Sahaba - The Blessed

Let that man know this: That the Shaikhayn ‘radiy-Allâhu
ta’âlâ ’anhumâ’ are the highest members of this Ummat (Muslims)
is a fact which was believed, and acknowledged at every occasion,
by all the Sahâba-i-kirâm and the Tâbi’în-i-i’zâm. A great majority
of the highest Islamic authorities have communicated this fact to
us. Imâm-i-Muhammad Shâfi’î ‘rahimahullâhu ta’âlâ’ is one of
those authorities. Abu-l-Hasan al-ash’arî ‘rahimahullâhu ta’âlâ’,
one of the two leaders of our credal Madhhab, stated: “That Abû
Bakr and ’Umar ‘radiy-Allâhu ’anhumâ’ are, respectively, the
highest members of this Umma, is a definite fact.” Imâm Alî stated
in the presence of a crowded group of his admirers, during his
caliphate: “Be it known that Abû Bakr is the highest of this
Ummat, and next comes ’Umar ‘radiy-Allâhu ’anhumâ’.” This
(statement of Hadrat Alî’s) is quoted by Imâm Zahabî
‘rahmatullâhi ’aleyh’, who notes, “This statement has been quoted
by more than eighty narrators.” Giving the names of most of them,
he adds, “May Allâhu ta’âlâ punish (the group of heretics called)
Râfidîs because they do not know this.” Imâm Muhammad
Bukhârî ‘rahimahullâhu ta’âlâ’ relates in his book Bukhârî-isherîf,
which is the second most valuable Islamic book after the
Qur’ân al-kerîm, the Book of Allâhu ta’âlâ: Imâm Alî ‘radiy-
Allâhu ’anh’ stated, “The second best member of this Ummat after
the Messenger of Allah ‘sall-Allâhu ’alaihi wasallam’ is Abû Bakr,
who is the second highest as well, and next after him is ’Umar
‘radiy-Allâhu ’anhumâ’. Next after them is someone else.” When
his son Muhammad bin Hanafiyya commented, “And you are that
person,” he stated, “I am one of Muslims.”
Narrations like this on the authority of Imâm Alî and the
greater ones of the Ashâb-i-kirâm ‘radiy-Allâhu ’anhum’ and of
the Tâbi’în-i-izâm have reached us and spread far and near. It is
either vulgar ignorance or sheer stubbornness to deny the fact
despite all those narrations. That unconscionable khatîb must be
told that “we have been commanded to love all the Sahâba ‘radiy-
Allâhu ’anhum’ of our Prophet ‘sall-Allâhu ’alaihi wa sallam’ and
not to offend any one of them. Hadrat ’Uthmân and Hadrat Alî
‘radiy-Allâhu anhumâ’ are Sahâbîs, too. And they are two of the
greatest ones. They are our Prophet’s ‘sall-Allâhu ’alaihi wa
sallam’ sons-in-law. Then, it is necessary to love them, and they
must be loved very much. Allâhu ta’âlâ declares in the Qur’ân alkerîm:
‘O My beloved Prophet ‘sall-Allâhu ’alaihi wa sallam’! Say
unto them: I demand only one price for (my service of) having
invited you to Islam and for having guided you to eternal
happiness: Love my relatives and those who are close to me.’ Our
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