One of the most fundamental distinctions between the Imami school of thought and their opponents, lies in the belief of Adālat al-Ṣaḥāba. For those who oppose the Shiʿa, this doctrine is foundational, as it allows them to disregard any scrutiny towards a whole generation of narrators (namely, the Prophet's companions). Were they to abandon this principle, they would be confronted with a profound vulnerability within their Hadith corpus, as they do not have a rigorous critical assessment of the reliability of the companions. They have long hidden behind blank statements of reliability towards them, and have criticized the Shi'a extensively for rejecting this label of reliability over the companions. In fact, this issue has become so serious that the opposing schools have declared this belief as the line between belief & disbelief. It is our contention that this reluctance reflects a fear of engaging with the implications of ʿAdālat al-Ṣaḥāba, a topic opponents of the Shiʿa will go to great lengths to avoid in scholarly debate.
Before we delve into our examination of this belief, our opponents are likely to argue that this subject holds little significance to belief compared to foundational tenets of Islam, such as tawḥīd or nubuwwa. To this, we respond that, even by their own scholarly assessments, an understanding of tawḥīd and nubuwwa is largely mediated through the ṣaḥāba, without the Companions, the knowledge and principles of the religion would not have been preserved.
For example, in al-Kifayah fi Ilm al-Riwayah pg. 48, it is recorded that Abu Zur'ah (one of the famous early scholars of Ahlul Sunnah) say:
أَخْبَرَنَا أَبُو مَنْصُورٍ مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ عِيسَى الْهَمَذَانِيُّ ، ثنا صَالِحُ بْنُ أَحْمَدَ الْحَافِظُ ، قَالَ: سَمِعْتُ أَبَا جَعْفَرٍ أَحْمَدَ بْنَ عُبَيْدٍ يَقُولُ: سَمِعْتُ أَحْمَدَ بْنَ مُحمدِ بْنِ سُلَيْمَانَ التُّسْتَرِيَّ ، يَقُولُ: سمِعْتُ أَبَا زُرْعَةَ ، يَقُولُ: إِذَا رَأَيْتَ الرَّجُلَ يَنْتَقِصُ أَحَدًا مِنْ أَصْحَابِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم فَاعْلَمْ أَنَّهُ زِنْدِيقٌ ، وَذَلِكَ أَنَّ الرَّسُولَ صلى الله عليه وسلم عِنْدَنَا حَقٌّ ، وَالْقُرْآنَ حَقٌّ ، وَإِنَّمَا أَدَّى إِلَيْنَا هَذَا الْقُرْآنَ وَالسُّنَنَ أَصْحَابُ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم ، وَإِنَّمَا يُرِيدُونَ أَنْ يُجَرِّحُوا شُهُودَنَا لِيُبْطِلُوا الْكِتَابَ وَالسُّنَّةَ ، وَالْجَرْحُ بِهِمْ أَوْلى وَهُمْ زَنَادِقَةٌ
...I heard Abu Zur'ah say: "If you see a man belittling any of the companions of the Messenger of Allah (saw), know that he is a heretic (zindiq). This is because the Messenger (saw) is truth, and the Qur'an is truth, and it was the companions of the Messenger of Allah (saw) who conveyed this Qur'an and the Sunnah to us. Their only aim is to discredit our witnesses in order to invalidate the Book and the Sunnah. Criticism is more deserving of being directed at them, and they are the true heretics."
In Jami’ ‘Ulum Ahmad b. Hanbal Vol 4, pg. 543, Ahmad Ibn Hanbal made clear to us that thee companions are a measurement between someone’s Islam and his kufr, for those who doubt the uprightness of the companions are most likely not even muslims. He says:
قال عبد الملك بن عبد الحميد الميموني: قال أَحمد بن حنبل: يا أبا الحسن، إذا رأَيت رجلا يذكر أحدًا من أصحاب رسول اللَّه صلى الله عليه وسلم بسوءٍ فاتهمه على الإسلام.
