Some of the Numerous Proofs that We Must Follow the Understanding of the Sahaabah (Companions) of the Prophet ﷺ, May Allah be Pleased with All of Them

Some of the Numerous Proofs that We Must Follow the Understanding of the Sahaabah (Companions) of the Prophet ﷺ, May Allah be Pleased with All of Them

From the Quran:

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Allah the Most High said:

وَالسَّابِقُونَ الْأَوَّلُونَ مِنَ الْمُهَاجِرِينَ وَالْأَنصَارِ وَالَّذِينَ اتَّبَعُوهُم بِإِحْسَانٍ رَّضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُمْ وَرَضُوا عَنْهُ وَأَعَدَّ لَهُمْ جَنَّاتٍ تَجْرِي تَحْتَهَا الْأَنْهَارُ خَالِدِينَ فِيهَا أَبَدًا ۚ ذَٰلِكَ الْفَوْزُ الْعَظِيمُ

{ The first and foremost from the Muhaajireen and the Ansaar, and those who follow them correctly, Allah is pleased with them and they are pleased with Him. And He has prepared for them gardens with rivers flowing underneath them. They will remain in those gardens forever; that is the great success. }  [Surah AtTawbah:100]

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And Allah said:

وَمَن يُشَاقِقِ الرَّسُولَ مِن بَعْدِ مَا تَبَيَّنَ لَهُ الْهُدَىٰ وَيَتَّبِعْ غَيْرَ سَبِيلِ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ نُوَلِّهِ مَا تَوَلَّىٰ وَنُصْلِهِ جَهَنَّمَ ۖ وَسَاءَتْ مَصِيرًا

{ And whoever splits away and goes against the Messenger after the guidance has been made clear to him, and follows a path other than the path of the believers, I will leave him to what he has chosen and roast him in the Hellfire; and it is a terrible destination }  [AnNisaa:115]

These verses prove the Pleasure of Allah and great reward for those who follow the Sahaabah, and Allah’s severe threat of punishment for those who deviate from the path of the Sahaabah, those who were the believers at the time the Quran was revealed.

From the Sunnah:

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The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:

عليكُم بسنَّتي وسنَّةِ الخلفاءِ الرَّاشدينَ المَهديِّينَ من بعدي تمسَّكوا بِها وعضُّوا عليها بالنَّواجذِ وإيَّاكم ومُحدَثاتِ الأمورِ فإنَّ كلَّ بدعةٍ ضلالةٌ

(( It is upon you to follow my Sunnah and the Sunnah of the upright, rightly-guided khulafaa after me; cling to it and bite onto hard with your molar teeth. And beware of newly innovated matters, because indeed every innovation is misguidance ))  [Sahih Sunan Abu Dawood]

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And:

سُئِلَ رسولُ اللهِ صلَّى اللهُ عليهِ وسلَّمَ : أيُّ الناسِ خيرٌ ؟ فقال : أنا ، والذينَ معي ، ثم الذينَ على الأَثَرِ ، ثم الذينَ على الأَثَرِ

The Messenger of Allah ﷺ was asked: “Who are the best people?”

He ﷺ answered: (( Me, and those with me (the Sahaabah), then those who come after upon that way, then those who come after upon that way )) [Musnad Ahmed, AsSilsalah AsSaheehah]

From the Narrations of the Sahaabah Themselves:

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When Abdullah ibn Abbaas, may Allah be pleased with him refuted the Khawaarij, the first people of innovation who appeared, he said to them: “I have come to you from among the Sahaabah of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, the Muhaajireen and the Ansaar, those with the nephew of the Prophet ﷺ; it was upon them that the Quran was sent down, and they are more knowledgeable about its explanation than you, and I do not see among you a single one of them.” [AnNasaaee]

Ibn Abbaas used the fact that not a single Sahaabi joined that innovated group as a proof that the group was upon deviation and falsehood.

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And when Abdullah ibn Masood, may Allah be pleased with him, refuted a group of people who gathered together in circles within the masjid to remember Allah in an innovated way, he said: “How quickly you rush to destruction, while the Sahaabah of your Prophet ﷺ are widespread…”  [Musnad AdDaarimi]

Ibn Masood used the fact that the Sahaabah were widespread and available to learn from as a proof that these people in the masjid had no excuse to innovate a new worship that the Sahaabah did not used to do.

Imaam Ahmed ibn Hanbal, may Allah have mercy upon him, explained:

“The Foundations of the Sunnah with us (with the People of Sunnah) are: holding firm to what the Companions of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ were upon, and taking them as role models…”

Notice that Imaam Ahmed did not say holding firm to what the Messenger ﷺ was upon.

Why?

Because all the Muslims claim to follow the Messenger ﷺ.

He chose to highlight this clear point that is different between the true People of Sunnah and all the other innovated groups who choose to follow their own opinions and desires instead of what the Sahaabah were upon.

It is not enough to only love the Sahaabah, pray for them, praise them, and mention their history. Indeed we can only act upon our religion correctly if we actually follow what the Sahaabah were upon.

That is the Straight Path to Allah’s Pleasure and great success.

Shaykh Muhammad Amaan Al-Jaami, may Allah have mercy upon him said:

“And every Muslim knows that the truth is only what the Sahaabah of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ were upon. And it’s not possible from any angle that something could be the truth or the religion or good in the religion that the Sahaabah didn’t know about, and instead someone who comes later than them knows about it. This is something impossible. And that’s because that claim would necessitate that the Prophet ﷺ did not convey everything he was sent with and he hid that information. And accusing the Prophet ﷺ of concealing the revelation would be apostasy. Or, if the Prophet ﷺ did convey the revelation, it would necessitate that the Sahaabah either didn’t understand or didn’t convey the revelation. And accusing the Sahaabah with those two accusations are not any less than accusing the Prophet ﷺ of the same thing. And that’s because the Prophet ﷺ testified to the Sahaabah’s goodness, when he said ﷺ:

((The best of the people are my generation, then those who come after them, then those who come after them.))”

[explanation of Usuluth-Thalaathah]