Love And Respect For The Sahābah
﴿ مُّحَمَّدٌ رَّسُولُ اللَّهِ وَالَّذِينَ مَعَهُ أَشِدَّاءُ عَلَى الْكُفَّارِ رُحَمَاءُ بَيْنَهُمْ تَرَاهُمْ رُكَّعًا سُجَّدًا يَبْتَغُونَ فَضْلًا مِّنَ اللَّهِ وَرِضْوَانًا سِيمَاهُمْ فِي وُجُوهِهِم مِّنْ أَثَرِ السُّجُودِ ذَلِكَ مَثَلُهُمْ فِي التَّوْرَاةِ وَمَثَلُهُمْ فِي الْإِنجِيلِ كَزَرْعٍ أَخْرَجَ شَطْأَهُ فَآزَرَهُ فَاسْتَغْلَظَ فَاسْتَوَى عَلَى سُوقِهِ يُعْجِبُ الزُّرَّاعَ لِيَغِيظَ بِهِمُ الْكُفَّارَ وَعَدَ اللَّهُ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ مِنْهُم مَّغْفِرَةً وَأَجْرًا عَظِيمًا ﴾
Muḥammad is the Messenger of Allah. And those who are with him are firm
against the disbelievers and merciful among themselves. You see them bowing and prostrating, seeking Bounty from Allah and His Pleasure. The mark on their faces is from the effect of the prostration. That is their similitude in the Tawrāt. And their similitude in the Injīl is like a seed which sends forth its shoot then strengthens it, then it becomes thick and stands upon its stem, delighting the sowers so that He may enrage the disbelievers by them. Allah has promised those who believe and do righteous deeds among them forgiveness and a great reward. [48:29]
Allah f says at the beginning of this verse:
﴿ مُّحَمَّدٌ رَّسُولُ اللَّهِ ﴾
Muḥammad is the Messenger of Allah.
‘MUḤAMMAD’ & ‘AḤMAD’ IN THE QUR’ĀN
The name ‘Muḥammad’ is mentioned four times in the Qur’ān, and the name ‘Aḥmad’ (another variant of the name of Muḥammad) is mentioned once.
However, Muḥammad g is also referred to with various titles such as the Messenger of Allah, Prophet, unlettered and so on, and many verses about Muḥammad g refer directly or indirectly to him.
Also, Sūrah 47 of the Qur’ān is called ‘Muḥammad’.
The above verse is one of the four verses. The other three are:
﴿ وَمَا مُحَمَّدٌ إِلَّا رَسُولٌ قَدْ خَلَتْ مِنْ قَبْلِهِ الرُّسُلُ ۚ أَفَإِن مَّاتَ أَوْ قُتِلَ انْقَلَبْتُمْ عَلَىٰٓ أَعْقَـٰبِكُمْ ۚ
وَمَن یَّنقَلِبْ عَلَىٰ عَقِبَیْهِ فَلَن یَضُرَّ اللَّهَ شَيْءًا ۗ وَسَیَجْزِی اللَّهُ الشَّـٰكِرِینَ ﴾
And Muḥammad is not except a Messenger, certainly (other) Messengers passed away before him. So if he died or is slain will you turn back on your heels? And whoever turns back on his heels then never will he harm Allah in anything.
