keep silent about this if he is not a trustworthy person? How did some of the Companions such as Ibn `Abbas and others speak in his favor? Why did not his opponents such as Imam Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) and those who were with him accuse him if he is not trustworthy? How did Al Hasan ibn Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) abdicate Caliphate to him in spite of his large number of follower if he was not trustworthy? How did the rest of the Companions accept that?

(4).The meaning of the Companions’ trustworthiness is not protecting them against mistake, forgetfulness, crimes and sins. Inviolability was not confirmed for anyone other than prophets (peace be upon them). Their trustworthiness means their acquittal of hypocrisy, their true love for Allah and His Messenger and they do not deliberately lie against the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him).

Shaykh of Islam Ibn Taymiyah says in (Minhaj Al Sunnah) (1/306 – 307): “The Companions may do slight mistakes, sometimes they commit sins and they are not infallible but they do not lie deliberately against the Prophet (peace be upon him) and if anyone does, Allah reveals their plot.”

(5). The one who is following the biography of the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) finds that the Companions who committed sins are few and they were not found guilty of the crime against some of those few Companions. Those who were found guilty with the crimes, will not affect the case we are talking about because the objective is to protect the Sunnah by protecting its conveyers and reporters.

(6). There is no doubt that the Qur’an can not be applied away form the Sunnah. The Sunnah is not authentically proven except by the way of the people of Hadith. The most important factor of judging the Hadith is the chain of transmission; the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them). Therefore, Abu Zar`ah Al Razy (may Allah be merciful with him) said: “If you see a person underestimate one of the Prophet’s Companions, let it be known that he is a disbeliever because the Messenger (peace be upon him) is truthful and the Qur’an is truthful and the people who conveyed this Qur’an and the Sunnah to us are the Companions of the Prophet (peace be upon him). They only want to dispraise our trustworthy narrators to nullify the Qur’an and the Sunnah, whereas dispraising those people(who underestimate Sahaba) is more entitled because they are disbelievers.” Reported by Al Khatib Al Baghdady in (Al Kifayah) (p. 66 – 67)

(7). We have a question to ask those claimers who criticize Sahaba that: In your opinion, what is their alternative?

A- Should Islam be understood only from the Qur’an? So, tell us who conveyed the Qur’an to us? Who has collected it? Can we estimate Islam only through the Qur’an? What should we do with the multiple Ayahs denoting the obligation of acting according to the Sunnah such as Allah’s saying: “And whatsoever the Messenger (Muhammad peace be upon him) gives you, take it; and whatsoever he forbids you, abstain (from it).” [Al Hashr: 7]. And Allah’s saying: “that you may explain clearly to men what is sent down to them, and that they may give thought.” [Al Nahl: 44].

Do you see that we should take the Sunnah only from certain group of Companions without the other? Could you name them for us and state your attitude toward the rest of them and you will see whose claim is the weaker.

 

Number of the Companions:

There is no accurate study that shows what is the exact number of companions, the people of knowledge and ‘Ilm state that they are above 100,000 companions both male and female, Imam Abu Zara’ah al-Razi (rah) had a famous saying: “Allah took the soul of his Prophet SAWS and there were around 114,000 companions who heard from him and narrated from him.”

The book of Ibn Hajar al-‘Asqalani (rah) “al-Isabah fi Ma’arifat al-Sahaba” contained 12,304 names of the companions, amongst them is a number of men and women whose companionship is not proven as Ibn Hajar pointed out. al-Hafiz al-Dhahabi said that there were 7,554 companions mentioned in Ibn al-Atheer’s book “Usud al-Ghabah fi Ma’arifat al-Sahaba”, al-Dhahabi then took the names of the Sahaba from Usud al-Ghabah and built upon that information and added more companions until the number reached 8,866 Tarjamah in his book “Tajrid Asmaa al-Sahaba” and he stated that some of them are not known and that the companionship of some of the men and women is not proven.

The “Tarjamah” is a quick short history of a person’s life which does not exceed a couple of lines, in our case we are talking about the companions so it’s some quick information about each companion such as when he died and what is his full name what is his Kuniyah and what was his job and some of his family members maybe, as opposed to the word “Seerah” because that is a lengthy detailed biography of a person such as the Seerah of the Prophet PBUH or the Seerah of Abu Bakr (ra) and they come in the form of large independent books.

