IN THE NAME OF ALLAH, THE MOST GRACIOUS, THE MOST MERCIFUL
THE SECOND SERMON FOR THE MONTH OF SAFAR
DATE: 28 SAFAR 1447 AH (22/8/2022 CE)
TOPIC: THE STATUS OF THE COMPANIONS AND THE RULING ON REVILING THEM
THE FIRST SERMON
All praise is due to Allah, the All-Knowing, the All-Wise, “Who creates whatever He wills and chooses.” I bear witness that there is no deity worthy of worship except Allah, alone without partner; and I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and Messenger. May Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him, his family, his companions, and those who follow them in righteousness until the Day of Judgment.
To proceed: Fear Allah, and you will succeed. For whoever fears Allah, Allah grants him a criterion, protects him, and guides him to the best affairs of his religion and worldly life.
Honored servants of Allah: Allah chose for His Prophet the best men of their time, making them his helpers and companions. They were the best support and company—may Allah be pleased with them all. They are the best generation; their hearts are the purest hearts after the Prophets, people of noble virtues and lofty ranks, leaders of guidance. Loving them is religion, faith, and excellence, while hating them is disbelief, hypocrisy, and transgression.
They are those who met the Prophet ﷺ, believed in him, and died upon that—even if the meeting was only for an hour. They are the best of all generations and nations after the Prophets and Messengers, for Allah chose them for the companionship of the Chosen One ﷺ. They believed in him, strove with him, and received knowledge from him. They fulfilled what they pledged to Allah and did not alter it in the least.
Therefore, the subject of this week’s khutbah revolves around the status of the Companions and the ruling on reviling them (may Allah be pleased with them all).
O noble listeners! It is obligatory upon Muslims in general to love all the Companions—because Allah loves them, and because the Prophet ﷺ loves them. Ahl al-Sunnah wa’l-Jamā‘ah love the Companions of the Prophet ﷺ and prefer them over all creation after the Prophets. Their love for the Companions is due to their love for the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, and the love of the Messenger ﷺ stems from the love of Allah. They praise the Companions, seek Allah’s pleasure for them, and supplicate forgiveness for them. This is due to the following reasons:
Firstly: Allah, the Exalted, explicitly confirmed their true faith alongside the Messenger ﷺ, in His saying:
﴿وَالّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَهَاجَرُوا وَجَاهَدُوا فِي سَبِيلِ اللهِ وَالّذِينَ آوَوْا وَنَصَرُوا أُولَئِكَ هُمُ المُؤْمِنُونَ حَقًّا لَهُمْ مَغْفِرَةٌ وَرِزْقٌ كَرِيمٌ﴾
“And those who believed, and emigrated, and strove in the cause of Allah, and those who gave shelter and helped—these are the true believers. For them is forgiveness and a noble provision.” (Surah Al-Anfal 8:74)
Secondly: Allah loved them, was pleased with them, and granted them His pleasure, forgiving their slips no matter what they were. This is confirmed by numerous Qur’anic verses and authentic ahadith. Among them is His saying:
﴿وَالسَّابِقُونَ الأَوَّلُونَ مِنَ المُهَاجِرِينَ وَالأَنْصَارِ وَالَّذِينَ اتَّبَعُوهُمْ بِإِحْسَانٍ رَضِيَ اللهُ عَنْهُمْ وَرَضُوا عَنْهُ وَأَعَدَّ لَهُمْ جَنَّاتٍ تَجْرِي تَحْتَهَا الأَنْهَارُ خَالِدِينَ فِيهَا أَبَدًا ذَلِكَ الفَوْزُ العَظِيمُ﴾
“And the first forerunners [in the faith] among the Muhajireen and the Ansar, and those who followed them with good conduct – Allah is pleased with them and they are pleased with Him. And He has prepared for them gardens beneath which rivers flow, wherein they will abide forever. That is the great attainment.” (Surah At-Tawbah 9:100)
And His saying:
﴿لَقَدْ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنِ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ إِذْ يُبَايِعُونَكَ تَحْتَ الشَّجَرَةِ فَعَلِمَ مَا فِي قُلُوبِهِمْ فَأَنزَلَ السَّكِينَةَ عَلَيْهِمْ وَأَثَابَهُمْ فَتْحاً قَرِيباً﴾
“Certainly was Allah pleased with the believers when they pledged allegiance to you under the tree. He knew what was in their hearts, so He sent down tranquility upon them and rewarded them with a near victory.” (Surah Al-Fath 48:18)
Thirdly: They are the best of all generations among mankind. Al-Bukhari and Muslim both narrated in their Sahih collections from the hadith of Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet ﷺ said:
“The best of people are my generation, then those who come after them, then those who come after them.” (Al-Bukhari and Muslim)
Fourthly: They supported the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, strove alongside him, and defended him from all harm until Allah granted him victory and established him to spread the call of Tawheed and the message of Islam. Then they continued the mission after him in the best manner. They were the foremost witnesses and carriers of this message—may Allah be pleased with them. Allah the Almighty said:
﴿لَكِنِ الرَّسُولُ وَالَّذِينَ آمَنُوا مَعَهُ جَاهَدُوا بِأَمْوَالِهِمْ وَأَنفُسِهِمْ وَأُولَئِكَ لَهُمُ الخَيْرَاتُ وَأُولَئِكَ هُمُ المُفْلِحُونَ﴾
“But the Messenger and those who believed with him fought with their wealth and their lives. For them are the good things, and it is they who will be successful.” (Surah At-Tawbah 9:88)
Fifthly: They are the intermediaries between the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and his Ummah; from them the Ummah received the Shari‘ah.