And Allah will reward the grateful ones. [3:144]
﴿ مَّا كَانَ مُحَمَّدٌ أَبَآ أَحَدٍ مِّن رِّجَالِكُمْ وَلَـٰكِن رَّسُولَ اللَّهِ وَخَاتَمَ ٱلنَّبِيِّـنَ ۗ
وَكَانَ اللَّهُ بِكُلِّ شَىْءٍ عَلِيمًا ﴾
Muḥammad is not the father of any one of your men but he is the Messenger of Allah and the Seal of the Prophets. And Allah is All-Knower of everything. [33:40]
﴿ وَالَّذِینَ ءَامَنُوا وَعَمِلُوا الصَّـٰلِحَـٰتِ وَءَامَنُوا بِمَا نُزِّلَ عَلَىٰ مُحَمَّدٍ وَّهُوَ الْحَقُّ مِن رَّبِّهِمْ
كَفَّرَ عَنْهُمْ سَیِّءَاتِهِمْ وَأَصْلَحَ بَالَهُمْ ﴾
And those who believe and do righteous deeds, and believe in what is revealed to Muḥammad – and it is the truth from their Lord – He will remove from them their misdeeds, and improve their condition. [47:2]
The verse in which the term Aḥmad is mentioned is as follows:
﴿ وَإِذْ قَالَ عِیسَى ابْنُ مَرْیَمَ یَـٰبَنِیٓ إِسْرَٰٓءِیلَ إِنِّی رَسُولُ اللَّهِ إِلَیْكُم مُّصَدِّقًا لِّمَا بَیْنَ یَدَیَّ مِنَ ٱلتَّوْرَىٰةِ وَمُبَشِّرًاۢ بِرَسُولِ یَّأْتِی مِنۢ بَعْدِی اسْمُهُۥۤ أَحْمَدُ ۖ فَلَمَّا جَآءَهُم بِالْبَیِّنَـٰتِ قَالُوا هَـٰذَا سِحْرٌ مُّبِینٌ ﴾
And when ‘Īsā, son of Maryam said, ‘O Children of Israel! Indeed, I am the Messenger of Allah to you, confirming that which came before me of the Tawrāt and bringing glad tidings of a Messenger to come after me, whose name will be Aḥmad. But when he came to them with clear proofs, they said, ‘This is obviously magic.’ [61:6]
Although the name Muḥammad is mentioned in the Qur’ān as stated above, some scholars are of the opinion that due to the high respect Allah has for the Prophet g, he does not address him by his name, i.e. by saying ‘O Muḥammad.’
However, Allah f addresses the other Prophets p by their name. For example, He says يا آدم (O Ādam), يا ابراهيم (O Ibrāhīm),
يا موسي (O Mūsā), يا نوح (O Nūḥ), but when addressing the Prophet g, Allah f addresses him with titles such as, “O Prophet” and “O Messenger”.
This is due to the respect Allah f has for his beloved Messenger g.
THE ṢAḤĀBAH j
Allah f then mentions the qualities of the Ṣaḥābah j in 48:29. If it was not for the Ṣaḥābah j, we wouldn’t have this beautiful dīn (religion) and the teachings of Islam. Therefore, it is imperative and incumbent upon each and every one of us to respect the Ṣaḥābah j. We cannot disrespect them or vilify them. The Prophet g is reported to have said,
« لَا يُحِبُّهُمْ – يعني: الْأَنْصَارَ – إِلَّا مُؤْمِنٌ »
None loves the Anṣār (the Helpers), but a believer. [1]
The Anṣār accepted the Prophet g and the Muhājirūn with open arms. They even shared their wealth with their brothers. We must remember that they shared the same faith and belief, and they all recited the same Kalimah Ṭayyibah (Word of Purity):
لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا الله مُحَمَّدٌ رَّسُولُ الله
There is no god but Allah and Muḥammad is the Messenger of Allah
They all desired to spread the message of Islam to all four corners of the world. The complete version of the above Ḥadīth about the Anṣār is as follows:
« لَا يُحِبُّهُمْ – يعنى: الْأَنْصَار – إِلَّا مُؤْمِنٌ وَلَا يُبْغِضُهُمْ إِلَّا مُنَافِقٌ ،
فَمَنْ أَحَبَّهُمْ أَحَبَّهُ اللهُ وَمَنْ أَبْغَضَهُمْ أَبْغَضَهُ اللهُ »
None loves the Anṣār but a believer, and none hates them but a hypocrite. Whoever loves them, Allah will love him. Whoever hates them, Allah will hate him. [2]
Condemning and hating the Ṣaḥābah j can lead us to the brink of disbelief according to the Ahl al-Sunnah wa al-Jamā‘ah. The Prophet g said,
« لاَ تَسُبُّوا أَصْحَابِي ، لاَ تَسُبُّوا أَصْحَابِي ، فَوَالَّذِي نَفْسِي بِيَدِهِ ، لَوْ أَنَّ أَحَدَكُمْ
أَنْفَقَ مِثْلَ أُحُدٍ ذَهَبًا ، مَا أَدْرَكَ مُدَّ أَحَدِهِمْ وَلاَ نَصِيفَهُ »
Do not revile my Companions, do not revile my Companions. By Him in Whose Hand is my life, if one amongst you would have spent as much gold as Uḥud it would not amount to as much as one Mudd (an ancient measurement of volume)
on behalf of one of them, nor even half of such. [3]
The sincerity and sacrifices made by the Ṣaḥābah j are unparalleled. Allah f gives them the glad tidings of Jannah multiple times in the Qur’ān due to their love for Islam and for supporting the Prophet g every step of the way.
