We shall now go over some of the hadith based arguments that our opponents cite to prove ‘Adalat al-Sahaba, then present our refutation.
Hadith 1: 'The best people are those of my generation...'
It's recorded in Sahih al-Bukhari 6429:
The Prophet (ﷺ) said, “The best people are those of my generation, and then those who will come after them, and then those who will come after them…”
This hadith cannot be advanced to prove the ‘Adala of all the Sahaba, as the hadith also includes the two generations after them, meaning that it would be incumbent to believe that the Tabi’in and the generation after them are also all reliable in their transmission. Rather, the hadith simply means that the Prophet’s generation was the best generation, meaning that the best of people were in his generation, but this does not mean everyone in that generation is on the same level. Indeed, we find in many prophetic traditions the Prophets speaks about later generations in a very negative way; this does not mean that there are no good Muslims among them, just as this Hadith does not indicate that there are no hypocrites among the first generation.
This is not merely our own conjecture. Ibn ‘Abd al-Barr states in al-Tamhid Vol 8, pg. 322:
لأنَّ قولهُ صلى الله عليه وسلم: "خيرُ النّاسِ قَرْني". ليس على عُمُومِهِ، بدليلِ ما يجمعُ القَرْنُ من الفاضِلِ والمفضُولِ، وقد جمعَ قرنُهُ مع السّابِقِين من المُهاجِرِين والأنصارِ، جماعةً من المُنافِقِينَ، المُظهِرِينَ للإيمانِ، وأهل الكبائرِ، الذين أقامَ عليهم، أو على بَعضِهِمُ الحُدُود…
The statement of the Prophet (SAW) "The best of people is my generation" is not general in its application, as evidenced by the fact that a generation includes both the virtuous and those of lesser virtue. His generation included, alongside the early migrants (Muhajirun) and supporters (Ansar), a group of hypocrites who outwardly displayed faith, as well as people guilty of major sins, upon whom he, or upon some of them, implemented legal punishments…”
Thus we conclude that this Hadith cannot be used to authenticate the entire first generation of Muslims, but rather it indicates that the generation of the Prophet (SAW), and the righteous among his companions are greater than the believers of the subsequent generations, and Allah knows best.
Hadith 2: 'Do not insult my companions'
We read in Sahih al-Bukhari 3673:
The Prophet (ﷺ) said, “Do not abuse my companions for if any one of you spent gold equal to Uhud (in Allah's Cause) it would not be equal to a Mud or even a half Mud spent by one of them.”
We further read in Sunan Ibn Majah 162:
Ibn 'Umar used to say: “Do not revile the Companions of Muhammed, for the stay of anyone of them for a brief period (with the Prophet) is better than all the good deeds that anyone of you does in his lifetime.”
This hadith cannot be advanced to prove ‘Adalat al-Sahaba as our opponents have defined it, as they have defined a Sahabi anyone who saw the Prophet (SAW), and there are reports that give more context to this hadith which clarify that it cannot be interpreted to mean that anyone who met the Prophet (SAW) is not to be insulted.
We read in Sahih Muslim 2541a:
Abu Sa'id reported there was some altercation between Khalid b. al-Walid and Abd al-Rahman b. ‘Awf and Khalid reviled him. Thereupon Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said: None should revile my Companions. for if one amongst you were to spend as much gold as Uhud, it would not amount to as much as one mudd of one of them or half of it.
This is also corroborated in Sirat Ibn Ishaq pg. 543 and Tarikh al-Tabari Vol 8, pg. 191.
Furthermore, the Prophet (SAW) commanding that his companions not be insulted does not mean they are all truthful, as per the standards of our opponents. We read in al-Mulakhassiyat Vol 2, pg. 292, Hadith # 1572:
1572- حدثنا عبدُاللهِ: حدثنا ابنُ زَنجويه: حدثنا عبدُالغفارِ بنُ داودَ أبوصالحٍ الحرانيُّ قالَ: حدثنا عيسى بنُ يونسَ، عن الأعمشِ، عن أبي صالحٍ، عن أبي هريرةَ، أنَّ رسولَ اللهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم قالَ: «لا تسبُّوا الشيطانَ، وتعوَّذوا باللهِ مِن شرِّه»
1572 - ‘Abdullah narrated to us: Ibn Zanjawayh narrated to us: ‘Abd al-Ghafar b. Dawud Abu Salih al-Harrani said: ‘Isa b. Yunus narrated to us, from al-A‘mash, from Abu Salih, from Abu Hurayrah, that the Messenger of Allah (SAW) said: “Do not curse Satan, but seek refuge in Allah from his evil.”
Al-Albani certified the tradition in Silsilat al-Ahadith al-Sahiha Vol 5, pg. 547 - 548, Hadith # 2422.
Here we see that Shaytan is also not to be insulted, just as our opponents believe regarding all the Sahaba. Interestingly, we read in Sahih al-Bukhari 2311 a hadith in which Abu Hurayra claims to have met Shaytan. He says that the Prophet (SAW) said to him:
The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "He really spoke the truth, although he is an absolute liar. Do you know whom you were talking to, these three nights, O Abu Huraira?" Abu Huraira said, "No." He said, "It was Satan."
Hence we see that according to the Hadiths transmitted by our opponents, the Prophet (SAW) ordering the Muslims not to insult someone cannot be advanced to prove that this person is truthful, as we see that he called Shaytan (LA) a liar. Would our opponents wish to argue for ‘Adalat al-Shaytan because the Prophet (SAW) ordered the Muslims not to insult him?