Sixthly: They spread virtues among this Ummah—truthfulness, sincerity, morals, and manners that cannot be found among others. Allah praised them in His Book, saying:
﴿مُحَمَّدٌ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ وَالَّذِينَ مَعَهُ أَشِدَّاءُ عَلَى الْكُفَّارِ رُحَمَاءُ بَيْنَهُمْ تَرَاهُمْ رُكَّعًا سُجَّدًا﴾
“Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, and those who are with him are severe against the disbelievers and merciful among themselves. You see them bowing and prostrating in prayer…”
(Surah Al-Fath 48:29)
O noble servants of Allah: You must recognize the greatness of these men, whom Allah Himself called “men” from above the seven heavens, saying:
﴿رِجَالٌ لَا تُلْهِيهِمْ تِجَارَةٌ وَلَا بَيْعٌ عَنْ ذِكْرِ اللَّهِ وَإِقَامِ الصَّلَاةِ وَإِيتَاءِ الزَّكَاةِ يَخَافُونَ يَوْمًا تَتَقَلَّبُ فِيهِ الْقُلُوبُ وَالْأَبْصَارُ﴾
“Men whom neither trade nor sale distracts from the remembrance of Allah and performance of prayer and giving of zakah. They fear a Day in which the hearts and eyes will turn about.” (Surah An-Nur 24:37)
In this verse, Allah promised them goodness, bore witness to their success, and prepared for them gardens of bliss. They are the ones who were with him, believed in him, and strove with their wealth and lives. They are the ones “Allah is pleased with, and they are pleased with Him.” So who can criticize them after such a testimony? And who can disparage them after this divine praise?
As for the one who does not speak from his own desires—the Prophet ﷺ—he praised them, saying:
“The best of people are my generation, then those who come after them, then those who come after them.”
And how excellent is the saying of Abdullah ibn Mas‘ud (may Allah be pleased with him):
“Whoever among you wishes to follow a path, let him follow the path of those who have passed away. For the living are not safe from trials. They were the Companions of Muhammad ﷺ—the best of this Ummah, the purest of heart, the deepest in knowledge, the least pretentious. They were a people whom Allah chose for the companionship of His Prophet and for establishing His religion. So recognize their virtue, follow their guidance, and hold fast as much as you can to their character and religion, for indeed they were upon true guidance.”
Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
“They are the blessing of Islam, the vanguard of faith, the army of the Qur’an, and the soldiers of the Most Merciful. They are the Companions of the Prophet ﷺ — the most tender-hearted of this Ummah, the deepest in knowledge, the least pretentious, the most eloquent, the truest in faith, the most sincere in advice, and the closest to Allah in nearness.”