STORY OF ḤĀṬIB B. ABĪ BALTA‘AH h
Even their apparent wrongs had forms of blessings and lessons for mankind, as exemplified in the following incident.
Prior to the conquest of Makkah, one of the Companions of the Prophet g, Ḥāṭib b. Abī Balta‘ah h wanted to send word to the Quraish that the Muslims were going to invade Makkah.
The Prophet g was informed about this through revelation; he was told that a woman carrying the letter of Ḥāṭib h to the Quraish could be found in a particular location. The woman was pursued by ‘Alī h and two other Companions k.
The story is as follows:
أَخْبَرَنِي عُبَيْدُ الله بْنُ أَبِي رَافِعٍ ، قَالَ: سَمِعْتُ عَلِيًّا يَقُولُ:
بَعَثَنِي رَسُولُ الله ﷺ ، أَنَا ، وَالزُّبَيْرَ ، وَالْمِقْدَادَ بْنَ الأَسْوَدِ ، قَالَ : « انْطَلِقُوا حَتَّى تَأْتُوا رَوْضَةَ خَاخٍ ، فَإِنَّ بِهَا ظَعِينَةً وَمَعَهَا كِتَابٌ ، فَخُذُوهُ مِنْهَا ». فَانْطَلَقْنَا تَعَادَى بِنَا خَيْلُنَا حَتَّى انْتَهَيْنَا إِلَى الرَّوْضَةِ ، فَإِذَا نَحْنُ بِالظَّعِينَةِ ، فَقُلْنَا : أَخْرِجِي الْكِتَابَ . فَقَالَتْ : مَا مَعِي مِنْ كِتَابٍ . فَقُلْنَا لَتُخْرِجِنَّ الْكِتَابَ ، أَوْ لَنُلْقِيَنَّ الثِّيَابَ . فَأَخْرَجَتْهُ مِنْ عِقَاصِهَا ، فَأَتَيْنَا بِهِ رَسُولَ الله ﷺ ، فَإِذَا فِيهِ : مِنْ حَاطِبِ بْنِ أَبِي بَلْتَعَةَ إِلَى أُنَاسٍ مِنَ المُشْرِكِينَ مِنْ أَهْلِ مَكَّةَ ، يُخْبِرُهُمْ بِبَعْضِ أَمْرِ رَسُولِ الله ﷺ ، فَقَالَ رَسُولُ الله ﷺ : « يَا حَاطِبُ ، مَا هَذَا ؟ » . قَالَ : يَا رَسُولَ الله ، لاَ تَعْجَلْ عَلَىَّ ، إِنِّي كُنْتُ امْرَأً مُلْصَقًا فِي قُرَيْشٍ ، وَلَمْ أَكُنْ مِنْ أَنْفُسِهَا ، وَكَانَ مَنْ مَعَكَ مِنَ المُهَاجِرِينَ لَهُمْ قَرَابَاتٌ بِمَكَّةَ ، يَحْمُونَ بِهَا أَهْلِيهِمْ وَأَمْوَالَهُمْ ، فَأَحْبَبْتُ إِذْ فَاتَنِي ذَلِكَ مِنَ النَّسَبِ فِيهِمْ أَنْ أَتَّخِذَ عِنْدَهُمْ يَدًا يَحْمُونَ بِهَا قَرَابَتِي ، وَمَا فَعَلْتُ كُفْرًا وَلاَ ارْتِدَادًا وَلاَ رِضًا بِالْكُفْرِ بَعْدَ الإِسْلاَمِ . فَقَالَ رَسُولُ الله ﷺ : « لَقَدْ صَدَقَكُمْ ». قَالَ عُمَرُ : يَا رَسُولَ الله ! دَعْنِي أَضْرِبْ عُنُقَ هَذَا المُنَافِقِ ! قَالَ : « إِنَّهُ قَدْ شَهِدَ بَدْرًا، وَمَا يُدْرِيكَ لَعَلَّ الله أَنْ يَكُونَ قَدِ اطَّلَعَ
عَلَى أَهْلِ بَدْرٍ ، فَقَالَ : اعْمَلُوا مَا شِئْتُمْ ، فَقَدْ غَفَرْتُ لَكُمْ » .
Narrated ‘Ubaid Allah b. Abi Rāfi‘: I heard ‘Alī h saying,
‘Allah’s Messenger g sent me, Zubair, and Miqdād somewhere saying,
