This excerpt is taken from A Research Review of Mirza Muhammad Ali Engineer's Objections and Issues, authored by Haroon bin Shabbir Ahmad, may Allah preserve him, and revised by Fazilat al-Sheikh Maulana Muhammad Rafiq Tahir, may Allah preserve him.
Introduction to the Book
إِنَّ الْحَمْدَ لِلّٰهِ، نَحْمَدُهُ وَنَسْتَعِينُهُ، مَنْ يَهْدِهِ اللّٰهُ فَلَا مُضِلَّ لَهُ، وَمَنْ يُضْلِلْ فَلَا هَادِيَ لَهُ، وَأَشْهَدُ أَنْ لَا إِلٰهَ إِلَّا اللّٰهُ وَحْدَهُ لَا شَرِيكَ لَهُ، وَأَشْهَدُ أَنَّ مُحَمَّدًا عَبْدُهُ وَرَسُولُهُ. أَمَّا بَعْدُ! فَقَالَ اللّٰهُ تَعَالَى فِي الْقُرْآنِ الْمَجِيدِ:
وَالسَّابِقُونَ الْأَوَّلُونَ مِنَ الْمُهَاجِرِينَ وَالْأَنْصَارِ وَالَّذِينَ اتَّبَعُوهُمْ بِإِحْسَانٍ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُمْ وَرَضُوا عَنْهُ وَأَعَدَّ لَهُمْ جَنَّاتٍ تَجْرِي تَحْتَهَا الْأَنْهَارُ خَالِدِينَ فِيهَا أَبَدًا ذَلِكَ الْفَوْزُ الْعَظِيمُ
"And the foremost among the Muhajireen and the Ansar and those who followed them with good conduct—Allah is pleased with them and they are pleased with Him. He has prepared for them gardens beneath which rivers flow, wherein they will abide forever. That is the great success."
Reference: (Surah At-Tawbah:100)
مُحَمَّدٌ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ وَالَّذِينَ مَعَهُ أَشِدَّاءُ عَلَى الْكُفَّارِ رُحَمَاءُ بَيْنَهُمْ تَرَاهُمْ رُكَّعًا سُجَّدًا يَبْتَغُونَ فَضْلًا مِنَ اللَّهِ وَرِضْوَانًا سِيمَاهُمْ فِي وُجُوهِهِمْ مِنْ أَثَرِ السُّجُودِ ذَلِكَ مَثَلُهُمْ فِي التَّوْرَاةِ وَمَثَلُهُمْ فِي الْإِنْجِيلِ كَزَرْعٍ أَخْرَجَ شَطْأَهُ فَآزَرَهُ فَاسْتَغْلَظَ فَاسْتَوَى عَلَى سُوقِهِ يُعْجِبُ الزُّرَّاعَ لِيَغِيظَ بِهِمُ الْكُفَّارَ وَعَدَ اللَّهُ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ مِنْهُمْ مَغْفِرَةً وَأَجْرًا عَظِيمًا
"Muhammad (peace be upon him) is the Messenger of Allah; and those who are with him are severe against disbelievers, merciful among themselves. You see them bowing and prostrating, seeking bounty from Allah and His pleasure. Their mark is on their faces from the trace of prostration. That is their description in the Torah. And their description in the Gospel is like a seed that sends forth its shoot, then makes it strong, then becomes thick, and it stands on its stem, delighting the sowers—so that He may enrage the disbelievers by them. Allah has promised those among them who believe and do righteous deeds forgiveness and a great reward."
Reference: (Surah Al-Fath:29)
لَكِنِ الرَّسُولُ وَالَّذِينَ آمَنُوا مَعَهُ جَاهَدُوا بِأَمْوَالِهِمْ وَأَنْفُسِهِمْ وَأُولَئِكَ لَهُمُ الْخَيْرَاتُ وَأُولَئِكَ هُمُ الْمُفْلِحُونَ
"But the Messenger and those who believed with him fought with their wealth and their lives. Those are the ones who will attain goodness, and it is those who are the successful."
Reference: (Surah At-Tawbah:88)
لَقَدْ تَابَ اللَّهُ عَلَى النَّبِيِّ وَالْمُهَاجِرِينَ وَالْأَنْصَارِ الَّذِينَ اتَّبَعُوهُ فِي سَاعَةِ الْعُسْرَةِ مِنْ بَعْدِ مَا كَادَ يَزِيغُ قُلُوبُ فَرِيقٍ مِنْهُمْ ثُمَّ تَابَ عَلَيْهِمْ إِنَّهُ بِهِمْ رَءُوفٌ رَحِيمٌ
"Indeed, Allah has shown kindness to the Prophet and to the Muhajireen and the Ansar who followed him in the hour of hardship, after the hearts of a party among them almost deviated. Then He accepted their repentance; indeed, He is to them Kind and Merciful."
Reference: (Surah At-Tawbah:117)
إِنَّ الَّذِينَ يُبَايِعُونَكَ إِنَّمَا يُبَايِعُونَ اللَّهَ يَدُ اللَّهِ فَوْقَ أَيْدِيهِمْ فَمَنْ نَكَثَ فَإِنَّمَا يَنْكُثُ عَلَى نَفْسِهِ وَمَنْ أَوْفَى بِمَا عَاهَدَ عَلَيْهُ اللَّهَ فَسَيُؤْتِيهِ أَجْرًا عَظِيمًا
"(O Prophet!) Indeed, those who pledge allegiance to you, they are actually pledging allegiance to Allah. The hand of Allah is over their hands. So whoever breaks his pledge only breaks it to the detriment of his own soul, and whoever fulfills what he has promised Allah—He will give him a great reward."
Reference: (Surah Al-Fath:10)
لَقَدْ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنِ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ إِذْ يُبَايِعُونَكَ تَحْتَ الشَّجَرَةِ فَعَلِمَ مَا فِي قُلُوبِهِمْ فَأَنْزَلَ السَّكِينَةَ عَلَيْهِمْ وَأَثَابَهُمْ فَتْحًا قَرِيبًا
"Indeed, Allah was pleased with the believers when they pledged allegiance to you under the tree. He knew what was in their hearts, so He sent down tranquility upon them and rewarded them with a near victory."
Reference: (Surah Al-Fath:18)
وَاعْلَمُوا أَنَّ فِيكُمْ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ لَوْ يُطِيعُكُمْ فِي كَثِيرٍ مِنَ الْأَمْرِ لَعَنِتُّمْ وَلَكِنَّ اللَّهَ حَبَّبَ إِلَيْكُمُ الْإِيمَانَ وَزَيَّنَهُ فِي قُلُوبِكُمْ وَكَرَّهَ إِلَيْكُمُ الْكُفْرَ وَالْفُسُوقَ وَالْعِصْيَانَ أُولَئِكَ هُمُ الرَّاشِدُونَ
"And know that among you is the Messenger of Allah. If he were to obey you in much of the matter, you would be in difficulty, but Allah has endeared faith to you and has made it pleasing in your hearts and has made hateful to you disbelief, defiance, and disobedience. Those are the rightly guided."
Reference: (Surah Al-Hujurat:7)
وَالَّذِينَ جَاءُوا مِنْ بَعْدِهِمْ يَقُولُونَ رَبَّنَا اغْفِرْ لَنَا وَلِإِخْوَانِنَا الَّذِينَ سَبَقُونَا بِالْإِيمَانِ وَلَا تَجْعَلْ فِي قُلُوبِنَا غِلًّا لِلَّذِينَ آمَنُوا رَبَّنَا إِنَّكَ رَءُوفٌ رَحِيمٌ
"And those who came after them say, 'Our Lord, forgive us and our brothers who preceded us in faith and put not in our hearts [any] resentment toward those who have believed. Our Lord, indeed You are Kind and Merciful.'"
Reference: (Surah Al-Hashr:10)
لَا يَسْتَوِي مِنْكُمْ مَنْ أَنْفَقَ مِنْ قَبْلِ الْفَتْحِ وَقَاتَلَ أُولَئِكَ أَعْظَمُ دَرَجَةً مِنَ الَّذِينَ أَنْفَقُوا مِنْ بَعْدُ وَقَاتَلُوا وَكُلًّا وَعَدَ اللَّهُ الْحُسْنَى وَاللَّهُ بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ خَبِيرٌ
"Not equal are those of the believers who sit [at home] and those who strive and fight in the cause of Allah with their wealth and their lives. Allah has preferred those who strive and fight with their wealth and lives over those who sit [at home]. To all, Allah has promised the best [reward]. And Allah is acquainted with what you do."
Reference: (Surah Al-Hadid:10)
All these Quranic verses contain the virtues, merits, and good mention of the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them). You honorable ones and I, the sinner, have love, devotion, and affection for everything connected to our beloved Prophet Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him), more than anything else from the heart and soul. Whether it is animate or inanimate, we cherish it more than anything else because of the relation, connection, and bond it has with the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him). The Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) are those personalities who believed in the Prophet (peace be upon him), took his companionship, acquired knowledge of Shariah from him and conveyed it further, fought alongside him against the disbelievers, faced great hardships, made sacrifices, and supported the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) with their lives, wealth, hands, tongues, and in every way. The Prophet (peace be upon him) also loved them greatly, prayed for them, purified them from sins, bestowed upon them, and the greatest thing is that he gave them glad tidings of Paradise.
Just as the Quran repeatedly mentions the good mention of the Companions of Muhammad (peace be upon him), and not only in the Quran but also in previous revealed scriptures, it should be understood that this is not an ordinary status or position that they attained without merit. Rather, Allah Almighty honored these Companions with a special gift and chose them from among all the people of this Ummah for His Prophet (peace be upon him) because they were the best people of this Ummah. It is narrated from Abdullah bin Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said:
خَيْرُ النَّاسِ قَرْنِي، ثُمَّ الَّذِينَ يَلُونَهُمْ، ثُمَّ الَّذِينَ يَلُونَهُمْ۔
"The best people are those of my generation, then those who follow them (i.e., the Tabi‘un), and then those who follow them."
Reference: (Sahih Bukhari:3651)
SubhanAllah! It is also authentically narrated from the same Abdullah bin Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) that he said:
إِنَّ اللّٰهَ نَظَرَ فِي قُلُوبِ الْعِبَادِ، فَوَجَدَ قَلْبَ مُحَمَّدٍ صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ خَيْرَ قُلُوبِ الْعِبَادِ، فَاصْطَفَاهُ لِنَفْسِهِ، فَابْتَعَثَهُ بِرِسَالَتِهِ، ثُمَّ نَظَرَ فِي قُلُوبِ الْعِبَادِ بَعْدَ قَلْبِ مُحَمَّدٍ، فَوَجَدَ قُلُوبَ أَصْحَابِهِ خَيْرَ قُلُوبِ الْعِبَادِ، فَجَعَلَهُمْ وُزَرَاءَ نَبِيِّهِ يُقَاتِلُونَ عَلَى دِينِهِ۔
"Allah looked towards the hearts of His servants and found the best heart to be that of Muhammad (peace be upon him), so He chose him for Himself and sent him as a Messenger. Then Allah looked towards the hearts of the servants after Muhammad (peace be upon him) and found the best to be the hearts of his Companions, so He made them the ministers of His Prophet who fight for His religion."
