Sahaba - The Blessed

It is stated in a hadîth-i-sherîf written in Hâkim and in the
(book of hadîths entitled) Musnad by Imâm Ahmad, and which is
reported by Hadrat Alî: “When Abû Bakr comes to power and
presides over you, you will find him zâhid in the world and râghib
in the Hereafter. When ’Umar presides over you, you will find him
powerful, trustworthy, and undaunted in the way of Allah. When
Alî gains the presidency over you, you will find him hâdi and
muhdî. He will guide you to the right path.”
Sa’îd bin Zayd ‘radiy-Allâhu ta’âlâ ’anh’ quoted the following
hadîth-i-sherîf, which is written in Tirmuzî and in ibn Mâja: “Ten
people are in Paradise, (that is, that they will go to Paradise is
certain by now). (They are:) Abû Bakr and ’Umar and ’Uthmân
and Talha and Zubayr and Abdurrahmân bin ’Awf and Alî bin
Abî Tâlib and Sa’d bin Abî Waqqâs and Abû ’Ubayda bin Jerrâh.”
Naming nine of the blessed Sahâbîs, Sa’îd bin Zayd kept back the
tenth name. When they asked who he was, he said, “Abu-l-
A’war,” implying himself.
Irbât bin Sâriya narrates the following event, which is written
in ibn Mâja and in Tirmuzî: We, the Sahâba, had assembled (on an
occasion). Rasûlullah ‘sall-Allâhu ’alaihi wa sallam’ stated, “Fear
Allâhu ta’âlâ. Obey your Amîr, who will be presiding over you,
even if he is an Abyssinian slave! After me, there will happen
differences among Muslims. During those disturbances hold fast to
my Sunnat and to the sunnats of the Khulafâ-ar-Râshidîn. My
Khalîfas will show you the right path. Follow the path that they
will show you! Avoid the later inventions! All bid’ats are
aberration and heresy.” Hadrat Safîna, who served the Messenger
of Allah for years, relates: I heard Rasûlullah say, “After me, my
Khalîfas will make my path live on for thirty years. Thereafter
meliks (emperors, sultans) will preside over my Ummat.” The
caliphate of Abû Bakr lasted for two years; that of ’Umar lasted
for ten years; ’Uthmân’s tenure of office lasted for twelve years;
and Alî held office for six years ‘radiy-Allâhu ta’âlâ ’anhum
ajma’în’.
There is many another similar hadîth-i-sherîf citing the
superiorities of Abû Bakr and ’Umar ’radiy-Allâhu ta’âlâ
’anhumâ’ and stating that they are people of Paradise. Also,
hundreds of other hadîth-i-sherîfs, which state the superiorities of
the Ashâb-i-kirâm, of the Muhâjirîn, and of those blessed people
who were present at a number of vitally important events such as
– 229 –