'Abd al-Malik b. 'Abd al-Hamid al-Maymuni reported that Ahmad b. Hanbal said: "O Abu al-Hasan, if you see a man speaking ill of any of the companions of the Messenger of Allah (SAW), then doubt his Islam."
They believe this concept of ‘Adalat al-Sahaba is integral to Islam, and that to doubt or disparage a single Sahabi is essentially leaving the fold of Islam. Why then are they so terrified of having to debate this concept if it is such a central tenet of their belief system.
What is Adalat al-Sahaba?
It is the belief in the moral integrity and accurate transmissions of Hadith by the companions of the Holy Prophet (saw). There requires no investigation towards any hadith transmitted by a companion, for they are always truthful and accurate in their transmissions of hadiths.
As for the definition of a companion, then the most accepted definition is Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani which he mentioned in al-Isaba Fi Tamyiz al-Sahaba Vol 1, pg. 8:
والأصح ما قيل في تعريف الصّحابيّ أنه من لقي النبيّ صلّى اللَّه عليه وسلم في حياته مسلما ومات على إسلامه.
One who met the Prophet, believing in him and subsequently died in a state of Islam.
As for the ‘Adalah of the Sahaba, Ibn Abi Hatim said the following in Kitab al-Jarh Wa al-Ta’dil Vol 1 pg. 55:
فشرفهم الله عز وجل بما من عليهم وأكرمهم به من وضعه إياهم موضع القدوة، فنفى عنهم الشك والكذب والغلط والريبة والغمز وسماهم عدول الأمة
So Allah, the Mighty and Sublime, honored them with what He bestowed upon them and honored them with Him by placing them in the position of role models. He removed from them doubt, lies, mistakes, suspicion and innuendo, and He called them the righteousness of the nation.
Ibn Taymiyyah says in Minhaj al-Sunnah Vol 2, pg. 456 - 457:
وَأَصْحَابُ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم وَلِلَّهِ الْحَمْدُ. - مِنْ أَصْدَقِ النَّاسِ حَدِيثًا عَنْهُ، لَا يُعْرَفُ فِيهِمْ مَنْ تَعَمَّدَ عَلَيْهِ كَذِبًا، مَعَ أَنَّهُ كَانَ يَقَعُ مِنْ أَحَدِهِمْ مِنَ الْهَنَاتِ مَا يَقَعُ وَلَهُمْ ذُنُوبٌ وَلَيْسُوا مَعْصُومِينَ، وَمَعَ هَذَا فَقَدَ جَرَّبَ. أَصْحَابُ النَّقْدِ. وَالِامْتِحَانِ أَحَادِيثَهُمْ وَاعْتَبَرُوهَا بِمَا تُعْتَبَرُ بِهِ . الْأَحَادِيثُ، فَلَمْ يُوجَدْ عَنْ أَحَدٍ مِنْهُمْ تَعَمُّدُ كِذْبَةٍ، بِخِلَافِ الْقَرْنِ الثَّانِي فَإِنَّهُ كَانَ فِي أَهْلِ الْكُوفَةِ جَمَاعَةٌ يَتَعَمَّدُونَ الْكَذِبَ.
The Companions of the Prophet (SAW) and praise be to Allah, were among the most truthful people in narrating from him. It is not known that any of them deliberately lied about him, although some of them did commit minor errors and had sins, as they were not infallible. Despite this, those who scrutinized and examined their narrations tested their hadiths with the same methods used to evaluate other hadiths, and no deliberate lie was found from any of them. This is in contrast to the second generation, as there was a group in Kufa who deliberately fabricated lies.
The Evidence from the Holy Qur'an
The proponents of this belief argue that this concept is proven textually, both via the Holy Qur'an and Hadiths of the Prophet (saw). We will discuss the Qur'anic proofs in this article, and the Hadiths in the next article, if God wills. There are three main verses often cited for this concept, they are 3:110, 9:100 and 48:18. We will evaluate the evidence of all these verses and their validity as proof for this concept.