Reference: (Musnad Ahmad:3600)
Furthermore, it is noteworthy that wherever Allah Almighty has mentioned the virtues of the companions of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him), He did not restrict or condition it by saying that only those who are relatives of the Prophet are entitled to such virtue and others are excluded. Can you imagine that Allah Almighty, when He said the companions of Muhammad (peace be upon him), meant only those who are not from the Ahl al-Bayt and excluded those who are from the Ahl al-Bayt? Absolutely not! Rather, both the Ahl al-Bayt and the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) are meant because both are special companions of the Prophet (peace be upon him). And the word Sahabi means one who remained with the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) in a state of faith. They are both Ahl al-Bayt and Companions (may Allah be pleased with them). Therefore, no one should fall into the suspicion that when we say "defense of the Companions" and "virtues of the Companions," we mean only the non-relatives of the Prophet (peace be upon him) and exclude the Ahl al-Bayt. This distinction is completely against the Quranic style. Alhamdulillah! It is also our honor that we accept the virtues, status, and rank of both the Companions and the Ahl al-Bayt and do not fall into exaggeration or neglect in either case, neither exaggerating one and denying the virtues of the other, nor, God forbid, acting with hatred and slander. Rather, both the Ahl al-Bayt and the Companions are the light of our eyes, the crown of our heads; all of them are respected by us, and we love them from the heart and soul. May Allah keep us alive with their love and gather us with them on the Day of Judgment.
When Allah Almighty has honored the Companions and the Ahl al-Bayt with a special status and virtue, it is obvious that their respect and reverence will also be special. Accordingly, in the noble Hadith it is stated:
اسْتَوْصُوا بِأَصْحَابِي خَيْرًا۔
"I advise you to do good and kindness to my Companions."
Reference: (Musnad Ahmad:114)
In one place the words are:
أَكْرِمُوا أَصْحَابِي.
"Honor my Companions."
Reference: (Al-Sunan Al-Kubra by An-Nasa'i:9178)
عَنْ أَبِي سَعِيدٍ، قَالَ: كَانَ بَيْنَ خَالِدِ بْنِ الْوَلِيدِ وَبَيْنَ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنِ عَوْفٍ شَيْءٌ، فَسَبَّهُ خَالِدٌ، فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللّٰهِ صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: لَا تَسُبُّوا أَحَدًا مِنْ أَصْحَابِي، فَإِنَّ أَحَدَكُمْ لَوْ أَنْفَقَ مِثْلَ أُحُدٍ ذَهَبًا، مَا أَدْرَكَ مُدَّ أَحَدِهِمْ وَلَا نَصِيفَهُ۔
It is narrated from Abu Sa'id Al-Khudri (may Allah be pleased with him) that there was a dispute between Khalid bin Walid and Abdur-Rahman bin Awf (may Allah be pleased with them), and Khalid bin Walid spoke ill of Abdur-Rahman bin Awf. Upon this, the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: "Do not speak ill of any of my Companions! If any one of you were to spend gold equal to the mountain of Uhud, it would not equal a mudd or half a mudd of one of them."
Reference: (Sahih Bukhari:3673, Sahih Muslim:6488, and the wording is his)
No Hadith has come that forbids speaking ill only of the early predecessors or the senior Companions, or only concerning the Ahl al-Bayt, or that it forbids speaking ill only of those Companions who never committed any mistake, and that if someone committed a sin or mistake, then criticism and harsh words are permissible. Rather, the words of the Hadith are "لَا تَسُبُّوا [أَحَدًا] مِنْ أَصْحَابِي" that is, do not speak ill of any one of my Companions. Therefore, the Quranic verses and these Hadiths require us to love all the Companions, respect and honor them, mention them with good, pray for their mercy, avoid speaking ill of them, and avoid their disrespect and insult. This is our invitation, this is our methodology, and this is our objective.
❀ Imam Malik (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
مَنْ تَنَقَّصَ أَحَدًا مِنْ أَصْحَابِ رَسُولِ اللّٰهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم أَوْ كَانَ فِي قَلْبِهِ عَلَيْهِمْ غِلٌّ فَلَيْسَ لَهُ حَقٌّ فِي فَيْءِ الْمُسْلِمِينَ۔
"Whoever belittles the status of any one of the Companions of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him), or harbors hatred in his heart towards these noble ones, then he has no share in the wealth of faith."
Reference: (Hilyat al-Awliya:6/327)
❀ Imam Ahmad bin Hanbal (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
إذا رأيت رجلا يذكر أحدا من أصحاب رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم بسوء فاتهمه على الإسلام۔
"When you see anyone speaking ill of any of the Companions of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him), then accuse him of apostasy from Islam."
Reference: (Manaqib al-Imam Ahmad by Ibn al-Jawzi: p.216)
It is narrated from Imam Abu Bakr al-Marwazi (may Allah have mercy on him) that:
سَمِعْتُ أَبَا عَبْدِ اللّٰهِ وَذُكِرَ لَهُ أَصْحَابُ رَسُولِ اللّٰهِ صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ، فَقَالَ: رَحِمَهُمُ اللّٰهُ أَجْمَعِينَ۔
"I heard Imam Abu Abdullah (Ahmad bin Hanbal) (may Allah have mercy on him) when the Companions of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) were mentioned in his presence, he said: May Allah have mercy on all of them."
Reference: (As-Sunnah by Al-Khallal:756)
Imam Abu Bakr al-Marwazi (may Allah have mercy on him) also narrates that:
قِيلَ لِأَبِي عَبْدِ اللّٰهِ وَنَحْنُ بِالْعَسْكَرِ وَقَدْ جَاءَ بَعْضُ رُسُلِ الْخَلِيفَةِ وَهُوَ يَعْقُوبُ فَقَالَ: يَا أَبَا عَبْدِ اللّٰهِ، مَا تَقُولُ فِيمَا كَانَ مِنْ عَلِيٍّ وَمُعَاوِيَةَ رَحِمَهُمَا اللّٰهُ؟ فَقَالَ أَبُو عَبْدِ اللّٰهِ: مَا أَقُولُ فِيهَا إِلَّا الْحُسْنَى، رَحِمَهُمُ اللّٰهُ أَجْمَعِينَ۔
"Imam Abu Abdullah (may Allah have mercy on him) was asked about his opinion regarding Sayyiduna Ali and Muawiyah (may Allah be pleased with them), and he replied: I only speak good about this matter! May Allah have mercy on all the Companions."
Reference: (As-Sunnah by Al-Khallal:713)
Imam Abu Ja'far Al-'Aqeeli (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
قُلْتُ لِعَبْدِ اللّٰهِ بْنِ أَحْمَدَ بْنِ حَنْبَلٍ: لِمَ لَمْ تَكْتُبْ عَنْ عَلِيِّ بْنِ الْجَعْدِ؟ فَقَالَ: نَهَانِي أَبِي أَنْ أَذْهَبَ إِلَيْهِ، فَكَانَ يَبْلُغُهُ عَنْهُ أَنَّهُ تَنَاوَلَ أَصْحَابَ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ۔
"I asked Abdullah bin Ahmad bin Hanbal (may Allah have mercy on him): Why do you not write narrations from Ali bin Al-Ja'd? He replied: My father (Imam Ahmad bin Hanbal) forbade me from going to him when he learned that he spoke ill of the Companions of the Prophet (peace be upon him)."
Reference: (Al-Du'afa by Al-'Aqeeli:1225)
❀ It is narrated from Imam Abu Hanifah (may Allah have mercy on him):
وَلَا نَذْكُرُ أَحَدًا مِنْ أَصْحَابِ رَسُولِ اللّٰهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم إِلَّا بِخَيْرٍ۔
"And we mention all the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) only with good words."
Reference: (Al-Fiqh Al-Akbar: p.43)
The translator of Hanafi Fiqh, Allama Tahawi (may Allah have mercy on him), writes in his book containing his creed:
وَنُحِبُّ أَصْحَابَ رَسُولِ اللّٰهِ صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ، وَلَا نُفَرِّطُ فِي حُبِّ أَحَدٍ مِنْهُمْ، وَلَا نَتَبَرَّأُ مِنْ أَحَدٍ مِنْهُمْ۔ وَنُبْغِضُ مَنْ يُبْغِضُهُمْ، وَبِغَيْرِ الْخَيْرِ يَذْكُرُهُمْ۔ وَلَا نَذْكُرُهُمْ إِلَّا بِخَيْرٍ۔
وَحُبُّهُمْ دِينٌ وَإِيمَانٌ وَإِحْسَانٌ، وَبُغْضُهُمْ كُفْرٌ وَنِفَاقٌ وَطُغْيَانٌ۔
"And we love the Companions of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him), and we do not exaggerate in the love of any one of them nor do we disavow any of them, and we hate those who harbor hatred towards them and speak ill of them. We mention them only with goodness. Loving them is religion, faith, and excellence, and hating them is disbelief, hypocrisy, and rebellion."
Reference: (Sharh al-'Aqeedah at-Tahawiyyah:2/689)
❀ Imam Qutaibah bin Sa'id (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
هَذَا قَوْلُ الْأَئِمَّةِ الْمَأْخُوذُ فِي الْإِسْلَامِ وَالسُّنَّةِ.......... وَأَفْضَلُ هَذِهِ الْأُمَّةِ بَعْدَ نَبِيِّهَا أَبُو بَكْرٍ ثُمَّ عُمَرُ ثُمَّ عُثْمَانُ، وَالْكَفُّ عَنْ مَسَاوِئِ أَصْحَابِ مُحَمَّدٍ صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ، وَلَا يُذْكَرُ أَحَدٌ مِنْهُمْ بِسُوءٍ، وَلَا يُنْتَقَصُ أَحَدٌ مِنْهُمْ۔
"It is the statement of the Imams of Islam and Sunnah that after the Prophet (peace be upon him), Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) is the most excellent, then Sayyiduna Umar, and after him Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with them). And that the faults of the Companions of Muhammad (peace be upon him) should not be mentioned, nor should any of them be spoken of in a bad manner or belittled."
Reference: (Shi'ar As'hab al-Hadith:17)
❀ Imam Abu Bakr bin Abu Dawood As-Sijistani (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
وَقُلْ خَيْرَ قَوْلٍ فِي الصَّحَابَةِ كُلِّهِمْ وَلَا تَكُ طَعَّانًا تَعِيبُ وَتَجْرَحُ
فَقَدْ نَطَقَ الْوَحْيُ الْمُبِينُ بِفَضْلِهِمْ وَفِي الْفَتْحِ آيٌ فِي الصَّحَابَةِ تَمْدَحُ
"And speak good of all the Companions, and do not be among those who criticize, find faults, and censure them. Divine revelation describes their virtues, and the verses of Surah Al-Fath praise these Companions."
