Ṣaḥābah

Definition

Those who met the Prophet ﷺ, believed in him, and died as Muslims. They are all upright by consensus of Ahl us-Sunnah.

Etymology & Root

From ص-ح-ب (ṣ-ḥ-b), 'to accompany, befriend'. Singular: ṣaḥābī.

Usage in the Qur'an

'Muḥammad is the Messenger of Allah, and those with him are firm against the disbelievers, merciful among themselves' (al-Fatḥ 48:29). 'And the first to embrace Islam from the Muhājirūn and the Anṣār… Allah is pleased with them and they with Him' (at-Tawbah 9:100).

Usage in the Sunnah

'The best of people are my generation, then those after them, then those after them' (Bukhārī, Muslim). 'Do not curse my Companions; for if one of you spent the equivalent of Mount Uḥud in gold, it would not equal a handful of theirs nor half of it' (Bukhārī, Muslim).

Scholarly Notes

Ahl us-Sunnah hold the ṣaḥābah collectively just (ʿudūl) — meaning their narrations of ḥadīth are accepted without inquiry into their integrity. Disagreements among them (e.g., the fitnah) are passed over with silence and good thoughts.

Common Misconceptions

(1) That the ṣaḥābah are infallible — they are not; they made ijtihād and sometimes erred. (2) That cursing or denigrating any of them is permissible — this is a hallmark of the Rāfiḍah and condemned by consensus.

Practical Application

Say 'raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhu/ʿanhā' after their names. Study their lives — Khulafāʾ ar-Rāshidūn, the ten promised Paradise, the badrīyīn — as living examples. Defend their honour.

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