Dear servants of Allah, Allah has warned against opposing the path of the believers:
“وَمَنْ يُشَاقِقِ الرَّسُولَ مِنْ بَعْدِ مَا تَبَيَّنَ لَهُ الْهُدَى وَيَتَّبِعْ غَيْرَ سَبِيلِ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ نُوَلِّهِ مَا تَوَلَّى وَنُصْلِهِ جَهَنَّمَ وَسَاءَتْ مَصِيرًا”
“And whoever opposes the Messenger after guidance has become clear to him and follows other than the way of the believers – We will turn him to what he has turned to and drive him into Hell, and evil it is as a destination.” (al-Nisā’ 4:115)
The path of Ahl al-Sunnah is to revere and seek Allah’s pleasure for the Companions due to their honored status proven by evidence. Whoever opposes this has followed other than the way of the believers and is threatened with punishment. Allah also says:
“وَالَّذِينَ يُؤْذُونَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ وَالْمُؤْمِنَاتِ بِغَيْرِ مَا اكْتَسَبُوا فَقَدِ احْتَمَلُوا بُهْتَانًا وَإِثْمًا مُّبِينًا”
“And those who harm believing men and believing women for [something] other than what they have earned have certainly born upon themselves a slander and manifest sin.” (al-Aḥzāb 33:58)
Thus, insulting the Companions is categorically prohibited by consensus. The Prophet ﷺ said:
“Do not insult any of my Companions. For if one of you were to spend the equivalent of Mount Uhud in gold, it would not equal a mudd (handful) of one of them, nor even half of it.” (Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim, no. 2541)
He ﷺ also said:
“Whoever insults my Companions, upon him is the curse of Allah, the angels, and all people.” (Ḥasan – reported by al-Ṭabarānī 12/142, no. 12709)
And indeed, insulting them is harming them.
Imām al-Ṭaḥāwī (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
“We love the Companions of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. We do not go to extremes in loving any of them, nor do we disassociate from any of them. We hate those who hate them or mention them with anything other than good. We only mention them with good. Loving them is religion, faith, and excellence, while hating them is disbelief, hypocrisy, and transgression.” (Sharḥ al-ʿAqīdah al-Ṭaḥāwiyyah 2/689).
ʿĀ’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) was told that some people insulted the Companions of the Prophet ﷺ — even Abū Bakr and ʿUmar. She replied: “What amazes you about that? Their deeds have ended, but Allah willed that their reward should not end.”
Imām Aḥmad narrated in Faḍā’il al-Ṣaḥābah from Ibn ʿUmar (may Allah be pleased with them both) who said:
“Do not insult the Companions of Muhammad ﷺ, for the standing of one of them with the Messenger of Allah ﷺ for an hour is better than the worship of one of you for forty years.” (Aḥmad, Faḍā’il al-Ṣaḥābah, no. 20)
In another narration: “Better than the lifetime of one of you in worship.” (Ṣaḥīḥ Ibn Mājah)
Servants of Allah, do not compromise when it comes to loving the Companions, nor remain silent when they are insulted or criticized. Their love comes first, and defending them is a duty. Some pretentious claimants of knowledge today imitate the misguided Rāfiḍah by belittling the Companions of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, either explicitly or implicitly. They argue that not all of them were equal. By Allah, they are all equal in our love, our respect, and our silence regarding any disputes among them. We mention them with goodness, seek Allah’s pleasure for them when they are mentioned, and take knowledge from them, for all of them are trustworthy and just — and this is agreed upon by the scholars of Ahl al-Sunnah. None opposed this except a deviant faction of evil people.
Sufyān ibn ʿUyaynah (may Allah have mercy on him) said: “Whoever speaks against the Companions of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ with a single word is a person of desires.”
O Allah, be pleased with all the Companions, and reward them on our behalf with the best of rewards.
I say what you hear, and I ask Allah’s forgiveness for me and for you and for the Muslims from every sin. So seek His forgiveness, for He is the All-Forgiving, the Most Merciful.
THE SECOND SERMON
All praise is due to Allah, Lord of the worlds, Protector of the believers, the One who strengthens Islam through His victory, and humiliates shirk by His might. He directs affairs by His command, increases blessings by gratitude, and leads the disbelievers to destruction through their own plotting. He is the One who subdues above His servants, the One dominant over His creation. I bear witness that there is no deity worthy of worship except Allah alone, without partner, the Eternal Refuge, nothing is like Him, and He is the All-Hearing, the All-Seeing. I bear witness that our Prophet Muḥammad is His servant and Messenger. May Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him, his family, and his companions abundantly.