Then he, may Allah have mercy on him, said:
هَذَا قَوْلِي وَقَوْلُ أَبِي وَقَوْلُ أَحْمَدَ بْنِ حَنْبَلٍ وَقَوْلُ مَنْ أَدْرَكْنَا مِنْ أَهْلِ الْعِلْمِ وَمَنْ لَمْ نُدْرِكْ مِمَّنْ بَلَغَنَا عَنْهُ۔
"This is the statement of myself, my father (Imam Abu Dawood), Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal, and all the scholars, may Allah have mercy on them, whom I have found, and also of those scholars whom I have not found."
Reference: (Ash-Shari'ah lil-Ajuri:2075)
❀ Imam Abu al-Qasim Ismail al-Asbahani, may Allah have mercy on him, said:
قال علماء السلف........وخير النَّاس بعد رَسُول الله صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّم: أَبُو بكر، ثُمَّ عمر، ثُمَّ عُثْمَان ثُمَّ عَلِيٌّ -رَضِيَ اللّٰهُ عَنْهُم- وهم الْخُلَفَاء الراشدون المهديون، ويترحم على جَمِيع أَصْحَاب النَّبِي -صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ-. وعَلى طَلْحَة، وَالزُّبَيْر، وَعَائِشَة، وعمار ابْن يَاسر، وَعَمْرو بن الْعَاصِ، وَأَصْحَاب الْجمل، وصفين -القاتلين والمقتولين- وَجَمِيع من قعد عَن الْقِتَال مثل: أُسَامَة بن زيد، وَابْن عمر -رَضِيَ اللّٰهُ عَنْهُمَا- وعَلى جَمِيع الْمُهَاجِرِين وَالْأَنْصَار. ونشهد أَن مُعَاوِيَة -رَضِيَ اللّٰهُ عَنْهُ- من أهل الْجنَّة۔
"The scholars of the Salaf say: After the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, the best person is Sayyiduna Abu Bakr, may Allah be pleased with him, then Sayyiduna Umar, then Sayyiduna Uthman, and after him Sayyiduna Ali, may Allah be pleased with them all, and these are the Rightly Guided Caliphs. The methodology of the predecessors is to pray for mercy for all the Companions, may Allah be pleased with them, and also for Sayyiduna Talhah, Zubair, Aisha, Ammar ibn Yasir, Amr ibn al-As, may Allah be pleased with them, and also for those involved in the battles of Jamal and Siffin, and for the killers and the killed, and for all those Companions who stayed away from fighting such as Sayyiduna Usama ibn Zaid and Abdullah ibn Umar, may Allah be pleased with them, and for all the Muhajireen and Ansar as well. And we bear witness that Sayyiduna Muawiyah, may Allah be pleased with him, is among the people of Paradise."
Reference: (Al-Hujjah fi Bayan al-Mahjah:2/281,282)
❀ Imam Shahab ibn Khurash, may Allah have mercy on him, said:
أدركت من أدركت من صدر هذه الأمة وهم يقولون اذكروا محاسن أصحاب رسول الله صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ مَا تأتلف عليه القلوب، ولا تذكروا الذي شجر بينهم فتحرشوا الناس عليهم۔
"All the Imams of this Ummah whom I have met say: Describe the virtues of the Companions of the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, so that love for them is generated in people's hearts, and do not mention the battles fought among them, as that will cause people to detest them."
Reference: (Al-Kamil fi Dhu'afa' al-Rijal li Ibn 'Adi:5/53)
❀ Imam Abdul Rahman ibn Abu Hatim al-Razi, may Allah have mercy on him, said:
سَأَلْتُ أَبِي وَأَبَا زُرْعَةَ عَنْ مَذَاهِبِ أَهْلِ السُّنَّةِ فِي أُصُولِ الدِّينِ ، وَمَا أَدْرَكَا عَلَيْهِ الْعُلَمَاءَ فِي جَمِيعِ الْأَمْصَارِ، وَمَا يَعْتَقِدَانِ مِنْ ذَلِكَ، فَقَالَا: أَدْرَكْنَا الْعُلَمَاءَ فِي جَمِيعِ الْأَمْصَارِ حِجَازًا وَعِرَاقًا وَشَامًا وَيَمَنًا فَكَانَ مِنْ مَذْهَبِهِمْ: الْإِيمَانُ قَوْلٌ وَعَمَلٌ، يَزِيدُ وَيَنْقُصُ، وَالْقُرْآنُ كَلَامُ اللّٰهِ غَيْرُ مَخْلُوقٍ بِجَمِيعِ جِهَاتِهِ، وَالْقَدَرُ خَيْرُهُ وَشَرُّهُ مِنَ اللّٰهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ، وَخَيْرُ هَذِهِ الْأُمَّةِ بَعْدَ نَبِيِّهَا عَلَيْهِ الصَّلَاةُ وَالسَّلَامُ أَبُو بَكْرٍ الصِّدِّيقُ، ثُمَّ عُمَرُ بْنُ الْخَطَّابِ، ثُمَّ عُثْمَانُ بْنُ عَفَّانَ، ثُمَّ عَلِيُّ بْنُ أَبِي طَالِبٍ عَلَيْهِمُ السَّلَامُ، وَهُمُ الْخُلَفَاءُ الرَّاشِدُونَ الْمَهْدِيُّونَ، وَأَنَّ الْعَشَرَةَ الَّذِينَ سَمَّاهُمْ رَسُولُ اللّٰهِ صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ وَشَهِدَ لَهُمْ بِالْجَنَّةِ عَلَى مَا شَهِدَ بِهِ رَسُولُ اللّٰهِ صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ وَقَوْلُهُ الْحَقُّ، وَالتَّرَحُّمُ عَلَى جَمِيعِ أَصْحَابِ مُحَمَّدٍ وَالْكَفُّ عَمَّا شَجَرَ بَيْنَهُمْ۔
"I asked my father (Imam Muhammad ibn Idris Abu Hatim al-Razi) and Imam Abu Zur'ah al-Razi, may Allah have mercy on them, about the position of the Imams of Ahl al-Sunnah regarding the fundamentals of religion. They found scholars from all cities, and both replied: We found scholars from Hijaz, Iraq, Sham, Yemen, and all cities whose creed was that: Faith is the saying and action, and faith increases and sometimes decreases; the Qur'an is the Word of Allah and is not created in any way; both good and bad predestination are from Allah Almighty; and after the Prophet, peace be upon him, Sayyiduna Abu Bakr, may Allah be pleased with him, is the most excellent person of this Ummah, then Umar, then Uthman ibn Affan, and then Sayyiduna Ali ibn Abi Talib, may Allah be pleased with them! And these are the Rightly Guided Caliphs. The ten Companions about whom the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, gave glad tidings of Paradise are indeed in Paradise, and his statement is true. Mercy should be prayed for all the Companions of Muhammad, peace be upon him, and complete silence should be maintained regarding their mutual disputes."
Reference: (Sharh Usool I'tiqad:1/197, Risalah: Asl al-Sunnah wa I'tiqad ad-Din)
By Ahl al-Sunnah is not meant the group calling themselves Ahl al-Sunnah in the present era, but the methodology of the predecessors of the Ummah and the Imams and Muhaddithin.
❀ Imam Abu Uthman Ismail Sabuni, may Allah have mercy on him:
ويرون الكف عما شجر بين أصحاب رسول الله صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم، وتطهير الألسنة عن ذكر ما يتضمن عيباً لهم ونقصاً فيهم، ويرون الترحم على جميعهم والموالاة لكافتهم۔
"And the Salaf as-Salih say that one should remain silent regarding the disputes of the Companions, and keep the tongue pure from matters that bring blame or disparagement upon these Companions, and mercy should be prayed for all the Companions and all should be kept as friends."
Reference: (Aqidat as-Salaf wa Ashab al-Hadith: p.93)
❀ "Al-I'tiqad al-Qadri" is also an excellent treatise containing the beliefs of the Imams of Ahl al-Sunnah, in which it is written regarding the Companions, may Allah be pleased with them:
ويجب أن يحب الصحابة من أصحاب النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم كلهم ونعلم أنهم خير الخلق بعد رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم وأن خيرهم كلهم وأفضلهم بعد رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم أبو بكر الصديق ثم عمر بن الخطاب ثم عثمان بن عفان ثم علي بن أبي طالب رضي الله عنهم ويشهد للعشرة بالجنة ويترحم على أزواج رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم ومن سب سيدتنا عائشة رضي الله عنها فلا حظ له في الإسلام ولا يقول في معاوية رضي الله عنه إلا خيرا ولا يدخل في شيء شجر بينهم ويترحم على جماعتهم۔
"Love for all the Companions of the Prophet, peace be upon him, is obligatory. We recognize the Companions, may Allah be pleased with them, as the most excellent group of this Ummah after the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him. After the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, the most excellent is Sayyiduna Abu Bakr as-Siddiq, may Allah be pleased with him, then Umar ibn al-Khattab, then Uthman ibn Affan, and after him Sayyiduna Ali ibn Abi Talib, may Allah be pleased with them. Testimony of Paradise should be given for ten Companions, mercy should be prayed for the wives of the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, and whoever speaks ill of our mother Sayyidah Aisha, may Allah be pleased with her, has no connection with Islam. Only good should be said about Sayyiduna Muawiyah, may Allah be pleased with him, and one should not interfere in the mutual differences of these Companions, and mercy should be prayed for all of them."
Reference: (Al-Muntazam fi Tarikh al-Muluk wal-Umam:15/281)
❀ Imam Abu Abdullah ibn Abi Zamanin, may Allah have mercy on him:
وَمِنْ قَوْلِ أَهْلِ السُّنَّةِ أَنْ يَعْتَقِدَ الْمَرْءُ الْمَحَبَّةَ لِأَصْحَابِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ وَأَنْ يَنْشُرَ مَحَاسِنَهُمْ وَفَضَائِلَهُمْ، وَيُمْسِكَ عَنِ الْخَوْضِ فِيمَا دَارَ بَيْنَهُمْ۔
"The methodology of Ahl al-Sunnah is to love the Companions of the Prophet, peace be upon him, to mention their virtues and merits, and to remain silent regarding their mutual affairs."
Reference: (Usool as-Sunnah: p.263)
❀ Imam Yahya ibn Ma'in, may Allah have mercy on him, said:
وكل من يشتم عُثْمَان أَو طَلْحَة أَو أحدا من أَصْحَاب النَّبِي صلى الله عَلَيْهِ وَسلم دجال لَا يكْتب عَنهُ وَعَلِيهِ لعنة الله وَالْمَلَائِكَة وَالنَّاس أَجْمَعِينَ۔
"Whoever insults Sayyiduna Uthman, Talhah, or any Companion, he is a Dajjal; his hadith will not be recorded, and may Allah, the angels, and all people curse him."