Now back to the topic, Ibn Hajar himself admits that the Sahaba mentioned in his book do not exceed the 1/10th of the total number of companions. [al-Isabah 1/2]
As for Imam al-Shafi’i he mentioned that the number of Muslims during the death of the Prophet PBUH was 60,000 men and women, 30,000 in Madinah and 30,000 outside it. [al-Dhahabi’s Tajrid Asmaa al-Sahaba and Ibn Kathir’s Ikhtisar ‘Uloum al-Hadith]
That is only guess work however and these numbers contradict with the Sahih narration which goes back to Abu Zara’ah and what is written in Sahih Bukhari and Muslim in the story of Tabuk is that the number of people was very big and no book or Diwan could contain them. The Sahih from the saying of Suffiyan al-Thawri (rah) is that the number of companions after the death of the Caliphate ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab(ra) was 12,000 after many of them had died in the wars and battles. [Al-Isabah 1/3]

al-Hakim al-Nisaburi (rah) stated that the number of companions who narrated the Hadith from the prophet SAWS is 4,000 but al-Hafiz al-Dhahabi disagreed and said that they are about 1,500 and could never reach 2,000. [Tajrid Asmaa al-Sahaba]

As for Ibn al-Jawzi (rah) he made a list of those companions who narrated Hadith and in it were 1,858 Sahaba (1,642 Sahabi and 216 Sahabiyah) and some of those narrations are not accepted. [Talqih Fuhoum Ahlul-Athar 284-361] And if we add the number of companions whom Imam Ahmad narrated from in his Musnad and they are (904) to the number of companions mentioned in the Musnad of Baqi that Ahmad never mentioned and they are (568) and add to them the number of companions that Abu Bakr al-Burqi added to the list of Baqi ibn Makhlad that both Ahmad and Baqi never mentioned and they are (87) Then add to them the number of companions that Ibn al-Jawzi collected from various other sources and they are (6) in total we would get (1,565) companions who narrated Hadiths and the companionship of some of the men in the Musnad of Baqi is not proven.

Thus, we see that the estimation of al-Dhahabi is much more correct than that of al-Hakim.

 

What are the Tabaqat(classes) of the Companions?

They differed in the number of Tabaqat(Classes), Ibn Sa’ad (rah) adopted the position that there were only five Tabaqat and this is what he used in his book “Tabaqat Ibn Sa’ad al-Kubra” however the more correct position is that of al-Hakim (rah) and he placed twelve Tabaqat:

1– Those who came first into Islam in Mecca such as the first four Caliphs.

2– Companions who entered Islam before the consultation of the people of Mecca in Darul-Nadwah.

3– Those who made Hijrah(migration) to al-Habashah (Abyssinia).

4– The Companions of the first ‘Aqabah and they were twelve men from the Ansar.

5– The Companions of the second ‘Aqabah and they were mainly from the Ansar except for Ibn Abbas (ra).

6– The Mouhajirun who reached the Prophet SAWS in Qubaa before he entered al-Madinah.

7– Ahlu-Badr (Soldiers who fought at the battle of Badr).

8– Those who made Hijra(migration) between Badr and al-Hudaibiyah.

9– Ahlu-Baya’at al-Rudwan (Those who took the oath of fealty under the acacia tree at Hudaibiyah).

10– Those who made Hijrah between al-Hudaibiyah and Fath Mecca (conquest of Mecca) such as: Khalid ibn al-Walid and ‘Amro bin al-‘Aas.

11– Muslim at Fath, those who embraced Islam on the day of the conquest of Mecca.

12– Those of them who were children and they saw the Prophet SAWS on the day of the conquest, the farewell sermon and other occasions.

 

Who were the first to enter Islam?

1- From the free men: Abu bakr al-Siddiq (ra).
2- From the young kids: Ali ibn abi Talib (ra).
3- From the women: Khadija bint Khuwaylid (ra).
4- From the Mawali: Zaid bin Harithah (ra).
5- From the ‘Abeed: Bilal ibn Rabah (ra).

– The Mawali are the non-Arabs at the time who were treated as second grade citizens by Quraysh and they were not allowed to participate in politics.
– The ‘Abeed are the slaves.

