Sahaba - The Blessed

attainments will reproduce happiness and attainments for many
another person. Your salvation will cause others’ salvation and
attainment of peace. As is reported, again, by my son, you have
been reading this faqîr’s (Hadrat Imâm Rabbânî’s) writings and
cherishing my words. He said it would be very useful if I wrote a
few words to you. So I attempt to write a few words at my son’s
request.
Recently, most people in India have been discussing subjects
such as right of caliphate and making comments on the
behaviours and attitudes of the Sahâba. Quite a few people have
been frankly saying and writing their personal meagre heretical
opinions and narrow views on this esoteric subject, which is one of
the most delicate branches of the Islamic sciences. They do not
hesitate to attach wrong meanings to âyat-i-kerîmas and hadîth-isherîfs,
or to try to hush up the true and rightful words of the
Islamic scholars, in order to prove that they are right. I have
therefore considered it requisite to reveal the truth by writing a
couple of facts on the subject, informing the Muslims about the
true and rightful words of the scholars of Ahl as-Sunnat and
refuting the heresies of the aberrant groups of bid’at with the help
of documentary proofs.
O my pure-souled and noble-natured brother! Scholars of the
Madhhab of Ahl as-Sunnat ‘rahimahumullâhu ta’âlâ unanimously
state that it is necessary to “hold the Shaikhayn superior and love
the two sons-in-law.” In other words, Hadrat Abû Bakr and
Hadrat ’Umar are superior to all the other Sahâbîs, and Hadrat
’Uthmân and Hadrat Alî should be loved. Every Muslim in the
right path called Ahl as-Sunnat wa-l-jamâ’at is to hold the former
two (Khalîfas) in higher esteem, feeling warm affection for the
latter two.
That Hadrat Abû Bakr and Hadrat ’Umar are the highest (of
all the Sahâba) is a fact on which all the Sahâba were unanimous.
This unanimity of the Sahâba was reported to us by the Tâbi’în-iizâm.
The greater ones of our religious imâms, such as Imâm
Shâfi’î, inform us that the unanimity was the case. Hadrat Abul
Hasan Ash’arî, one of our two religious leaders in credal matters,
states: “That Abû Bakr and ’Umar are the highest Muslims in the
entire Ummat is an absolute fact.” Imâm Zahabî writes that
Hadrat Alî ‘radiy-Allâhu ’anh’ was Khalîfa and was therefore
holding the entire state power and authority in his hands when he
said to a large audience of the Sahâba, “Abû Bakr and ’Umar are
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