Reference: (Tarikh Ibn Ma'in, Riwayat ad-Duri:2670)
❀ Imam Abu al-Hasan al-Ash'ari, may Allah have mercy on him:
وكل الصحابة أئمة مأمونون غير متهمين في الدين، وقد أثنى الله ورسوله على جميعهم، وتعبدنا بتوقيرهم وتعظيمهم وموالاتهم، والتبري من كل من ينقص أحدا منهم رضي الله عنهم أجمعين۔
"All the Companions are Imams and trustworthy (sources of peace for the Ummah), completely reliable in matters of religion. Allah and His Messenger have praised all of them and commanded us to honor and love them, and to declare disassociation from anyone who disparages any one of these Companions, may Allah be pleased with them."
Reference: (Al-Ibanah 'an Usool ad-Diyanah:1/260)
❀ Imam Ubaidullah ibn Sa'id al-Sijzi, may Allah have mercy on him:
وكل من تنقص عثمان أو علياً وعائشة ومعاوية وأبا موسى وعمرو بن العاص رضي الله عنهم فهو خارجي ومن تنقص بعضهم ولم يتنقص عثمان وعلياً فهو ضال على أي مذهب كان۔
"Whoever insults Sayyiduna Uthman or Ali, Aisha, Muawiyah, Abu Musa al-Ash'ari, Amr ibn al-As, may Allah be pleased with them, is an extremist (Khariji). And whoever insults some of them but does not insult Sayyiduna Uthman and Ali, may Allah be pleased with them, is also misguided regardless of his sect."
Reference: (Risalah as-Sijzi ila Ahl Zubaid: p.335,336)
❀ Imam Abu Bakr al-Ajuri, may Allah have mercy on him, said:
أُمِرْنَا بِالِاسْتِغْفَارِ لَهُمْ وَالتَّرَحُّمِ عَلَيْهِمْ وَالْمَحَبَّةِ لَهُمْ وَالِاتِّبَاعِ لَهُمْ، دَلَّ عَلَى ذَلِكَ الْكِتَابُ وَالسُّنَّةُ وَقَوْلُ أَئِمَّةِ الْمُسْلِمِينَ.......مَنْ جَاءَ إِلَى أَصْحَابِ رَسُولِ اللّٰهِ صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ حَتَّى يَطْعَنَ فِي بَعْضِهِمْ وَيَهْوَى بَعْضَهُمْ وَيَذُمَّ بَعْضًا وَيَمْدَحَ بَعْضًا فَهَذَا رَجُلٌ طَالِبُ فِتْنَةٍ وَفِي الْفِتْنَةِ وَقَعَ؛ لِأَنَّهُ وَاجِبٌ عَلَيْهِ مَحَبَّةُ الْجَمِيعِ وَالِاسْتِغْفَارُ لِلْجَمِيعِ رَضِيَ اللّٰهُ عَنْهُمْ وَنَفَعَنَا بِحُبِّهِمْ۔
"We are commanded to pray for forgiveness and mercy for the Companions, to love them and follow them, and the Book, Sunnah, and sayings of the Imams of the Muslims indicate this. Whoever disparages some of the Companions and praises others, condemns some and praises others, is a troublemaker, because love for all these Companions is obligatory, and prayers for forgiveness for all of them are also obligatory. May Allah grant us benefit through love of the Companions."
Reference: (Ash-Shari'ah lil-Ajuri: 5/2485)
And he said:
لَقَدْ خَابَ وَخَسِرَ مَنْ أَصْبَحَ وَأَمْسَى وَفِي قَلْبِهِ بُغْضٌ لِعَائِشَةَ رَضِيَ اللّٰهُ عَنْهَا أَوْ لِأَحَدٍ مِنْ أَصْحَابِ رَسُولِ اللّٰهِ صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ أَوْ لِأَحَدٍ مِنْ أَهْلِ بَيْتِ رَسُولِ اللّٰهِ صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فَرَضِيَ اللّٰهُ عَنْهُمْ أَجْمَعِينَ وَنَفَعَنَا بِحُبِّهِمْ۔
"Indeed, such a person is disgraced and humiliated who spends morning and evening in a state where there is hatred in his heart for Sayyidah Aisha, may Allah be pleased with her, or any of the Companions of the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, or any of the Ahl al-Bayt of the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him. May Allah be pleased with all these personalities and benefit us through love for them."
Reference: (Ash-Shari'ah lil-Ajuri:1909)
❀ Allama Qadi Iyad, may Allah have mercy on him, said:
وسب أصحاب النبي عليه السلام وتنقصهم أو أحد منهم من الكبائر المحرمة۔
"To speak ill or insult any of the Companions of the Prophet, peace be upon him, is among the major sins."
Reference: (Ikmal al-Mu'allim:7/580)
He further said:
وَسَبّ آل بَيْتِه وَأزْوَاجِه وَأصْحَابِه صَلَّى الله عَلَيْه وَسَلَّم وَتَنقّصُهُم حَرَام مَلْعُون فاعِلُه۔
"It is forbidden to speak ill of or insult the Ahl al-Bayt of the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, or his wives, or his Companions, and whoever does so is accursed."
Reference: (Ash-Shifa:2/307)
In one place he said:
وَمِن تَوْقِيرِه وَبِرّه صَلَّى الله عَلَيْه وَسَلَّم تَوْقِير أصْحَابِه وَبِرُّهُم وَمَعْرِفَة حَقّهِم وَالاقْتِدَاء بِهِم وَحُسْن الثَّنَاء عَلَيْهِم وَالاسْتِغْفَار لَهُم وَالإمْسَاك عَمَّا شَجَر بَيْنَهُم وَمُعَادَاة من عَادَاهُم وَالإضْرَاب عَن أخْبَار الْمُؤَرّخِين وَجَهَلَة الرُّوَاة وَضُلَّال الشّيعَة وَالْمُبْتَدِعِين الْقَادِحَة فِي أحد مِنْهُم وَأن يُلْتَمَس لَهُم فِيمَا نُقِل عَنْهُم من مِثْل ذَلِك فِيمَا كَان بَيْنَهُم مِن الْفِتَن أحْسَن التَّأْوِيلات وَيُخَرّج لَهُم أصْوَب الْمَخَارِج إذ هُم أهْل ذَلِك وَلَا يُذْكَر أحد مِنْهُم بِسُوء وَلَا يُغْمَص عَلَيْه أمْر بل نذكر حَسَنَاتِهِم وَفَضَائِلَهُم وَحَمِيد سِيَرِهِم وَيُسْكَت عَمَّا وَرَاء ذَلِك۔
"One form of respect for the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, is to respect his Companions, to treat them well, to recognize their rights, to follow them, to praise them, to seek forgiveness for them, to remain silent regarding disputes among the Companions, and to be hostile to their enemies. One should avoid the narrations of ignorant narrators, misguided Shi'as, and innovators that bring any blame upon any of these Companions. The narrations of the period of fitnah that describe their mutual disputes should be interpreted in the best and most legitimate way and defended vigorously because they deserve it. No one should mention any of them in a bad way or blame them in any matter, but rather their virtues, good deeds, and noble character should be described, and otherwise remain silent."
Reference: (Ash-Shifa:2/52)
❀ Imam Abu Zakariya al-Nawawi, may Allah have mercy on him, said:
وَمَذْهَبُ أَهْلِ السُّنَّةِ وَالْحَقِّ إِحْسَانُ الظَّنِّ بِهِمْ وَالْإِمْسَاكُ عَمَّا شَجَرَ بَيْنَهُمْ وَتَأْوِيلُ قِتَالِهِمْ وَأَنَّهُمْ مُجْتَهِدُونَ مُتَأَوِّلُونَ لَمْ يَقْصِدُوا مَعْصِيَةً وَلَا مَحْضَ الدُّنْيَا بَلِ اعْتَقَدَ كُلُّ فَرِيقٍ أَنَّهُ الْمُحِقُّ وَمُخَالِفُهُ بَاغٍ.......
"The creed of Ahl al-Sunnah and the truth is to have good opinion of the Companions, and to remain completely silent regarding the fights among them. They were mujtahids; their aim was not sin or worldly gain, but each group thought it was right and the other was rebellious."
Reference: (Sharh al-Nawawi 'ala Muslim:18/11)
And he said:
وَاعْلَمْ أَنَّ سَبَّ الصَّحَابَةِ رَضِيَ اللّٰهُ عَنْهُمْ حَرَامٌ مِنْ فَوَاحِشِ الْمُحَرَّمَاتِ۔
"Know that it is strictly forbidden to speak ill of the Companions."
Reference: (Sharh al-Nawawi:16/93)
❀ Allama Shams al-Din al-Qurtubi, may Allah have mercy on him:
فَمَنْ نَقَّصَ وَاحِدًا مِنْهُمْ أَوْ طَعَنَ عَلَيْهِ فِي رِوَايَتِهِ فَقَدْ رَدَّ عَلَى اللّٰهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ، وَأَبْطَلَ شَرَائِعَ الْمُسْلِمِينَ۔
"Whoever disparages any one of these Companions or criticizes him in matters of narration has indeed rejected Allah, the Lord of the Worlds, and nullified the Shariah rulings of the Muslims."
Reference: (Tafsir al-Qurtubi:16/297)
❀ Imam Abu Muhammad Ibn Qudamah al-Maqdisi, may Allah have mercy on him, said:
ومن السنة تولي أصحاب رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم ومحبتهم وذكر محاسنهم، والترحم عليهم، والاستغفار لهم والكف عن ذكر مساوئهم وما شجر بينهم. واعتقاد فضلهم ومعرفة سابقتهم۔
"It is also Sunnah to befriend the Companions of the Messenger of Allah, to love them, to mention their virtues, to pray for mercy and forgiveness for them, not to mention their faults or mutual disputes, and to hold the belief in their excellence, knowledge, and precedence in Islam."
Reference: (Luma'at al-I'tiqad: p.39)
❀ Imam Shams al-Din al-Dhahabi, may Allah have mercy on him, said:
أمّا من تعرّض إلى أحد من الصحابة بسب فهو شيعي غال نبرأ منه، ومن تعرض لأبي بكر وعمر فهو رافضي خبيث حمار۔
"Whoever speaks ill of any Companion is an extremist Shi'a; we disassociate from him. And whoever pursues Abu Bakr and Umar, may Allah be pleased with them, is a vile Rafidhi and a donkey."
Reference: (Tarikh al-Islam:5/146)
And in another place he said:
بَلْ سَبِيلُنَا أَنْ نَسْتَغْفِرَ لِلْكُلِّ، وَنُحِبُّهُمْ، وَنَكُفَّ عَمَّا شَجَرَ بَيْنَهُمْ۔
"Rather, our methodology is to pray for forgiveness for all the Companions, to love all of them, and to remain silent regarding their mutual differences."
Reference: (Siyar A'lam al-Nubala:7/370)
He also said:
من ذم أَصْحَاب رَسُول الله صلى الله عَلَيْهِ وَسلم بِشَيْء وتتبع عثراتهم وَذكر عَيْبا وأضافه إِلَيْهِم كَانَ منافقاً۔
"Whoever speaks ill of the Companions of the Messenger of Allah, pursues their faults, and criticizes them is a hypocrite."