Surah Ale Imran 3:110
كُنتُمْ خَيْرَ أُمَّةٍ أُخْرِجَتْ لِلنَّاسِ تَأْمُرُونَ بِٱلْمَعْرُوفِ وَتَنْهَوْنَ عَنِ ٱلْمُنكَرِ وَتُؤْمِنُونَ بِٱللَّهِ ۗ وَلَوْ ءَامَنَ أَهْلُ ٱلْكِتَـٰبِ لَكَانَ خَيْرًۭا لَّهُم ۚ مِّنْهُمُ ٱلْمُؤْمِنُونَ وَأَكْثَرُهُمُ ٱلْفَـٰسِقُونَ
You are the best nation produced [as an example] for mankind. You enjoin what is right and forbid what is wrong and believe in Allah. If only the People of the Scripture had believed, it would have been better for them. Among them are believers, but most of them are defiantly disobedient.
This verse is argued to prove the righteouness of all the companions, as they argue that the Qur'an is talking to the companions of the Prophet (saw) and claiming them as the best of nations. Moreover, it is attributed to 'Umar b. al-Khattab in Tafsir al-Tabari Vol 5, pg. 671 - 672 and Tafsir Ibn Abi Hatim Vol 3, pg. 732, report. # 3970:
قال عمرُ بنُ الخطابِ: لو شاء الله لقال: أنتم. فكنا كلُّنا، ولكن قال: {كُنْتُمْ}. في خاصةٍ مِن أصحاب رسولِ اللهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم، ومَن صنَع مثل صنيعهم، كانوا خير أمةٍ أُخْرِجت للناسِ، يَأمرون بالمعروف وينهون عن المنكر.
‘Umar b. al-Khattab said: "If Allah had willed, He would have said 'You are,' and we all would have been included. But He said {You were}, referring specifically to a group among the Companions of the Messenger of Allah (SAW) and to those who acted as they did. They were the best nation brought forth for mankind, enjoining what is right and forbidding what is wrong."
However, this report is not even reliability attributed to 'Umar, because it is narrated by al-Suddi who did not meet 'Umar. The content of this report does not indicate that the Sahaba are all trustworthy, rather ‘Umar says it is about a group of the Prophet’s companions, as well as those who acted as they did. If this verse is advanced as a proof for the trustworthiness of the Sahaba, then it must also be proof for the trustworthiness of anyone who comes after, meaning that seeing the Prophet (saw) is not what gives a narrator trustworthiness. Furthermore, ‘Umar’s tafsir of this verse indicates that anyone who enjoins what is right and forbids what is wrong is trustworthy; this cannot apply to all of the Sahaba because among them were adulterers, drinkers, murderers, and more.
The scholars of Tafsir themselves have disagreed with Umar's intepretation, as the majority of the Sunni scholars have claimed the verse talks about the whole muslim nation. The Ummah of Muhammad (saw) is the best Ummah, preceding the Ummah of Musa, Isa and so on. This was the view of major scholars like al-Tabari.
Surah Al-Tawbah 9:100
وَٱلسَّـٰبِقُونَ ٱلْأَوَّلُونَ مِنَ ٱلْمُهَـٰجِرِينَ وَٱلْأَنصَارِ وَٱلَّذِينَ ٱتَّبَعُوهُم بِإِحْسَـٰنٍۢ رَّضِىَ ٱللَّهُ عَنْهُمْ وَرَضُوا۟ عَنْهُ وَأَعَدَّ لَهُمْ جَنَّـٰتٍۢ تَجْرِى تَحْتَهَا ٱلْأَنْهَـٰرُ خَـٰلِدِينَ فِيهَآ أَبَدًۭا ۚ ذَٰلِكَ ٱلْفَوْزُ ٱلْعَظِيمُ
As for the forerunners in faith among the Emigrants and the Helpers—and those who follow them in goodness, Allah is pleased with them and they are pleased with Him. And He has prepared for them Gardens under which rivers flow, to stay there forever and ever. That is the ultimate triumph.