“Proceed till you reach Rawḍat Khāk. There you will find a lady with a letter. Take the letter from her.”
So, we set out and our horses ran at full pace till we reached Rawḍat Khāk where we found the lady and said,
“Take out the letter.” She replied,
“I have no letter with me.” We said,
“Either you take out the letter or else we will take off your clothes.”
So, she took it out of her braid. We brought the letter to Allah’s Messenger g and it contained a statement from Ḥāṭib b. Abī Balta‘ah h to some of the Makkan pagans, informing them of some of the intentions of Allah’s Messenger g. Then Allah’s Messenger g said,
“O Ḥāṭib! What is this?” Ḥāṭib h replied,
“O Allah’s Messenger! Don’t hasten to give your judgment about me. I was a man closely connected with the Quraish, but I did not belong to this tribe, while the other emigrants with you, had their relatives in Makkah who would protect their dependents and property. So, I wanted to recompense for my lacking blood relation to them by doing them a favour so that they might protect my dependents. I did this neither because of disbelief nor apostasy nor out of preferring Kufr (disbelief) to Islam.” Allah’s Messenger g said,
“Ḥāṭib has told you the truth.” ‘Umar h said,
“O Allah’s Apostle! Allow me to end the life of this hypocrite.” Allah’s Messenger g said,
“Ḥāṭib participated in the battle of Badr, and who knows, perhaps Allah has already looked at the Badr participants and said,
“Do whatever you like, for I have forgiven you.” [4]
It is our duty to show the utmost love and respect to the Ṣaḥābah j.
May Allah f enable us to have love for the Prophet Muḥammad g and give us the ability to have love for the family of the Prophet Muḥammad g and may Allah f enable us to study the lives of the Ṣaḥābah j and enable us to follow their footsteps. Āmīn.
Remember, the Prophet g said,
« أَصْحَابِي كَالنُّجُومِ ، فَبِأَيِّهِمُ اقْتَدَيْتُمْ اهْتَدَيْتُمْ »
My Companions are like stars, so whichever of them
you follow, you will be guided. [5]
[1] Bukhārī, 3783; Muslim, 237.
[2] Bukhārī, 3783; Muslim, 237.
[3] Muslim, 6487.
[4] Bukhārī, 4274.
[5] Al-Tabrezī, M. A, Al-Mishkāt Al-Maṣābīh, 3:1696.
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“The best among you (Muslims) are those who learn the Qur’an and teach it.”
The Prophet (peace be upon him)