Reference: (Al-Kaba'ir: p.238,239)
❀ Imam Ahmad ibn Taymiyyah, may Allah have mercy on him, said:
وَمِنْ أُصُولِ أَهْلِ السُّنَّةِ وَالْجَمَاعَةِ: سَلَامَةُ قُلُوبِهِمْ وَأَلْسِنَتِهِمْ لِأَصْحَابِ مُحَمَّدٍ صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ۔
"Among the beliefs of Ahl al-Sunnah wa al-Jama'ah is to keep hearts and tongues pure regarding the Companions of Muhammad, peace be upon him."
Reference: (Majmu' al-Fatawa:3/152)
And he said:
وهذا مما لا نعلم فيه خلافا بين أهل الفقه والعلم من أصحاب رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم والتابعين لهم بإحسان وسائر أهل السنة والجماعة فإنهم مجمعون على أن الواجب الثناء عليهم والاستغفار لهم والترحم عليهم والترضي عنهم واعتقاد محبتهم وموالاتهم وعقوبة من أساء فيهم القول۔
"We know of no disagreement among the scholars and jurists of the Companions and Tabi'in and all of Ahl al-Sunnah wa al-Jama'ah on this matter; they all unanimously agree that the Companions, may Allah be pleased with them, should be praised, prayers for forgiveness and mercy should be sought for them, one should be pleased with them, love and friendship for them should be held, and whoever holds a bad opinion about them should be punished."
Reference: (As-Sarim al-Maslul: p.578)
❀ Allama Ghazali, may Allah have mercy on him, said:
واعتقاد أهل السنة تزكية جميع الصحابة والثناء عليهم كما أثنى الله سبحانه وتعالى ورسوله صلى الله عليه وسلم۔
"The belief of Ahl al-Sunnah is to purify all the Companions, may Allah be pleased with them, and to praise them as Allah and His Messenger, peace be upon him, have praised them."
Reference: (Ihya' 'Ulum ad-Din:1/115)
❀ Sheikh Abdul Qadir Jilani, may Allah have mercy on him, said:
واتفق أهل السنة على وجوب الكف عما شجر بينهم، والإمساك عن مساوئهم، وإظهار فضائلهم ومحاسنهم۔
"There is consensus among Ahl al-Sunnah on the obligation to remain silent regarding the mutual disputes and faults and mistakes of the Companions, may Allah be pleased with them, and also on mentioning their virtues and merits."
Reference: (Ghaniyat at-Talibin:1/163)
❀ Imam Ahmad ibn Hajar al-Asqalani, may Allah have mercy on him, said:
وَاتَّفَقَ أَهْلُ السُّنَّةِ عَلَى وُجُوبِ مَنْعِ الطَّعْنِ عَلَى أَحَدٍ مِنَ الصَّحَابَةِ بِسَبَبِ مَا وَقَعَ لَهُمْ مِنْ ذَلِكَ وَلَوْ عَرَفَ الْمُحِقَّ مِنْهُمْ لِأَنَّهُمْ لَمْ يُقَاتِلُوا فِي تِلْكَ الْحُرُوبِ إِلَّا عَنِ اجْتِهَادٍ وَقَدْ عَفَا اللّٰهُ تَعَالَى عَنِ الْمُخْطِئِ فِي الِاجْتِهَادِ بَلْ ثَبَتَ أَنَّهُ يُؤْجَرُ أَجْرًا وَاحِدًا وَأَنَّ الْمُصِيبَ يُؤْجَرُ أَجْرَيْنِ۔
"There is consensus among Ahl al-Sunnah on the prohibition of disparaging any one of the Companions regarding their mutual disputes, even if one considers one party to be right (still disparaging the other party is not permissible) because they fought while exercising ijtihad (thinking they were right and the other was wrong). Indeed, Allah has forgiven those who erred in ijtihadi matters and rewarded them, and given double reward to those who were correct."
Reference: (Fath al-Bari:13/34)
❀ Allama Ibn Hajar al-Makki, may Allah have mercy on him, said:
اعْلَم أَن الَّذِي أجمع عَلَيْهِ أهل السّنة وَالْجَمَاعَة أَنه يجب على كل أحد تَزْكِيَة جَمِيع الصَّحَابَة بِإِثْبَات الْعَدَالَة لَهُم والكف عَن الطعْن فيهم وَالثنَاء عليهم۔
"Know that what Ahl al-Sunnah wa al-Jama'ah unanimously agree upon is that purification of all the Companions is obligatory, and that one should refrain from disparaging them and should praise them."
Reference: (As-Sawa'iq al-Muhriqah:2/603)
❀ Allama Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab, may Allah have mercy on him, said:
وأجمع أهل السنة على السكوت عما شجر بين الصحابة رضي الله عنهم. ولا يقال فيهم إلا الحسنى. فمن تكلم في معاوية أو غيره من الصحابة فقد خرج عن الإجماع۔
"There is consensus of Ahl al-Sunnah that one should remain silent regarding the disputes of the Companions and only speak good of them. Whoever speaks against Sayyiduna Muawiyah or any Companion is outside the consensus."
Reference: (Mukhtasar Sirat ar-Rasul: p.317)
This is the stance and unanimous methodology of the Salaf as-Salih and Ahl al-Sunnah regarding the Companions, may Allah be pleased with them. On the other hand, there are two groups who disparage and harbor hatred against the Companions: the "Rafidah" and the "Nawasib." The Rafidah, under the guise of Ahl al-Bayt, disparage Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman, and other Companions, even calling them hypocrites, disbelievers, and apostates. On the other hand, the Nawasib harbor hatred and objections against the Ahl al-Bayt or some of them and exaggerate the status of other Companions. Both these sects are extremely misguided and unfortunate and oppose the Qur'an and Hadith. Some people claim to be Ahl al-Sunnah and disassociate themselves from these two groups and claim to love the Companions, but they do not openly criticize the Companions; rather, they pick some issues and criticize certain Companions with veiled words. They use some incidents and narrations to prove some Companions wrong, interpret them according to their own meanings, and by spreading them, pave the way for abuse and disrespect of these specific Companions. This creates a bad impression about the Companions, causes people to detest and have ill opinion of them, and pollutes the hearts of the general public regarding these Companions. In the present era, one prominent personality among such people is "Engineer Muhammad Ali Mirza." Regarding the Companions, he is completely deviated from the methodology of the Salaf as-Salih and the Imams of the religion. All the sayings of the Imams of Islam mentioned earlier are denied and opposed by him. Outwardly, he mentions Bukhari, Muslim, and the books of Ahl al-Sunnah, but in reality, he deviates from the methodology and teachings of these very Imams.
He is not a reliable or authentic scholarly personality; his field is engineering, and he has not formally studied in any religious institution. He also claims that he does not belong to any religious group or sect. He was initially affiliated with the Barelvi school of thought for about thirty years, then for some time with the Deobandi, and after research, he realized that the call and methodology of Ahl al-Hadith is the truth. He has been saying clearly that the methodology of Ahl al-Hadith is 100% correct. His downfall was that he considered Ahl al-Hadith also as a sect (while the Qur'an and Hadith prohibit division into sects), so he stopped calling himself Ahl al-Hadith. The reality is that Ahl al-Hadith is not a sect at all. This is not the place for detailed discussion, but suffice it to say that if he himself considers the methodology of Ahl al-Hadith 100% correct, then if Ahl al-Hadith were a sect, how could their methodology be 100% correct? It would imply a defect in their methodology.
We differ with Engineer Sahib on many matters, but a fundamental difference is regarding the personalities of the Companions, may Allah be pleased with them. In the name of truthfulness, he accuses the Companions and speaks ill of them. The writings and videos of Ahl al-Hadith bear witness that if anyone has given the best, reasoned, and sufficient reply to his objections and insults, it is Ahl al-Hadith. This is why Engineer Sahib is strongly opposed to Ahl al-Hadith, abuses them, and calls them Nawasib repeatedly to vent his anger. However, Ahl al-Hadith are the first to oppose Nawasib and declare disassociation from them. Our methodology regarding the Companions and Ahl al-Bayt is what has come in the Qur'an and Hadith: to mention the virtues and merits of the Companions, not to insult or disrespect any of them, their mistakes are one thing, but to criticize or falsely accuse any of them is absolutely forbidden. This is our only fault! And this has been the unanimous and agreed methodology of the Muhaddithin as we have explained earlier.
As for the enemies of the Companions calling Ahl al-Haqq Nawasib (enemies of Ahl al-Bayt), it is their bad habit to disparage some Companions under the name of defending Ahl al-Bayt and to call those who refute them Nawasib. Imam Abu Zur'ah al-Razi and Imam Abu Hatim al-Razi, may Allah have mercy on them, said that they found all scholars unanimously agreeing that:
وَعَلَامَةُ الرَّافِضَةِ تَسْمِيَتُهُمْ أَهْلَ السُّنَّةِ نَاصِبَةً۔
"The sign of the Rafidah (enemies of the Companions) is that they call Ahl al-Sunnah Nawasib."
Reference: (Sharh Usool I'tiqad: 1/197, Risalah: Asl as-Sunnah wa I'tiqad ad-Din)
Allama Abdul Qadir Jilani, may Allah have mercy on him, also mentioned this sign of the Rafidah that they call Ahl al-Hadith Nawasib to vent their anger.
Reference: (Ghaniyat at-Talibin: 1:166)
Note that Mirza Sahib has also called Muhaddithin Nawasib in many places, and by the definition of what Engineer Sahib calls Nawasib today, he himself has been a Nawasib. Initially, Engineer Sahib was not like this at all; his methodology was in accordance with the unanimous methodology of Ahl al-Sunnah and the Muhaddithin. He respected and honored all the Companions including Sayyiduna Muawiyah, may Allah be pleased with him, mentioned all of them with good, claimed love for all, avoided insults and disrespect, and avoided anything that could create a wrong impression against them. He respected Sayyiduna Muawiyah, may Allah be pleased with him, used titles like "Sayyiduna" with his name, acknowledged his virtues, and considered the dispute over the retaliation of Uthman, may Allah be pleased with him, as based on ijtihad, which is the unanimous belief of the predecessors, all Imams, Muhaddithin, jurists, and historians. He even wrote a treatise titled "A Research Study on Rafidah, Nawasib, and Yazidiyyah," whose teachings he now opposes. The first title of that treatise was:
"Refutation of Rafidah: All the Companions of Allah's Beloved, peace be upon him, are worthy of respect."
And in the same writing, he wrote:
"The mistakes of Sayyidah Aisha, may Allah be pleased with her, and Sayyiduna Muawiyah, may Allah be pleased with him, were matters of ijtihad."
Also, in his old videos, in explaining the well-known term "Panjatan Pak," he used to say that not only these five but all the Companions are pure.
Reference: (Issue No: 66, Duration- 10:50)
But when Engineer Sahib established himself and attracted people, gradually he began to express his inner malice and abuse these Companions. Sometimes he says he was unaware of these facts before, sometimes he excuses that he knew but did not speak openly due to expediency. Whoever understands Mirza Sahib's deception, hypocrisy, and double standards will never fall into his trap. A sign of a deceiver and liar is that he says one thing first and later says another, his statements differ from place to place. In this book, you will find many examples of such contradictions in Engineer Sahib's statements.