To address this verse:
Allah (swt) starts by saying that the forerunners in faith “among” the Muhajireen and the Ansar, Allah (swt) is pleased with them. The word “من” or “among” means that not everyone from them is included. Especially the group of the Sahaba who were neither muhajireen nor ansar, namely the tulaqa who converted after the fall of Mecca, such as Mu’awiyah b. Abi Sufyan.
To be from the muhajireen or ansar included in this verse, requires correct belief & faith, as not anyone who migrated with the Prophet (saw) is considered from this verse if their intentions were insincere, as you can do hijra for non-religious reasons as narrated by 'Umar himself in Sahih al-Bukhari 1:
Narrated 'Umar b. al-Khattab: I heard Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) saying, "The reward of deeds depends upon the intentions and every person will get the reward according to what he has intended. So whoever emigrated for worldly benefits or for a woman to marry, his emigration was for what he emigrated for."
This hadith clearly shows that a muhajir can do hijra for wordly reasons. It also shows that if you do hijra for worldly benefits or for a woman to marry, his emigration was for what he emigrated for. Hence not all the muhajireen emigrated for the sake of the religion.
Who are al-Sabiqun al-Awwalun mentioned in this verse?
When it comes to the view that the al-Sabiqun al-Awwalun are those who gave the pledge under the tree, it is only a minority view since only al-Shaʿbī held that opinion. The majority of scholars took the view that it referred to those prayed towards the 2 directions in Tafsir Ibn Kathir Vol 4 pg. 339:
قَالَ الشَّعْبِيُّ: السَّابِقُونَ الْأَوَّلُونَ مِنَ الْمُهَاجِرِينَ وَالْأَنْصَارِ مَنْ أَدْرَكَ بَيْعَةَ الرِّضْوَانِ عَامَ الْحُدَيْبِيَةِ. وَقَالَ أَبُو مُوسَى الْأَشْعَرِيُّ، وَسَعِيدُ بْنُ الْمُسَيَّبِ، وَمُحَمَّدُ بْنُ سِيرِينَ، وَالْحَسَنُ، وَقَتَادَةُ: هُمُ الَّذِينَ صَلَّوْا إِلَى الْقِبْلَتَيْنِ مَعَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ
Sha'abi said: the forerunners amongst the Muhajirin and the Ansar are the people who gave the pledge under the tree. Abu Musa al-Asha’ari, Sa’id b. Musayyab, Muhammad b. Sirin, Hassan al-Basri and Qutada all say that the forerunners amongst the Muhajirin and the Ansar are the people who prayed towards the 2 directions with the Prophet saws.