 

Who made the most Fatwas(religious verdicts)?

It is the prophet’s(saw) cousin ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Abbas (ra),a member of Ahlelbayt, then the biggest ‘Ulema from amongst the companions, about whom, Scholar Ibn Masruq said: “I investigated the companions of the Prophet SAWS and I found most knowledge in six individuals amongst them, they are: ‘Umar, ‘Ali, ‘Abdullah, Abu al-Dardaa, Ubay bin Ka’ab and Zaid bin Thabit, Then I investigated more and I found most knowledge in two amongst the six: ‘Ali and ‘Abdullah. [‘Ilal al-Hadith by Ibn al-Madini p42-43].

 

Who narrated the most Hadeeths from the Prophet(Saw)?

This is the main topic here and those who narrated the most according to Ibn al-Jawzi (rah) with repeats are: Abu Huraira [5374] then ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Umar [2620] then Anas ibn Malik [2286] then ‘Aisha [2210] then ‘Abdullah ibn Abbas [1660] then Jabir bin ‘Abdullah [1540] then Abu Sa’eed al-Khudri [1170] then Ibn Mas’oud [848] then Ibn ‘Amro ibn al-‘Aas [700] may Allah be pleased with all of them.

 

Were some Sahaba adherent of Abdullah ibn Saba(la)?

Shias list the following men, then make the claim that they were the followers of Abdullah ibn Saba.

(1)- Abdulrahman bin Udais Al-Balawi (2)- Amr bin Al-Hamiq (3)- Kinana bin Bishr (4)- Hurqoos bin Zuhair (5)- Hukaim bin Jabala (6)- Ammar bin Yasser (7)- Abu Dhar (8)- Adi bin Hatim (9)- Sudan bin Himran (10)- Khalid bin Muljim.

However, there is no weight to the claims made by Shias unless they can prove that these men are: (a) From the Sahaba AND (b) They were followers of Ibn Saba’a, with solid evidence.

Firstly, we find that the list presented by Shias includes those who were agreed upon as Tabi`een, and not Sahaba, like Sudan bin Himran, Khalid bin Muljim (aka Abdulrahman ibn Muljim), and Kinana bin Bishr.

Also, the opinion that Abu Dharr, `Adi bin Hatim, and `Ammar bin Yasser were followers or were influenced by `Abdullah bin Saba’a is based upon the weak narrations of Sayf bin Omar and he was highly disparaged and rejected narrator. The report by Ibn Khaldun itself is reliant upon the narration of Saif, so what he reports has no additional weight.

As for Abdulrahman bin Udais, Amr bin Al-Hamiq, Hurqoos bin Zuhair, and Hukaim bin Jabala, then we need to look at each of their cases individually.

1- Abdulrahman bin Udais Al-Balawi was not a companion of the Prophet (salalahu alaihi wa salam), nor did he pledge allegiance under the tree. All of the narrations that say such come through the path of Ibn Lahee’a, who is infamous for being a weak narrator. See his biography in Mizan Al-I’itidal and Al-Tahtheeb.

2- Amr bin Al-Hamiq is an actual companion of the Prophet (salalahu alaihi wa salam). There are several narrations indicating that he was one of the killers of `Uthman and that he took part in the siege. These narrations can be found in Tabaqat Ibn Sa’ad, Tareekh Al-Tabari, and Tareekh Dimashq. However, each of these narrations contains Mohammad bin Omar Al-Waqidi, the infamous liar. One of the chains includes Ibn Al-Kalbi, who is also a known liar. Another contains, Isa bin yazeed bin bakr bin daab who an unreliable narrator and was declared Munkar al-Hadith.[See, Lisan al-Meezan]. Therefore, the burden of proof lies upon Shias to provide evidence that Amr bin Al-Hamiq participated in the killing of Uthman.

3- Hurqoos bin Zuhair is referred to as a companion due to a narration in Tareekh Al-Tabari. However, the narration comes through the path of Saif bin Omar again, and is therefore weak. Ibn Abdul Barr said, he is Dhul Khawaisira, and Ibn hajar doesn’t believe in what ibn Abdul barr said. al-Haytham bin Adi said that nobody knows that Hurqoos is a Sahabi. Also see [al-Isaba fi tamyiz al-Sahaba, vol 2, page 44, #1666].