No blasphemer says openly that I am a blasphemer. Those who call Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman, and other Companions disbelievers, sinners, innovators, and apostates also do not say openly that they are insulting these personalities; rather, they use excuses and distortions to promote their false beliefs and filthy objectives. Every deceiver and troublemaker traps people with the magic of his words and speech, shows green gardens, says good things, and makes himself appear as a reformer. Mirza Engineer Sahib deceives people to open the door for objections and criticism of the Companions by claiming that he does not insult or disparage but only mentions their mistakes. Criticism is not called insult; the Qur'an also mentions the mistakes of the Prophets.
Look! The Companions were human and committed mistakes. We do not falsely defend their mistakes nor do we make false interpretations, but the issue is not about mentioning mistakes but about falsehood and slander under the pretext of mentioning mistakes. They present the matter falsely, coloring the story with their distortions, changing the meaning, or speaking out of context, hiding all positive aspects. The Rafidah do the same by taking some narration or reference and drawing wrong conclusions. Mirza Engineer Sahib says about Hassan Allahyari:
"For example, nowadays, an extremist Rafidhi sitting abroad is narrating some things about Sayyiduna Umar Farooq, may Allah be pleased with him, from Sahih Bukhari. He narrates the things correctly but the conclusion he draws is wrong."
Hazrat USMAN SHAHEED, what happened? Issues in KHELAFAT Vs Fazail - 25:03
"He narrates correctly," yet this Rafidhi's first and last statement is that Abu Bakr and Umar are disbelievers; prove them Muslims. This is Mirza Sahib's truthfulness: to mention the mistakes of the Companions is truthfulness, to throw mud on the Muhaddithin is truthfulness. There are hundreds of videos titled "Reply to so-and-so" on his official channel, but do you find a single video replying to this Rafidhi? Instead of replying, they support him by saying, "Yes, he narrates correctly." As for drawing wrong conclusions from narrations, what else are you doing? You also distort narrations by adding divisions and distortions and spread wrong impressions against the Companions. In fact, you are more skilled than them. You yourself mention this skill in one place, saying:
"If I want to make a false story, I can make a very good story and make a film."
Masla 157, part 2 - 52:20
He says "I can make," but we will prove that he makes stories and films. He takes a narration and inserts his own words, or takes one statement from somewhere and connects it with a narration, or sometimes the reference he mentions does not contain what he claims. Sometimes, without any evidence or reference, a claim is made against a Companion, or false, fabricated, forged, and weak narrations are narrated with pleasure to spread negative impressions about these Companions, which according to his own stated principles are weak and forged.
If any mistake is truly proven against them, it is 100% false to say that I only mention mistakes, do not harbor hatred, and there is no matter of insult. Mirza Sahib and all blasphemers use this excuse to run their business, but in reality, their aim is to insult, humiliate, and criticize the Companions. Mirza Sahib does not only mention mistakes but under this pretext abuses them, uses harsh and insulting words. Is this the style and manner of mentioning mistakes in the Qur'an that Engineer Sahib and the Rafidah adopt?
Then they also deceive by saying "Beat the thief's mother before the thief." That is, I only narrate from Bukhari, Muslim, and other books which the Imams of Ahl al-Sunnah have transmitted, so if these Muhaddithin are not wrong, how is it wrong to narrate their narrations? The answer is that these narrations in the books of the Muhaddithin are not exactly as you try to portray; sometimes the author of the book has a positive understanding of a narration, but the meaning you extract is completely opposite, and sometimes the narration itself is weak. So calling yourself a thief is correct, but calling these Muhaddithin the mother of thieves is false. Also, taking any narration from the books of Ahl al-Sunnah according to your own interpretation, you not only narrate but also abuse these specific Companions, speak disparagingly and insultingly against them. But is this the methodology and approach of these Muhaddithin regarding these narrations? Absolutely not! We have already explained the unanimous and agreed beliefs and methodology of the Muhaddithin regarding the Companions. Compare these statements with the language of Engineer Sahib, and you will realize his deceit and hypocrisy that he uses the names of the Muhaddithin and their books but teaches the public against the methodology of these very Muhaddithin and distorts their teachings. Why only negative aspects? These same Muhaddithin have transmitted many narrations clearly praising the virtues of these specific Companions (Sayyiduna Muawiyah, Amr ibn al-As, or Mughirah ibn Shu'bah, may Allah be pleased with them), so how much emphasis is placed on them? You distort even those narrations which the Muhaddithin bring in praise of these Companions and spread negative impressions, as shown in the early chapters of this book.
The Rafidah dare to speak against other Companions as well, but they harbor the most hatred and enmity for the Banu Umayyah and especially Sayyiduna Amir Muawiyah, may Allah be pleased with him. They do not even accept him as a Companion or respect him; rather, they doubt his Islam, claiming that the Banu Umayyah tribe only superficially accepted Islam out of fear, while they were hypocrites and enemies of Islam. To further tarnish the personality of Sayyiduna Muawiyah, may Allah be pleased with him, they label him as an enemy of Sayyiduna Ali and the Ahl al-Bayt. Engineer Sahib and these Rafidah differ in that the Rafidah say all this openly, while Engineer Sahib does so in veiled words, but the syllabus is in Mirza Sahib's hands.
Mirza Sahib considers Sayyiduna Muawiyah, may Allah be pleased with him, a Companion; he is neither blasphemous nor hateful towards him, and he loves him so much that using titles like "Sayyiduna," "Hazrat," or "Amir al-Mu'minin" with his name causes him distress. When he sometimes uses "Hazrat" and "may Allah be pleased with him" with Muawiyah's name, it is also taqiyya; he has admitted this hypocritical act himself. Regarding the question why he says "may Allah be pleased with him" for Muawiyah, he says: "My heart does not want to say may Allah be pleased with him; I just say it with a stone on my heart." He also admitted his ignorance in the same answer, which we will prove with evidence, and Engineer Sahib gets upset:
014- Public Q.A Session... Meeting of SUNDAY with Engineer Muhammad Ali Mirza Bhai (24-Oct-2021) 1:39:00
Regarding the faith of Sayyiduna Muawiyah, may Allah be pleased with him, it is 100% false and baseless to say that he accepted Islam out of fear and seeking forgiveness. Mirza Sahib has been boldly making this false claim for a long time but has never presented a correct and continuous narration to support it. Regarding when Sayyiduna Muawiyah accepted Islam, various narrations exist. Some scholars wrote that he accepted Islam at the conquest of Mecca, while others say he accepted Islam before the conquest of Mecca. Some scholars reconcile this by saying he accepted Islam before the conquest of Mecca but publicly declared it at the conquest. Saying that he accepted Islam out of fear is outright Rafidism, and the consensus of the Imams of Ahl al-Sunnah is against it. Imam Ibn Taymiyyah, may Allah have mercy on him, wrote:
وَأَمَّا قَوْلُ الْقَائِلِ: إِيمَانُ مُعَاوِيَةَ كَانَ نِفَاقًا، فَهُوَ أَيْضًا مِنْ الْكَذِبِ الْمُخْتَلَقِ۔ فَإِنَّهُ لَيْسَ فِي عُلَمَاءِ الْمُسْلِمِينَ مَنِ اتَّهَمَ مُعَاوِيَةَ بِالنِّفَاقِ، بَلِ الْعُلَمَاءُ مُتَّفِقُونَ عَلَى حُسْنِ إِسْلَامِهِ۔
"As for the claim that Sayyiduna Muawiyah accepted Islam out of hypocrisy, it is false, because none of the Muslim scholars have accused him of hypocrisy; rather, all scholars agree on his good Islam."
Reference: (Majmu' al-Fatawa: 4/477)
And he said:
إِيمَانُ مُعَاوِيَةَ بْنِ أَبِي سُفْيَانَ رَضِيَ اللهُ عَنْهُ ثَابِتٌ بِالنَّقْلِ الْمُتَوَاتِرِ وَإِجْمَاعِ أَهْلِ الْعِلْمِ عَلَى ذَلِكَ۔
"The faith of Sayyiduna Muawiyah is established through continuous transmission, and scholars unanimously agree on this."
Reference: (Majmu' al-Fatawa: 4/453)
The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, also gave glad tidings of Paradise to Sayyiduna Muawiyah, may Allah be pleased with him, as will be mentioned in the chapter on his virtues. Therefore, those who doubt the faith of these Companions should consider their own Islam and Hereafter.
Mirza Sahib deceives by repeating "Banu Umayyah, Banu Umayyah" but does not clarify whom he means by Banu Umayyah. Many noble Companions belonged to the Banu Umayyah family, including the double son-in-law of the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, and the third Amir al-Mu'minin Sayyiduna Uthman ibn Affan, Sayyiduna Abu Sufyan, Sayyiduna Yazid ibn Abu Sufyan, and his brother Sayyiduna Muawiyah, may Allah be pleased with them. But Mirza Sahib's method is that whenever he wants to vent against Sayyiduna Muawiyah, may Allah be pleased with him, he repeats "Banu Umayyah" without naming him and spews his inner filth. He accuses us of falsely defending Banu Umayyah, etc. Our purpose and methodology are clear: we neither defend the entire Banu Umayyah family nor say all are good; rather, our concern is the Companions, may Allah be pleased with them, regardless of their family. We have stated our methodology regarding the Companions, which is the methodology of the predecessors and the Imams of the Muhaddithin: we love all Companions, respect and honor all, and do not disparage or insult anyone. The hadith of the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, also teaches this lesson. No hadith specifies that only non-Umayyad Companions should be honored and that it is permissible to insult, criticize, or disparage Companions belonging to Banu Umayyah. Therefore, whoever disparages, insults, or falsely accuses any Companion, whether Umayyad or non-Umayyad, or any member of the Ahl al-Bayt, it is incumbent upon us to respond strongly and defend these personalities. Whether you call us Nawasib or hurl insults of Banu Umayyah, we do not care because we have the hadith of Muhammad Rasul Allah, peace be upon him, and you stand with the vile Rafidah who are enemies not only of the Companions but of Islam itself.
Engineer Sahib mostly objects to Sayyiduna Muawiyah, may Allah be pleased with him, but do not think his love is only for Muawiyah; it is a course that starts with Muawiyah and gradually extends to other Companions. Imam Khateeb al-Baghdadi, may Allah have mercy on him, transmitted with a good chain the saying of Imam Rabee' ibn Nafi', may Allah have mercy on him:
معاوية بن أَبِي سفيان ستر أصحاب رسول الله صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فإذا كشف الرجل الستر اجترأ على ما وراءه۔
"Sayyiduna Muawiyah, may Allah be pleased with him, is the veil of the Companions, may Allah be pleased with them. When someone removes the veil, he insults what is behind the veil."