The same opinions can be found in Tafsir al-Tabari Vol 11 pg. 637 - 638 and Tafsir al-Tabari Vol 11 pg. 638 - 640. Thus, this position does not support the belief of Adalat al-Sahaba in anyway, because the people who prayed towards the two directions with the Prophet (saw) are not more than a dozen. We read in Tafsir Maqatil b. Sulayman Vol 2, pg 68:
وَالسَّابِقُونَ إلى الإسلام الْأَوَّلُونَ مِنَ الْمُهاجِرِينَ وَالْأَنْصارِ الذين صلوا إلى القبلتين علي بن أبي طالب- عليه السلام- وعشر نفر من أهل بدر وَالَّذِينَ اتَّبَعُوهُمْ على دينهم الإسلام بِإِحْسانٍ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُمْ بالطاعة وَرَضُوا عَنْهُ بالثواب وَأَعَدَّ لَهُمْ في الآخرة جَنَّاتٍ تَجْرِي مِنْ تَحْتَهَا الْأَنْهارُ يعني بساتين تجري تحتها الأنهار خالِدِينَ فِيها أَبَداً لا يموتون ذلِكَ الثواب الْفَوْزُ الْعَظِيمُ-
“And the first forerunners” the first to Islam “among the Muhajirin and the Ansar” Those who prayed towards the Qiblatain (Two Directions) who include Ali b. Abi Tailb and Ten companions from the soldiers of Badr “and those who followed them” on the religion of Islam “in good conduct - Allah is pleased with them” For their obedience “and they are pleased with Him,” with their reward “and He has prepared for them” in the hereafter “gardens beneath which rivers flow,” meaning orchards beneath which rivers flow “wherein they will abide forever.” They shall not die “That” the reward “is the ultimate triumph”
Incase anyone tries to disregard Tafsir Muqatil, then let us refer them to what al-Mizzi records in Tahdhib al-Kamal, Vol 28, pg 436:
مقاتل بن سُلَيْمان بن بشير الأزدي الخراساني، أَبُو الحسن البلخي، صاحب التفسير. وَقَال أَبُو الحارث الجوزجاني: حكي لي عَن الشافعي أنه قال: الناس كلهم عيال على ثلاثة: على مقاتل فِي التفسير(...). وروي عَن الربيع بْن سُلَيْمان قال: سمعت الشافعي يقول: من أراد التفسير فعليه بمقاتل بْن سُلَيْمان(...).
Maqatil b. Sulayman b. Bashir al-Azdi Al-Khorasani, Abu al-Hassan al-Bajali, the owner of the Tafsir. Abu al-Harith al-Jawzajani said: al-Shafi’i told me that the people are upon three, when it comes to Tafsir we rely upon Maqatil(...) It was narrated by al-Rabi’i b. Sulayman that he heard al-Shafi’i saying: “Whoever desires the field of Tafsir then he should seek Muqatil b. Sulayman.”
As Imam al-Shafi'i says, the Tafsir books of Muqatil is one of the most important works for Tafsir of Qur'an and he extensively relied upon it. It records that Imam Ali (as) and 10 muslims from Badr are the only ones who prayed towards the two directions with the Prophet (saws). Thus, only 11 companions would be counted among al-Sabiqun al-Awwalun. As a result, there is no possible way this position supports the belief of Adalat al-Sahaba. In reality, it proves the Shia position.
Surah Al-Fath 48:18
لَّقَدْ رَضِىَ ٱللَّهُ عَنِ ٱلْمُؤْمِنِينَ إِذْ يُبَايِعُونَكَ تَحْتَ ٱلشَّجَرَةِ فَعَلِمَ مَا فِى قُلُوبِهِمْ فَأَنزَلَ ٱلسَّكِينَةَ عَلَيْهِمْ وَأَثَـٰبَهُمْ فَتْحًۭا قَرِيبًۭا
Certainly was Allah pleased with the believers when they pledged allegiance to you, [O Muhammad], under the tree, and He knew what was in their hearts, so He sent down tranquility upon them and rewarded them with an imminent conquest.
Sunni scholars frequently reference this verse as proof, where Allah expresses His pleasure with those who pledged allegiance to the Prophet (saw) beneath the tree at the Treaty of Hudaybiyyah, known as the Pledge of Ridhwan. As previously mentioned, al-Shaʿbī held the view that the term "forerunners" in the verse of Surah al-Tawbah (9:100) specifically refers to the companions (Sahaba) who gave their allegiance under the tree (which was around 1400 companions). However, this interpretation carries with it absurdity, because amongst those who pledged were the killers of ʿUthmān ibn ʿAffān, ʿAmmār ibn Yāsir and people who showed open hostility towards Imam Ali (as).
