Do not insult my companions
The Prophet (peace be on him) commanded us not to insult his companions. In the commentary on this narration in Sahih Bukhari, we are told that the reason behind this narration was a conflict between Khalid bin Walid and Abdur Rahman bin Awf. Khalid insulted Abdur Rahman bin Awf, and the Prophet (peace be on him) was angry. It is one of the great sins is to insult them.
Abu Sa`id Al-Khudri (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the Prophet (ﷺ) said:
عَنْ أَبِي سَعِيدٍ الْخُدْرِيِّ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ، قَالَ : قَالَ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ : ” لَا تَسُبُّوا أَصْحَابِي ؛ فَلَوْ أَنَّ أَحَدَكُمْ أَنْفَقَ مِثْلَ أُحُدٍ ذَهَبًا، مَا بَلَغَ مُدَّ أَحَدِهِمْ، وَلَا نَصِيفَهُ “. رواه البخاري.
“Do not insult my companions for if any one of you spent gold equal to Uhud (in Allah’s Cause) it would not be equal to a Mud or even a half Mud spent by one of them.” (Bukhari)
Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the Messenger of Allah (peace be on him) said:
، عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ ، قَالَ : قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ : ” لَا تَسُبُّوا أَصْحَابِي، لَا تَسُبُّوا أَصْحَابِي، فَوَالَّذِي نَفْسِي بِيَدِهِ، لَوْ أَنَّ أَحَدَكُمْ أَنْفَقَ مِثْلَ أُحُدٍ ذَهَبًا، مَا أَدْرَكَ مُدَّ أَحَدِهِمْ وَلَا نَصِيفَهُ “.رواه مسلم.
‘Do not insult my Companions, for by The One in Whose Hand is my soul! If any one of you were to spend the equivalent of Mount Uhud in gold, it would not equal a Mudd spent by anyone of them, nor even half a Mudd.” (Muslim)
‘Abdullah bin Mughaffal (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said:
عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ مُغَفَّلٍ، قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم “ اللَّهَ اللَّهَ فِي أَصْحَابِي، اللَّهَ اللَّهَ فِي أَصْحَابِي، لاَ تَتَّخِذُوهُمْ غَرَضًا بَعْدِي، فَمَنْ أَحَبَّهُمْ فَبِحُبِّي أَحَبَّهُمْ، وَمَنْ أَبْغَضَهُمْ فَبِبُغْضِي أَبْغَضَهُمْ، وَمَنْ آذَاهُمْ فَقَدْ آذَانِي، وَمَنْ آذَانِي فَقَدْ آذَى اللَّهَ، وَمَنْ آذَى اللَّهَ فَيُوشِكُ أَنْ يَأْخُذَهُ ” .رواه الترمذي. ضعيف.
“(Fear) Allah! (Fear) Allah regarding my Companions! Do not make them objects of insults after me. Whoever loves them, it is out of love of me that he loves them. And whoever hates them, it is out of hatred for me that he hates them. And whoever harms them, he has harmed me, and whoever harms me, he has offended Allah, and whoever offends Allah, [then] he shall soon be punished.” (Tirmidhi)
The high status of the companions
It was a clear command that no one can insult the companions as the level of the companions is very high and no one can reach it. They were blessed with the company of the Prophet (peace be on him), they observed him, stayed with him, spent time with him and learned from him. No one can ever reach that level, no matter how righteous or knowledgeable they are.
The carriers of the message
Those who accepted the Prophet (peace be on him) believed in him, fought with him, protected him, supported him and spent on him, carried the message. We received the divine message through them. This is why it is forbidden to insult them, especially those who had a great status, like Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman and Ali (may Allah be pleased with them) and the ten companions whom the Prophet (peace be on him) said were promised Jannah.
Defamation of the companions is haram
A recent film which has been cancelled from cinemas due to its inflammatory sectarian content defames Abu Bakr and Umar. The one who is behind this film, is very controversial. He hates the companions and has declared he is at war with them. They are elevated by their companionship of the Prophet (peace be on him). He can never touch that status.
A film that is based on false information, contradicts basic historical facts and is full of hatred, will only incite divisions within the Muslim community. It gives non-Muslims false information about the best companions and the first generation of Islam and how Islam was established. It destroys all this just to fulfil a distorted narrative. If the best companions were to kill their prophet and his daughter, the religion would be based on betrayal and deceit. Yet the truth is far from this.
Educate yourself and your children about the companions
We need to educate ourselves and our children more, especially about the khulafa’. We need to read their biographies and learn how much they suffered to carry this amanah (trust) and deliver it to us.
We need to bring the seerah of the companions alive for our children through authentic sources like Sear’Alaam An-Nubalaa’ by Al-Dhahabi and Hayat Al-Sahabah by Al-Kandihlawi are some of the best authentic sources. You can download them and read them and teach your children.
We ask Allah to enable us to be among those who honour the companions and follow the footsteps of the Prophet (peace be on him) until the Last Day. Ameen.
Shaykh Haytham Tamim Khutbah 10th June 2022
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Shaykh Haytham Tamim
Shaykh Haytham Tamim is the founder and main teacher of the Utrujj Foundation. He has provided a leading vision for Islamic learning in the UK, which has influenced the way Islamic knowledge is disseminated. He has orchestrated the design and delivery of over 200 unique courses since Utrujj started in 2001. His extensive expertise spans over 30 years across the main Islamic jurisprudence schools of thought. He has studied with some of the foremost scholars in their expertise; he holds some of the highest Ijazahs (certificates) in Quran, Hadith (the Prophetic traditions) and Fiqh (Islamic rulings). His own gift for teaching was evident when he gave his first sermon to a large audience at the age of 17 and went on to serve as a senior lecturer of Islamic transactions and comparative jurisprudence at the Islamic University of Beirut (Shariah College). He has continued to teach; travelling around the UK, Europe and wider afield, and won the 2015 BISCA award (British Imams & Scholars Contributions & Achievements Awards) for Outstanding Contribution to Education and Teaching.
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