Reference: (Tarikh Baghdad: 1/577)
So when the mindset of people is prepared to disparage and object to Sayyiduna Muawiyah, may Allah be pleased with him, then further paths are paved. Therefore, in the second volume of this book, we will mention examples of abuse and objections made by Engineer Sahib against Sayyiduna Muawiyah, as well as Sayyiduna Uthman, Aisha, Talhah, Zubair, and Aqil ibn Abi Talib, may Allah be pleased with them.
We are sometimes accused of defending Sayyiduna Muawiyah excessively; is he the only Companion? We say all Companions are respected and we believe in their virtues, but the issue is that our defense is a reaction. When you make the most objections against Sayyiduna Muawiyah, naturally the most defense will be for him. So it is not about our defense but about your objections.
As mentioned, the most active group against Mirza Sahib is Ahl al-Hadith, so they bear the brunt of abuse regarding the Companions, especially Sayyiduna Muawiyah. But all these accusations and insults are not against us but against the Muhaddithin. According to you, this is the only sin of Ahl al-Hadith, not that we defend Sayyiduna Muawiyah, advocate for him, love him, do not abuse him, and only say good words about him. We have explained the creed and stance of all the Imams of this Ummah in the light of the sayings of the Muhaddithin. See the call of the Muhaddithin and decide whether the methodology, thought, and call of Ahl al-Hadith differ even slightly from the methodology of the Muhaddithin. Therefore, whatever filth Engineer Sahib speaks is actually against the Imams of the Muhaddithin. And whatever the Muhaddithin have said about Sayyiduna Muawiyah and all the Companions is not from themselves but is the teaching of the Qur'an and Hadith. So the enemies of the Companions target not only Ahl al-Hadith and the Imams but also the Qur'an and Hadith.
Now, some introductory remarks about Engineer Sahib's principles, rules, and claims. Look! Mirza Sahib is like a milkman who puts a sign outside his shop saying 100% pure and unadulterated milk is available, and it is true, but only up to the sign. Engineer Sahib has also hung some slogans outside his shop, which are:
"Neither am I Wahhabi, nor am I Babi, I am a Muslim, scholarly and bookish."
"Before dying, O Muslim, reflect upon this:
The God of the Bab is different, and the God of the books is different."
"There is no one like my Prophet, and the Bab is nothing at all."
One of their very big or perhaps the biggest claims is that I am a truthful and just person, who states whatever I say with complete honesty and responsibility, and they say that the truth is only being presented from our platform, and the kind of truthfulness demonstrated here is unparalleled.
Then they give a very big deception in the name of Bukhari and Muslim and authentic chain narrations, claiming that our case is based on Bukhari, Muslim, and authentic chain hadiths, and that only authentic narrations will be found with us, and we never present weak narrations. In fact, they declare weak narrations a danger to the Ummah and faith.
Mirza Sahib wrote a booklet titled "The True Background of the Event of Karbala" to create distrust among people towards various companions, and on every page of it, there is this golden invitation:
"Avoid sectarianism, accept only [Quran and authentic chain hadiths] as proof and evidence, and beware of the trials of false, unauthenticated, and [weak chain historical narrations]."
As for historical books, the gentleman says that history was written by rulers for their own interests, history is a mixture of lies and truth, history is like counterfeit coins in the eyes of hadith scholars, and he himself calls history rubbish and filth.
If Mirza Sahib adhered to these stated principles and claims, we would have no disagreement with him. But the problem is that Engineer Sahib’s principles are only limited to speaking, writing, and narrating. The purpose of this book is to prove that he is a deceiver, hypocrite, and liar, not a truthful and just person. He contradicts his own stated principles. Whenever he objects to any companion, especially Sayyiduna Muawiyah (may Allah be pleased with him), according to his own principles, that objection is invalid, as you will see that we will respond to almost all his objections according to the principles he himself has stated (InshaAllah).
He claims that he speaks the truth, but he himself hides the truth the most, highlighting one negative aspect while swallowing dozens of positive narrations. His claim that he is not a Babi (blind follower) or one who follows the sayings of Imams or anyone without evidence, but rather follows evidence and principles, is also pure falsehood and deception. You will see that in many places he abandons principles and sticks to baseless statements, sometimes blindly following a Babi or Imam’s unsupported statement against clear and solid evidence. Wherever he benefits from someone’s baseless statement, he becomes a scholarly and bookish Babi.
Engineer Sahib emphasizes authentic chain narrations a lot and claims that they follow authentic narrations and never present weak narrations. He has introduced many terms related to authentic and weak narrations and this field in his videos. Please watch the following videos to understand his hypocritical attitude and duplicity that we are about to explain:
[36-Mas'alah: ZAEEF Ahadith & MANGHARAT Ahadith ka Fitnah].
[Imam MUSLIM r.a ka Muqaddimah & Aqeedah??? Saheh AHADITH hi Kewn???]
[ZAEEF-ul-Isnad AHADITH hamaray EMAN kay liay KHATRAH kewn hain???]
These videos give the impression that Mirza Sahib is a great researcher, principled, just, and very cautious regarding hadith narration. He constantly criticizes those who present weak narrations. He calls those who narrate weak narrations without mentioning their weakness ignorant, quoting Imam Muslim (may Allah have mercy on him). But sadly, the same Mirza Sahib narrates weak and very weak narrations that favor him without clarifying their weakness and uses them to defame companions, especially Sayyiduna Muawiyah (may Allah be pleased with him). To deceive people, he has fabricated some excuses and false principles. One such deception is that he says this narration has been declared authentic or good by so-and-so, but our just and truthful gentleman does not tell that if the principle is examined, this narration is weak, and if someone has called it authentic, it is their principled or ijtihadi error, and he never mentions that so-and-so has declared it weak and for what reason. Obviously, if you are just, knowledgeable, and spreading truth, you should present both sides’ statements and give preference to the truthful one.
Sometimes they say that we have not mentioned a single narration that even one scholar has not declared authentic; rather, at least one has declared it authentic. SubhanAllah! Who says this? The one who claims he is not a Babi, not a follower, but a scholarly bookish person who follows principles and rules. So isn’t this a person with two faces? Listen carefully to the videos of Mirza Sahib we referenced and see if he ever defined a weak narration as one that no hadith scholar or researcher has declared authentic, or stated the principle that every narration is called authentic if at least one person has declared it authentic? Absolutely not! In fact, some narrations that Mirza Sahib has declared a danger to faith, a trial for the Ummah, and a cause of disrespect in these videos have also been declared authentic by some Imams and researchers. For example, the hadith in Musnad Ahmad about boasting of one’s lineage, which is considered disrespectful to attribute to the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), and which uses very inappropriate words, has been declared authentic by Imam Ibn Hibban, Imam Ziauddin Al-Maqdisi, and Allama Albani (may Allah have mercy on them), and Allama Shoaib Al-Arnaout has graded it as good in Musnad Ahmad’s classification.
Reference: (Sahih Ibn Hibban: 3153, Al-Ahadith Al-Mukhtara: 1244, Al-Silsilah Al-Sahihah: 269)
So has this narration now become authentic and acceptable? And can anyone say that I am just narrating hadith, I am not reading the principles of Al-Kafi, and (catch the thief before the thief’s mother) first catch those who narrated it and declared it authentic, etc., as is your usual style of speech? So if this narration is still weak, and this narration is the one you present as an example in condemning weak narrations and their trials, then what about the rest of the weak narrations?
Therefore, this condition and principle are false, fabricated by Engineer Sahib to deceive the public and make them dislike the companions. And how can you say this when you are a scholarly bookish person, not a Babi or follower, what does it matter to you who said what? And according to you, even the greatest Imam or hadith scholar can make mistakes. Engineer Sahib says:
"In the field of knowledge, emotions have no place; then the scalpel is in hand, and the surgeon’s job is to operate whether the Sheikh of Hadith is lying down or a doctor is lying down; you cannot say, 'Why did you operate, Sheikh of Hadith?' Appendix or kidney requires surgery, so no matter how great the personality is, where there is scholarly evidence, we will say they made a mistake, and they can be held accountable for that mistake."
Masalah 157a-1:30:10
So when even the greatest Imam can make mistakes, what status does it have in the scholarly world to say that so-and-so declared this narration authentic? Rather, a scholarly bookish person will discuss principles and rules, whether the statement presented is correct or erroneous. Mirza Sahib deceives by saying that they have narrated narrations with the authentication and corrections of the greatest contemporary researchers. And Engineer Sahib considers the greatest contemporary hadith scholars to be Allama Nasiruddin Albani (may Allah have mercy on him) and Allama Zubair Ali Zai (may Allah have mercy on him). These two were Ahl al-Hadith, and there is no doubt that they have many services in the world of knowledge. But who agrees with all their research and considers them infallible? They are human and can make mistakes; sometimes evidence or chain defects may be hidden. Therefore, taking the ruling of one researcher and ignoring all others is wishful thinking, not justice, and such a person is not scholarly bookish but a troublemaker. Mirza Sahib himself is such a great researcher that he rejects the investigations of Allama Albani and Sheikh Zubair Sahib in many places. After narrating a hadith, he says:
"Okay, this hadith of Abu Dawood, Sheikh Albani calls it weak due to his methodological error, but this hadith is absolutely authentic with a golden seal."
Hazrat USMAN Shaheed kewn hoay ??? Reply to Dr. ISRAR r.a !! - 3:55
Also watch another video on YouTube:
Sheikh Albani on ibn e Masood R.A ki Raful yadain wali hadith. Engineer Ali Mirza
In this video, regarding two narrations that Allama Albani (may Allah have mercy on him) declared authentic, Mirza Sahib considers both narrations definitely weak and calls Albani’s principle wrong. But when Albani’s ruling suits him, Mirza Sahib does not say that although Allama Albani declared this narration authentic, the truth is that it is weak according to principles and Albani’s principle is wrong.
Engineer Sahib also disagrees with many investigations of Maulana Zubair Ali Zai (may Allah have mercy on him); here we mention only one example. Engineer Sahib says:
"Sheikh Zubair Sahib has stretched and declared this hadith weak, and I spoke to Sheikh Sahib on the phone, I said Sheikh Sahib, you have not proven this hadith weak, I also found out by reading scholarly discussions that it is weak."
Masla 157, part 1 - 1:51:00
In a video, while disagreeing with the investigations of Imam Bukhari, Imam Tirmidhi, Allama Albani, and Zubair Ali Zai (may Allah have mercy on them), he says that where someone’s research is wrong, we will not accept their statement and can disagree with them. Watch this video:
Sheikh Albani vs Hafiz Zubair Ali Zai vs Imam Tirmizi by Engineer Ali Mirza
Then listen to this irony: the authentic narrations about the virtues of Sayyiduna Muawiyah (may Allah be pleased with him) are declared authentic by many hadith scholars including Allama Albani and Zubair Ali Zai (may Allah have mercy on them), but ask Engineer Sahib, he calls those narrations weak, false, and fabricated. Anyway, when Engineer Sahib himself disagrees with these scholars, then presenting a weak narration and claiming that Sheikh Zubair or Albani declared it authentic is false and has no value in the scholarly field.