Regarding the pledge of Hudaybiyyah, we read in Sahih Muslim 1858a and in Sahih Muslim 1856a:
It has been narrated on the authority of Ma'qil b. Yasar who said: I remember being present on the Day of the Tree, and the Prophet (ﷺ) was taking the oath of the people and I was holding a twig of the tree over his head. We were fourteen hundred (in number). We did not take oath to the death, but to the effect that we would not run away from the battlefield.
We were one thousand and four hundred on the Day of Hudaibiya. We swore fealty to him (the Holy Prophet) and 'Umar was holding the latter's hand (when he was sitting) under the tree (called) Samura (to administer the oath to the Companions). The narrator added: We took oath to the effect that we would not flee (from the battlefield if there was an encounter with the Meccans), but we did not take oath to fight to death.
Amongst the conditions of the pledge was not to flee from the battlefied. However, when we read about the companion's lives during the battles we find many of them fleed and so broke their pledges! We read in Sahih Muslim 1775a:
I was in the company of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) on the Day of Hunain. I and Abd Sufyan b. Harith b. 'Abd al-Muttalib stuck to the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) and we did not separate from him. And the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) was riding on his white mule which had been presented to him by Farwa b. Nufitha al-Judhami. When the Muslims had an encounter with the disbelievers, the Muslims fled, falling back, but the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) began to spur his mule towards the disbelievers. I was holding the bridle of the mule of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) checking it from going very fast, and Abu Sufyan was holding the stirrup of the (mule of the) Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), who said: Abbas, call out to the people of al-Samura. Abbas (who was a man with a loud voice) called out at the top of the voice: Where are the people of Samura? (Abbas said: ) And by God, when they heard my voice, they came back (to us) as cows come back to their calves, and said: We are present, we are present!..
The killers of 'Uthman gave bay'ah at Hudaybiyya
Among those who gave bay’ah under the tree was ‘Abd al-Rahman b. ‘Udays al-Balawi, who later was one of the killers of ‘Uthman
This is recorded in Ibn Sa’ad's Tabaqat al-Kubra, Vol 7 pg. 352 and Vol 3 pg. 52:
عبد الرحمن بن عديس البلوي من صحب النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم وسمع منه وكان فيمن رحل إلى عثمان حين حصر حتى قتل وكان رأسا فيهم
Abd al-Rahman b. Udays al-Balawi was among those who accompanied the Prophet (saw) and heard from him and he was among those who marched to siege ‘Uthman until he got killed, he (Abd al-Rahman) was a commander among them
كان المصريون الذين حصروا عثمان ستمائة رأسهم عبد الرحمن بن عديس البلوي وكنانة بن بشر بن عتاب الكندي وعمرو بن الحمق الخزاعي
The Egyptians who attacked Uthman were 600 and were led by Abd al-Rahman b. Udays al-Balawi and Amr b. al-Hamaq al-Khuza’i
Ibn Abd al-Barr records in al-Isti’ab pg. 451:
عبد الرحمن بن عديس البلوي مصري شهد الحديبية ۔۔۔ ممن بايع تحت الشجرة رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم قال: أبو عمر هو كان الأمير على الجيش القادمين من مصر إلى المدينة الذين حصروا عثمان وقتلوه
Abd al-Rahman b. ‘Udays al-Balawi witnessed Hudaybiyya and was one of those that gave allegiance under the tree. Abu Umar said: ‘He was the head of the army that attacked Uthman and killed him’.
Ibn Athir in Usd al-Ghaba, Vol 3 pg. 469 - 470 records:
عَبْد الرَّحْمَن بْن عديس بْن عَمْرو بْن عُبَيْد بْن كلاب بْن دهمان بْن غنم بْن هميم بْن ذهل بْن هني بْن بلي كذا نسبه ابْنُ منده وَأَبُو نعيم، وهو بلوي، لَهُ صحبة، وشهد بيعة الرضوان، وبايع فيها، وكان أمير الجيش القادمين من مصر لحصر عثمان بْن عفان رضي الله عنه، لما قتلوه
Abd al-Rahman b. ‘Udays b. Amr b. Ubaid b. Kalab b. Dahman b. Ghanam b. Hamim b. Duhal b. Hani b. Bali. This is his lineage, Ibn Manda and Abu Na’im, he is a Balawi, he had companionship, he witnessed Ba’yat al-Ridwan, he gave bay’ah during it, and he was the commander of the army which marched from Egypt to besiege Uthman b. ‘Affan when he was murdered.
