Sahaba - The Blessed

statement. That statement shows that we should not make
comments on the events among them, neither favourable nor
unfavourable; we should not pass judgments, for instance, on who
was right and who was wrong. We should only speak in praise of
them. A hadîth-i-sherîf commands us to do so. The hadîth-i-sherîf
reads as follows: “Keep your tongues when my Sahâba are
mentioned,” which means, “When people talk about my Sahâba
and the wars among them, protect yourselves. Avoid expressing a
predilection for some of them and blaming the others.” We have
to obey this commandment. However, according to the
understanding of most of the scholars of Ahl as-Sunnat, the
Sahâbîs who fought on Hadrat Alî’s side were right. The opposing
party were erroneous. Yet they cannot be blamed, since theirs was
an error of ijtihâd. An error of ijtihâd is not something open to
criticism. Those (mujtahids) with erroneous ijtihâd, like the
mujtahids whose ijtihâd was right, cannot be blamed or vilified.
Hadrat Alî ‘radiy-Allâhu ’anh’ is reported to have made the
following explanation amidst the so-called wars: “Our brothers
disagree with us. They are neither disbelievers nor sinners. For,
their ijtihâd is what they understand, which would not make them
disbelievers or sinners.” As is seen, the Sunnîs and the Shiites
concur in that the Sahâbîs who fought with Hadrat Alî were
wrong, and in that Hadrat Alî was right. They differ, however,
inasmuch as the scholars of Ahl as-Sunnat state that the
erroneous party cannot be blamed because their error originated
from their understanding and points of view. They hold that we
should avoid criticizing and maligning those great people and that
we should be considerate of the right and honour of the Best of
Mankind ‘sall-Allâhu ta’âlâ ’alaihi wa sallam’. Indeed, our
Prophet ‘sall-Allâhu ’alaihi wa sallam’ stated: “Fear Allâhu ta’âlâ
lest you should fail to be considerate of my Sahâba’s rights. After
me, do not speak ill of them!” He repeated the same statement
twice in order to emphasize the importance of his commandment.
It is stated in another hadîth-i-sherîf: “All my Sahâba are like the
celestial stars. You will attain hidâyat and happiness if you follow
any one of them!” There is many another hadîth-i-sherîf which
commands that each and every Sahâbî must be held great and
respected. Therefore, we have to hold them valuable and
superior. As for the trivial mistakes ascribed to them; we should,
at the most, believe that there were benevolent intentions behind
those mistakes. This is the Sunnî credo.
Some people exceed the limits in this matter. They call the
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