Hadith 3: 'Let those who are present inform those that are absent'
We read in Sahih al-Bukhari 105:
The Prophet (ﷺ) said: “No doubt your blood, property, (the sub-narrator Muhammad thought that Abu Bakra had also mentioned and your honor (chastity)) are sacred to one another as is the sanctity of this day of yours in this month of yours. It is incumbent on those who are present to inform those who are absent.”
We read the following argument from Ibn Hibban in Sahih Ibn Hibban Vol 1, pg. 162:
وفي قوله صلى الله عليه وسلم: "ألا ليبلغ الشاهد منكم الغائب"، أعظم الدليل على أن الصحابة كلهم عدول ليس فيهم مجروح ولا ضعيف إذ لو كان فيهم مجروح أو ضعيف أو كان فيهم أحد غير مجروح ولا ضعيف إذ لو كان فيهم مجروح أو ضعيف أو كان فيهم أحد غير عدل لاستثنى في قوله صلى الله عليه وسلم وقال ألا ليبلغ فلان وفلان منكم الغائب فلما أجملهم في الذكر بالأمر بالتبليغ من بعدهم دل ذلك على أنهم كلهم عدول وكفى بمن عدله رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم شرفا.
In his (Muhammad (SAW)) saying "Let those present convey to those absent," there is the greatest proof that all the Companions are trustworthy (ʿudūl), with none among them being discredited or weak. If there had been anyone among them who was discredited or weak, or if there had been anyone who was not trustworthy, he would have made an exception in his statement and said, "Let so-and-so among you convey." But since he mentioned them all together in his command to convey the message to those after them, this indicates that they are all trustworthy. And it is enough of an honor for someone to be deemed trustworthy by the Messenger of Allah (SAW).
What Ibn Hibban is saying here is that since the Prophet (SAW) did not specify who amongst his companions should convey what he said, this means that he trusted them all, and thus they are all trustworthy.
There are numerous issues with this conclusion: Firstly, it is not reported that any of the Sahaba ever interpreted this hadith of the Prophet (SAW) to mean that they are all trustworthy. Secondly, since the Prophet (SAW) did not specify who the tradition should be conveyed to, Ibn Hibban’s reasoning can be used to come to the conclusion that all the Tabi’in were all trustworthy as well, which is absurd.
Hadith 4: 'My companions are like the stars'
An alleged Hadith commonly cited by our opponents is:
أصحابي كالنجوم، بأيهم اقتديتم اهتديتم
“My Companions are like the stars; whoever among them you follow, you will be guided.”
Note that we have used the word “alleged” because this hadith has been declared fabricated, and as such it cannot be advanced to prove ‘Adalat al-Sahaba. Ibn Hazm wrote regarding this Hadith in al-Ahkam fi Usul al-Ahkam Vol 5, pg. 64:
إن أصحابي كالنجوم بأيهم اقتديتم اهتديتم… وأما الحديث المذكور فباطل مكذوب من توليد أهل الفسق لوجوه ضرورية .
"The statement 'My Companions are like the stars; whichever of them you follow, you will be rightly guided'—as for this mentioned hadith, it is false and fabricated, produced by the people of corruption for clear and necessary reasons."
Ibn ‘Abd al-Barr also rejected this report in Jami’ Bayan al-’Ilm Wa Fadhleh pg. 361, Hadith # 975, and al-Albani affirmed that it is fabricated in Silsilat al-Ahadith al-Dhaifa Vol 1, pg. 144, Hadith # 58. There are many other chains for it, but all of which have been declared weak by numerous scholars of our opponents.
Moreover, the matn of this Hadith is extremely questionable, as it makes little sense that the Prophet (SAW) would tell his own companions to follow his companions. Furthermore, if the Prophet (SAW) had said that all his companions are like the stars and that they all lead to guidance, then this would indicate that the Sahaba should all murder one another, as many of them fought during the Fitna. All praise be to Allah, shall we follow the Rightly Guided Imam as well as the rebel?
Lastly, and quite humorously, in astrology, not all stars are to be taken as guides, and this is for a number of reasons which the experts in this field have studied. This is simply because not all stars are the same, and we shall cite a few examples of the differences between the stars:
Variable Stars: Some stars exhibit changes in brightness, pulsations, or eruptions, making them unpredictable and unreliable as consistent sources of guidance.
Distant Stars: Stars are incredibly far away, and the light we see from them may have taken years, even centuries, to reach us. This means the information they provide is often outdated and may not reflect current conditions.
Multiple Stars: Many stars belong to binary or multi-star systems, where two or more stars orbit each other. Navigating by such stars can be confusing, as their complex motions make it difficult to determine which one to follow.
Stellar Evolution: Stars undergo significant changes over time. A star that was once ideal for navigation might no longer be in the same state, making it an unreliable guide for present purposes.
Interference: External factors such as atmospheric conditions or light pollution can obscure stars, making it harder to rely on them for accurate navigation.
When navigating by stars, mariners typically identify three to five key stars, using a method known as the "altitude-intercept method" to minimize error. However, this process is not foolproof. To claim that any star can lead you to your destination is scientifically inaccurate.
Thus, to advance this fabricated Hadith to prove the ‘Adalah of all the Sahaba is absurd.
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