Ibn Hajar al-’Asqalani in al-Isaba, Vol 4 pg. 281 Bio # 5167 records:
وقال بن البرقي والبغوي وغيرهما كان ممن بايع تحت الشجرة… وقال بن يونس بايع تحت الشجرة… وقال بن يونس بايع تحت الشجرة وشهد فتح مصر واختط بها وكان من الفرسان ثم كان رئيس الخيل التي سارت من مصر إلى عثمان في الفتنة
“Ibn Al-Barqi, al-Baghawi and others said that he was one of those who gave Baya (allegiance) under the tree… Ibn Yunus said that he was of those who gave baya under the tree, witnessed the victory of Egypt and participated in it and were among the knights and then he became the General of the Army that attacked Uthman.”
The killer of Ammar gave bay'ah at Hudaybiyya
Ibn Hazm says in al-Fasl fi al-Milal Vol 3, pg. 87:
وَعمار رضي الله عنه قَتله أَبُو العادية يسَار ابْن سبع السّلمِيّ شهد بيعَة الرضْوَان فَهُوَ من شُهَدَاء الله لَهُ بِأَنَّهُ علم مَا فِي قلبه وَأنزل السكينَة عَلَيْهِ وَرَضي عَنهُ فَأَبُو العادية رضي الله عنه متأول مُجْتَهد مُخطئ فِيهِ بَاغ عَلَيْهِ مأجور آجرا وَاحِدًا
And 'Ammar, (RA) was killed by Abu al-'Adiyah Yasar b. Saba' al-Sulami, who witnessed the pledge of Ridwan. Thus, he is among those whom Allah testified, knowing what was in their hearts, and sent down tranquility upon them, and was pleased with them. Therefore, Abu al-'Adiyah (RA) was an interpreter who strove with effort, but made an error in this matter. He was unjust toward him, but is still rewarded with one reward.
Ibn Taymiyyah also says in Minhaj al-Sunnah, Vol. 3, pg. 381:
والذى قتل عمار بن ياسر هو أبو الغادية ، وقد قيل : إنه من أهل بيعة الرضوان، ذكر ذلك ابن حزم . فنحن نشهد لعمار بالجنة، ولقاتله إن كان من أهل بيعة الرضوان بالجنة
“The one who killed Ammar b. Yasir is Abu al-Ghadiyah and it is said he was one of those who gave Bay'ah (swore allegiance) at al-Ridhwan, Ibn Hazm narrated this. As for Ahl al-Sunnah, We swear heaven for Ammar (RA) and we also swear heaven for his killers."
The Sahaba's understanding of this verse
We read in Sahih al-Bukhari 4170:
Narrated Al-Musaiyab: I met Al-Bara bin `Azib and said (to him). "May you live prosperously! You enjoyed the company of the Prophet (ﷺ) and gave him the Pledge of allegiance (of Al-Hudaibiya) under the Tree." On that, Al- Bara' said, "O my nephew! You do not know what we have done after him (i.e. his death).
Here we see that when a tabi’i congratulated al-Bara’ b. ‘Azib due to his giving a pledge to the Prophet under the tree, but Bara’ himself did not accept this compliment without noting that after the Prophet’s death, the sahaba committed many acts that were less than praiseworthy. This is what the Shi'a affirm, much to the displeasure of our opponents.
Thus, this concludes this article's discussion regarding the proof of Adalat al-Sahaba from the Qur'an. In the next, we will investigate its proofs from the Hadith corpus.
thanks for the scans