To proceed, noble servants of Allah:What goodness is there in people, when Allah Himself has exposed their plots, deception, and evils? Allah says:
﴿… وَلَا يَزَالُونَ يُقَاتِلُونَكُمْ حَتَّىٰ يَرُدُّوكُمْ عَن دِينِكُمْ إِنِ اسْتَطَاعُوا ۚ وَمَن يَرْتَدِدْ مِنكُمْ عَن دِينِهِ فَيَمُتْ وَهُوَ كَافِرٌ فَأُولَٰئِكَ حَبِطَتْ أَعْمَالُهُمْ فِي الدُّنْيَا وَالْآخِرَةِ وَأُولَٰئِكَ أَصْحَابُ النَّارِ ۖ هُمْ فِيهَا خَالِدُونَ﴾ (البقرة: 217)
“…And they will continue to fight you until they turn you back from your religion if they are able. And whoever among you reverts from his religion and dies while he is a disbeliever—for those, their deeds have become worthless in this world and the Hereafter, and they will be companions of the Fire; they will abide therein eternally.” (Al-Baqarah 2:217)
And He commands us to abandon their alliance:
﴿إِنَّمَا يَنْهَاكُمُ اللَّهُ عَنِ الَّذِينَ قَاتَلُوكُمْ فِي الدِّينِ وَأَخْرَجُوكُم مِّن دِيَارِكُمْ وَظَاهَرُوا عَلَىٰ إِخْرَاجِكُمْ أَن تَوَلَّوْهُمْ ۚ وَمَن يَتَوَلَّهُمْ فَأُولَٰئِكَ هُمُ الظَّالِمُونَ﴾ “Allah only forbids you from those who fight you because of religion, and expel you from your homes, and aid in your expulsion – that you take them as allies. And whoever takes them as allies, then it is they who are the wrongdoers.” (Al-Mumtahanah 60:9)
O noble brothers in faith! There are many current events today that require strict commitment to boycotting the enemies of Islam and humanity, in line with the above verses.
It is narrated from Abū Umāmah (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
“Whoever loves for Allah, hates for Allah, gives for Allah, and withholds for Allah, has perfected faith.”
Al-Manāwī (رحمه الله) said: “This ḥadīth indicates that whoever does not love for Allah and hate for Allah has not perfected his faith.”
Ibn ʿAbbās (may Allah be pleased with them both) said: “Whoever loves for Allah, hates for Allah, allies for Allah, and opposes for Allah—indeed, he attains Allah’s closeness thereby.”
So, honorable listeners, we have no choice but to continue the boycott of the products of the Jews and their allies—the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Britain, and their followers—because of their ongoing crimes committed in Gaza and against its people. If we are unable to be physically present with them to help against the enemies, then it has been said: “Whoever does not concern himself with the affairs of the Muslims is not one of them.” As long as we continue consuming their products, it indicates our submission and support for the genocide in Gaza, showing loyalty to the disbelievers against the command of Allah and His Messenger ﷺ.
Supplication
O Allah, deal with those who insult the Companions of Your Prophet; O Allah, subdue them and curse them, O Lord of the worlds.
O Allah, forgive us, our parents, the Muslims and the Muslim women, the believing men and the believing women—those who are alive and those who have passed away. Indeed, You are the All-Forgiving, Most Merciful.
“Our Lord, forgive us and our brothers who preceded us in faith, and do not place in our hearts any rancor toward those who believe. Our Lord, indeed You are Most Compassionate, Most Merciful.” [Qur’an 59:10]
O Allah, grant honor to Islam and the Muslims, and humiliate shirk and the polytheists, and destroy the enemies of the religion. O Allah, seize them, for they cannot escape You—O Mighty, O Strong.
O Allah, we entrust to You Bayt al-Maqdis, the people of Jerusalem, and all of Palestine. Grant victory to our brothers in Palestine, and bestow upon them triumph, honor, strength, and dignity. Heal their sick, and accept their martyrs by Your mercy, O Most Merciful of the merciful.
O Allah, grant victory to the mujahideen stationed in Your cause in Palestine—grant them a mighty, swift victory. Support the Palestinian resistance factions, make their feet firm, grant them steadfastness, victory, empowerment, and support for all Muslims.
O Allah, return to us Palestine and Al-Aqsa Mosque in a noble return. O Allah, nothing is hidden from You; our weakness is clear before You, so grant us victory through Your support, forgive our sins, and conceal our faults, O Most Merciful of the merciful. Do not hold us accountable for what we have done.
O Allah, we ask You for security, safety, tranquility, and peace in this country of ours and in all the lands of the Muslims.
Our Lord, grant us good in this world and good in the Hereafter, and protect us from the punishment of the Fire. [Qur’an 2:201]