Reports on refraining from speaking against the Companions of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him)

Sayyiduna Abu Sa'id (may Allah be pleased with him) said that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Do not revile my Companions. For by the One in whose hand is my soul, if any one of you were to spend gold equal to Mount Uhud, it would not reach a single mudd spent by them, nor even half of it."

Al-Hasan (may Allah have mercy on him) said that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said to his Companions: "Among people you are just like salt in food."

The narrator said: Then al-Hasan (may Allah have mercy on him) said: "Food is not good without salt." Then after that al-Hasan (may Allah have mercy on him) said: "What will become of a people whose salt has gone?"

The father (may Allah be pleased with him) of Abu Burdah (may Allah have mercy on him) said that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "My Companions are a source of safety for my Ummah. So when my Companions depart, the things my Ummah has been warned of will come upon it."

Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) said that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "The best era of my Ummah is the one joined to me. Then the era joined to those Companions (may Allah be pleased with them). Then those joined to them. Then a people will come among whom one man's testimony will outrun his oath, and his oath will outrun his testimony."

Sayyiduna Ja'dah bin Hubayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) said that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "The best of people are the people of my era. Then those joined to them, then those whose era is joined to theirs. Then the others are worthless."

Sayyidah Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her) said that a man asked the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him): "Which of the people are best?" He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "The generation that I am in, then the second, then the third."

Sayyiduna Qurrah (may Allah be pleased with him) said that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "When the people of Sham become corrupt, there will be no good for you."

Sayyiduna Imran bin Husayn (may Allah be pleased with him) said that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "The best people are those of my era, then those who will be joined to them, then those who will be joined to them, then those who will be joined to them."

Sayyiduna Imran bin Husayn (may Allah be pleased with him) said that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) used to say: "Indeed, the best of you are the people of my era. Then those joined to them, then those joined to them." The narrator said: I do not know whether, after mentioning his own era, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said this sentence twice or three times.

Qabisah bin Jabir (may Allah have mercy on him) said: Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) stood at the gate of al-Jabiyah and addressed us, saying: "Indeed, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) stood among us just as I stand among you today. Then he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: 'O people! Fear Allah regarding my Companions (may Allah be pleased with them), then regarding those joined to them, and then regarding those joined to them as well. Then lying and false testimony will spread.'"

Sayyiduna al-Nu'man bin Bashir (may Allah be pleased with him) said that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "The best people are the people of my era, then those who will be joined to them, then those who will be joined to them, then those who will be joined to them. Then a people will come whose testimony will outrun their oaths, and whose oaths will outrun their testimony."

Abdullah bin Mawlah (may Allah have mercy on him) said: I was walking with Sayyiduna Buraydah al-Aslami (may Allah be pleased with him) when he (may Allah be pleased with him) said: I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) say: "The best of this Ummah are the people of the era in which I was sent, then those joined to them, then those who will be joined to them, then those who are joined to them. Then there will be a people whose testimonies will outrun their oaths, and whose oaths will outrun their testimonies."

Nusayr bin Dhu'luq (may Allah have mercy on him) said: I heard Sayyiduna Ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both) say: "Do not revile the Companions of Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him). For the standing of any one of them for a single hour is far better than the deeds of one of you over his whole lifetime."

Amr bin Shurahbil said that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "The best people are the people of my era, then those who adjoin them, then those who adjoin them. Then people will come who will give testimony before they are asked for it."

Sayyiduna Wathilah bin al-Asqa' (may Allah be pleased with him) said that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "You will always remain in goodness as long as there is among you one who saw me and kept my company. By Allah! You will always remain in goodness as long as there is among you one who saw the one who saw me and kept company with the one who kept my company. And by Allah! You will always remain in goodness as long as there is among you one who saw the one who saw my Companion, and kept company with the one who kept company with my Companion."

Sayyidah Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her) said: "The people were ordered to seek forgiveness for the Companions of Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him), but they reviled them."

Ata (may Allah have mercy on him) said that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Whoever reviles my Companions, upon him is the curse of Allah."

Umar bin Dharr (may Allah have mercy on him) said: "I was standing with Imam al-Sha'bi (may Allah have mercy on him) one day when a man came to him and asked: 'What do you (may Allah have mercy on him) say about Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) and Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him)?' At that he replied: 'I have no need of Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) and Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) pursuing me on the Day of Resurrection over a wrong.'"