The Rights of the Companions

The Status and Rights of the Companions

• The Companions of the Prophet ﷺ hold a very high and important position in Islam. As a result of their proximity to the Prophet, they fully understood Islam and lived according to its rules. They practiced Islam in a way that can never be outstripped. The status of the Companions is so great that Allah says:

بِإِحْسَـٰنٍۢ رَّضِىَ ٱللَّهُ عَنْهُمْ وَرَضُوا۟ عَنْهُ وَأَعَدَّ لَهُمْ جَنَّـٰتٍۢ تَجْرِى تَحْتَهَا ٱلْأَنْهَـٰرُ خَـٰلِدِينَ فِيهَآ أَبَدًۭا ۚ ذَٰلِكَ ٱلْفَوْزُ ٱلْعَظِيمُ ( سورة التوبة : ١٠٠)

“Allah is pleased with them [the Companions] and they are pleased with Him, and He has prepared for them gardens beneath which rivers flow, wherein they will abide forever. That is the great attainment”. (Soorat -Tawbah: 100)

• There are also many ahaadeeth that describe the high status of the Companions. The following one example:

The Prophet ﷺ said,

قَالَ رَسُولُ الله صَلَّى الله عليه وسَلَمَ لا تسبوا أصحابي فوالذي نفسي بيده لو أنفق أحدكم مثل أحد ذهبا ما بلغ مد أحدهم ولا نصيفه (البخاري)

“Do not insult my Companions for if any one of you spent gold equal to Mount Uhud (in Allah’s Cause) it would not be equal to a mudd or even a half of a mudd spent by one of them:. (al-Bukhaan)

• It is compulsory for Muslims to accord the Sahaabah their full rights. They have many rights. Hereunder follows four of the most important rights:

Love the Companions

All Muslims should love the Companions because they love the Prophet ﷺ and he loved them. In addition to this Allah chose them to be the supporters and friends of the Prophet. They gave up their wealth, families and lives for the Prophet ﷺ . Truly loving the Companions also means to defend them if they are spoken against and to feel hurt and anger when they are disrespected.

• Following the way of Companions

Following the Companions means following the deeds of the Prophet. If acts of worship were not done in the time of the Prophet ﷺ , then the Companions never did it. The Companions took the religion from the Prophet ﷺ and passed it on to those who followed. The Islamic understanding of the Companions was the best understanding and, for this reason, it is compulsory to follow them.

• Believe that they were all trustworthy

Muslims after the time of the Prophet ﷺ were taught the religion by the Companions The Companions wrote down the Qur’aan and narrated the ahaadeeth of the Prophet. It is therefore compulsory for Muslims to believe that they were trust- worthy. If they were not trustworthy, then there would be doubts about the Qur’aan that is being read today and Il the ahaadeeth that are frequently quoted. This goes against the promise that Allah has made to preserve the religion of Islam.

• Avoid disrespecting them

From the hadeeth quoted above, it is clear that the Prophet ﷺ told the people not to disrespect them in any way. This means that Muslims should not speak badly about them, criticize them or make jokes about them. Those who do, go against the words of the Prophet ﷺ .

Allah used the Companions as a means to preserve Islam. After the help of Allah, if it were not for their efforts, Islam would not have reached people living in different parts of the world. People would not have known about Islam and therefore, there would not be as many Muslims as there are today. Muslims owe a lot to the effort of the Companions. For this reason, Muslims must respect the Companions and give them their full rights.

Learning from the lesson

• The Companions fully understood the religion of Islam.
• It is compulsory that Muslims give them their full right.