Mirza Sahib considers himself a great researcher, an Imam of Jarh wa Ta'dil, and an expert in hadith principles, and according to him, he carries such subtle, delicate, and extremely difficult principles in his mind that even graduates and scholars of Jamia do not know. Watch his videos:
23-ILMI-o-Tahqeeqi MAJLIS (Open Q & A Session) - 44:22
Introduction of HADITH & SUNNAT ??? KARBLA say related 200-AHADITH ??? -20:50
Therefore, when the matter is like this, and Mirza Sahib is not a Babi or follower but a scholarly bookish person, it is not permissible for him in any way to promote any weak narration by citing someone! Rather, we will examine every narration according to principles; whatever is correct will be accepted, and whatever is incorrect according to principles will be rejected.
Note: "Since Engineer Sahib has adopted the method of citing the corrections of Allama Albani, Shoaib Al-Arnaout, Zubair Ali Zai (may Allah have mercy on them), and Allama Ghulam Mustafa Zaheer Anpuri Sahib on his narrated narrations and considers them the greatest contemporary hadith researchers, our approach and style in this book will be to honestly cite only those narrations in the argument that are authentic or good according to the principles of hadith scholars. Therefore, it is not necessary to write authentic or good with every narration. Sometimes if there is a discussion about the chain of a narration and someone has declared it weak, we will clarify the truth with evidence and research. After proving the narration authentic in our view, only then will we cite any hadith scholar or contemporary researcher as support that so-and-so also declared it authentic or good. Also, we will neither present any unauthenticated or false historical narration in argument nor follow it. Only those narrations will be cited from any history book that have authentic chains and are authentic or good according to hadith principles."
Engineer Sahib also emphasizes the issue of tadlis (concealment in narration) and says that it is a consensus and unanimous principle of hadith scholars that a narration narrated by a tadlis narrator without explicit hearing from his teacher is weak. He calls the narrations of tadlis narrators false, fabricated, and fabricated. Watch his video "The Trial of Weak Chain Hadiths" to see how many narrations are declared weak for this reason, that a tadlis narrator is narrating with 'an' (from) without explicit hearing, so the narration is invalid.
If you write "narration of tadlis with 'an'" on YouTube without his name, his videos will appear at the top. But we want to say that Engineer Sahib explains very good principles and wins the hearts of the public with just that, but the problem is that he does not properly follow these principles. You will see in this book that this just and truthful Mirza Sahib narrates the mursal narrations of tadlis narrators to promote his false views and the mission of Rafidism and spreads doubts and criticism about the companions based on these weak narrations. He does not say that this narration has a tadlis narrator, so according to my principles, this narration is weak. Yet, with complete shamelessness, he claims that we are just and only speak the truth and do not harbor hatred for the companions.
Think! If someone’s purpose is truthfulness, and if there is no hatred for the companions and no filth of Rafidism in the heart, then as they state these principles and claim authentic chain narrations, wouldn’t they be even more cautious regarding the companions?
How can it be that someone is truthful and just, with good intentions, has respect and love for the companions in his heart, and yet narrates a weak narration against them without stating that so-and-so hadith scholar or researcher declared it weak, that it is weak due to such and such defect, or due to such and such narrator?
The slogan of authentic chain narrations is mere pretense. This same Mirza Sahib does not hesitate to present unauthenticated false historical narrations when needed. Then when asked for the chain, he makes all kinds of excuses and lies that a person with a little awareness can see that this person is hypocritical and deceptive and just making excuses. Sometimes to promote a historical narration, he says that this is found in the reliable history books of Ahl al-Sunnah. But on the other hand, the historical narrations he calls fabricated, false, fabricated, and rubbish of history are also from the reliable historical books of Ahl al-Sunnah! The point is that the reliability of the book does not necessarily mean that every narration in it has an authentic chain or that the author agrees with its authenticity. Yes! The decisive factor between you and us is the chain, and if a narration has no chain, it is rejected no matter which book it is in.
Sometimes to make his false narration appear authentic, he tells a very low lie that there is consensus on it, this narration has been transmitted with mutawatir in the books of Ahl al-Sunnah, so there is no need for a chain. The truth of this claim of consensus and mutawatir will be clarified wherever it arises in the book, InshaAllah. Here, just note that the word "Ijma" (consensus) is a big word and it is not that every ignorant and useless person can stand up and claim consensus on something. Imam Ahmad bin Hanbal (may Allah have mercy on him) said about such incompetent people:
من ادعى الاجماع فهو كذب۔
"Whoever claims consensus is a liar."
Reference: (Masa'il al-Imam Ahmad, narration of Abdullah: p. 439)
See, in the field of knowledge, it does not happen that anyone can make a baseless and unsupported claim and it is accepted. Rather, in the world of knowledge, a claim without evidence has no value at all. Whoever claims something must prove it with evidence; mere rhetoric does not prove the point. From Mirza Sahib’s own statements, it is clear that he has no evidence for his claim of consensus and mutawatir. In a question and answer session, he was asked:
"Okay, when you claim there is consensus on something, how can we verify that there is consensus?"
11-ILMI-o-Tahqeeqi MAJLIS (Open Q & A Session) - 2:32:44
Obviously, the questioner wanted to ask in which book can we find evidence for your claim of consensus? Or if any Imam has claimed consensus in his book "Al-Ijma" or elsewhere on the matters you claim consensus or practical mutawatir? But since you are a liar and cunning person, most of your answers are like "question wheat, answer barley," and this is one of them. You can watch the video to see what scholarly and satisfactory answer the gentleman gave.
Warning: He has a particular style of speech, saying "They say this, they say that, you say this," meaning he attributes such things to the opposing party that make them look bad, even though they do not accept or say those things. So be cautious of his slick talk.
Also, a person who can lie and deceive regarding companions and hadith scholars, what is unlikely that he would attribute false statements to his opponents? Engineer Sahib is forced to acknowledge the truthfulness and honesty of Ahl al-Hadith and still considers their methodology 100% correct, but on the other hand, he abuses Ahl al-Hadith excessively. He has admitted once that he suffered the most harm from Ahl al-Hadith. So now he has to vent his anger somehow. He lies a lot in the name of Ahl al-Hadith, saying Ahl al-Hadith say this, do that, hold this position, etc., but most of these attributions to Ahl al-Hadith are false.
Mirza Sahib often mentions Allama Zubair Ali Zai (may Allah have mercy on him) to support his statements, claiming he said this or that. Some of these statements have been proven false, as will be clarified in their place. Therefore, whatever Engineer Sahib says citing Maulana Sahib will not be credible unless some other reliable personality supports it. And remember, we are not unique in declaring Mirza Sahib unreliable; even the contemporary hadith scholar Maulana Zubair Ali Zai (may Allah have mercy on him) considers Mirza Sahib a rejected person. Maulana Nadeem Zaheer (may Allah preserve him) is a close and special student of Maulana Sahib and has confirmed this:
EP-05 II Baythak II Guest: Sheikh Hafiz Nadeem Zaheer Sb-15:56
Similarly, Allama Zubair’s other special student Maulana Ghulam Mustafa Zaheer Anpuri (may Allah preserve him) has also explicitly stated this. I personally asked him about this.
Sometimes Ali Mirza Sahib tries to establish proof on us by citing a person who is not even rightly called Ahl al-Hadith, such as Waheed al-Zaman Khan Sahib. Mirza Sahib often deceives by saying he is a translator of Ahl al-Hadith, or a scholar of Ahl al-Hadith, etc., while in many matters he leaned towards Shi’ism, and many senior Ahl al-Hadith scholars have explicitly stated that he is not Ahl al-Hadith. Engineer Sahib considers Maulana Zubair Ali Zai (may Allah have mercy on him) the greatest scholar of Ahl al-Hadith, so note that Sheikh Zubair Ali Zai wrote about him:
"In short, Waheed al-Zaman is rejected in hadith and Ahl al-Hadith disassociate from his statements and books."
Reference: (Tawdhih al-Ahkam: 429)
This clarification was also necessary because Mirza Sahib promotes the "Islam 360" app widely, which has many benefits but some translations in it have issues, and those translations are by Waheed al-Zaman, sometimes with incorrect brackets.
Engineer Sahib’s listeners are of various kinds, most of whom, with due respect, are blind followers and ignorant people who have made Engineer Sahib their Imam and accept everything he says blindly. Mirza Sahib says one thing here and something else elsewhere, sometimes makes principles and breaks them countless times, and all kinds of fraud happen under his nose but they remain as if hypnotized. Why? Because they never research on their own. As far as we have met his followers, their condition is that they have never even opened a book themselves. This benefits Mirza Sahib’s business that he has a blind and ignorant public. Listen to Ali Mirza Sahib’s own words about the public:
"Many people also tell me that you have become such a big icon now - although I do not consider myself so - they say tell us your stance on this issue without references. So I have broken this idol worship..."
Masla 157, part 1 - 6:00
Meaning his followers trust him so much that they do not need his arguments or references. So do you think these people ever open Mirza Sahib’s references or research further? At one point, Engineer Sahib says:
"Today’s weak Muslim can be given the benefit of doubt; he does not know, the broken and shattered religion has reached him."
312-Lecture : Surah-e-HADEED Ayat No. 01 to END- 36:23
This is our point that Mirza Sahib gives his followers the benefit of doubt in the name of references. And where he said this, he was also deceiving, which will be explained in detail InshaAllah. Also see what Engineer Sahib says about the public:
"Public are like cattle, public are like quadrupeds."
Masla 157, part 2 - 1:43:54
And at one place, he said such words about the public that it is inappropriate to even quote here:
Masla 157, part 1 - 22:36
Anyway, Mirza Sahib’s followers are also from this public; they did not come from another planet. Therefore, Mirza Sahib takes advantage of his ignorant public’s ignorance and throws dust in their eyes. The whole problem is that they do not study on their own.
The tragedy is that people have made the internet and YouTube their source of knowledge; neither do they turn pages themselves nor sit in the assemblies of knowledge and scholars. If these people study, recognize the methodology of the Imams of Hadith, and give knowledge its due, then InshaAllah such trials will never gain a foothold in the Ummah. Therefore, we invite all our readers to leave the internet, make books their friends, recognize the truth, study, and benefit as much as possible from the scholars of truth. May Allah grant me and you the ability to understand the truth and act upon it. Ameen!
Note: In this book, we will clarify many of Engineer Sahib’s deceptions and falsehoods, and InshaAllah we will try to provide video references for every claim and statement of Mirza Sahib as much as possible. So dear friends, please definitely refer to those videos; this will make his lies very clear to you, how he traps you in a web of words and references and throws dust in your eyes. And if you feel that Mirza Sahib is indeed wrong and deceptive here, then watching and listening to the videos is not enough; considering the sayings and attitudes of hadith scholars towards those who speak ill of the companions, please dislike the videos and unsubscribe from their channel, otherwise their viewership will increase and this trial will spread more, while we are commanded to stop evil by hand or tongue.
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