4- Hukaim bin Jabala is not a Sahabi either. Ibn Abd Al-Barr says in Al-Istee’aab (p. 199) (Dar Al-Ma’rifa):  We do not know of any narration or event that points to him hearing from him (the Prophet), and he did not see him.

NOTE: Readers should be aware that Abdulrahman bin Udais, Hurqoos and Hukaim have all been described as companions of the Prophet (salalahu alaihi wa salam) in the compendiums of the Sahaba, like Ma’rifat Al-Sahaba by Abu Nu’aym, Ibn Mandah, Ibn Abd Al-Barr, Ibn Al-Atheer, and Ibn Hajar. However, readers should know that the authors of those books recounted the names of whoever was described as a companion, even if the evidence falls short. This methodology is similar to general books of hadith. The fact that a hadithist includes a narration in their book doesn’t mean that they believe that it is authentically attributed to the Prophet (salalahu alaihi wa salam). Perhaps the most clear about his methodology in this is Ibn Hajar, who said in the introduction of his book al-Isaba fi tamyiz al-Sahaba vol 1, page 12: “The first group who have been referred to as Sahaba through narrations or any other method, whether strong, good, or weak…” In other words, Ibn Hajar included weak narrations that imply the companionship of people, even if he didn’t believe that they were companions.

Likewise Ibn Ibn Hajar said that in the introduction of his book al-Isaba fi tamyiz al-Sahaba vol 1 page 14, that there is a third group he mentioned, which isn’t considered as Sahaba. Similarly, Imam Dhahabi states in the introduction of his book “Tajreed Asma al-Sahaba”, that it contains even the names of Taba’een. Which clearly means, that not all names included are of sahaba, names in red are of Tabaeen. [Tajreed Asmaa al-Sahaba, page 2 by Dhahabi], yet we will find Shias out of ignorance and not reading the introduction of these books, quote these same books to prove a person being Sahabi due to the inclusion of th For example they quote the book of Imam Dhahabi or Ibn hajar and then claim that Abdur rahman bin Muljim was considered a Sahabi by Sunni Scholars, just because he was included in their books about Sahaba. This isn’t true. Infact, Imam Ibn Hajar, has put Abdur rahman ibn Muljim in the category of those who didn’t see Prophet(saws).

القسم الثالث فيمن أدرك النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم ولم يره

[al-Isaba fi tamyiz al-Sahaba, vol 5 , page 84 and 100].

Similarly, we find that scholars mentioning that a person is Sahabi in passive form, which doesn’t entail certainty. For example we find Imam ibn al-Mulaqqin doing this for Abdur rahman ibn Muljim in passive form(ذُكر) which doesn’t entail certainity, in al-Tawdih li Sharh al-Jami’i al-Sahih, page 304 by ibn al-Mulaqqin.

 حَدَّثَنَا عَبْد الْأَعْلَى بْن الْهَيْثَم قَالَ حَدَّثَنِي أَبِي قَالَ قلت لِلْحسنِ أَكَانَ فِيمَن قتل عُثْمَان أحد من الْمُهَاجِرين وَالْأَنْصَار قَالَ لَا كَانُوا أعلاجا من أهل مصر 

Imam Hasan al-Basri was asked, “Was anyone of the Muhajirin and the Ansar amongst those who murdered ‘Uthman?” He said: No, They were the riffraff of the people of Egypt.  [Tareekh Khalifa bin Khayyat, page 176]. 

Imam Ibn Katheer stated:  Some people say that there were some from the Sahaba who turned against Uthman(ra) and were pleased with the murder of Uthman(ra). This isn’t true even from one Sahabi. Whereas, all the Sahaba disliked it and they abused those who did it. [al-bidaya wa al-nihaya, vol 7, page 356].

Imam al-Nawawi stated:  As for Uthman(ra) his Caliphate was correct as per Ijma(consensus), he was killed unjustly and those who killed him were oppressors. And He didn’t do anything as such it required to rebel against him. And not even one Sahabi participated in his killing. [al-Minhaj fi Sharh Sahih Muslim lil Nawawi vol 15, page 213].

And (as for) the foremost, the first of the Muhajirs and the Ansars, and those who followed them in goodness, 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 abide in them for ever; that is the mighty achievement.(9:100).