Praise is due to Allāh, Lord of the worlds, may the blessings and peace be upon our master Muḥammad, the last of prophets, on his family, and all his companions.

The Secretariat General of the International Islamic Fiqh Academy has been following with great sadness and disappointment through the media, the actions of some people belonging to Islam, consisting in solemnly denigrating a number of the great companions of the Prophet of Allah PBUH and his wives, disowning them, striking them with anathema and accusing them of treason and apostasy. One of them went so far as to celebrate the death of the mother of the believers, Aisha, RA, which caused great indignation among Muslims of all sects.

Given the gravity of this calamity and the evil consequences it may cause and spread everywhere, as it may lead to the interruption of the efforts made by Muslim states leaders, virtuous scholars and thinkers, to consolidate the dialogue between the followers of the different Muslim denominations, to unify their words and their approach, to make them respect each other, to strengthen the bonds of solidarity between their nations and peoples, to strengthen the bonds of brotherhood between them to love each other for the sake of Allah, to bring their denominations closer together and to warn against any attempt to anathematize their followers and to motivate them, instead, to uphold moderation and tolerance and to combat extremism and fanaticism under the guise of religion.

The Secretariat General of the International Islamic Fiqh Academy, concerned with protecting the beliefs of Muslims and preserving the status of the Companions RA, wishes to state the following

Firstly: The Holy Qur’an testifies to the integrity of the companions of the Prophet. Allah has praised them most undoubtedly and it is enough for them to be proud that He has testified that they are the best community that He has raised for mankind. Allah the Almighty says: « You are the best nation produced [as an example] for mankind. » Aal-i-Imran -110. They are the first to enter into this testimony, for there is no rank that is better than that of being accepted by Allah to be a companion of the Prophet PBUH and to support him. It is precisely for this reason that the pious predecessors interpreted this verse by saying that it was sent down about the righteous Companions of the Prophet, (You are the best community). Ibn Attia said: (And if there were no verse praising them except this one, it would be sufficient.) Allah the Almighty said: « 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. » At-Tawba -100

. And this verse clearly shows the satisfaction of Allah about the Emigrants and the Helpers (Muhajiroon wa al Ansar) and those who followed them in good behavior and gives them the good news of eternity in the Gardens of Eden. Moreover, Ibn Kathir says about this verse: (Woe to anyone who hates them or denigrates them or hates or denigrates some of them… Where are they then from the belief in these Qur’anic verses, since they denigrate those whom Allah has approved! ). Moreover, Allah the Almighty said: « Certainly was Allah pleased with the believers when they pledged allegiance to you, [O Muhammad], under the tree, and He knew what was in their hearts, so He sent down tranquillity upon them and rewarded them with an imminent conquest » Al-Fath -18

. Ibn Hazm explained: (It is not permissible to stop and doubt about those whom Allah has declared that He has known what is in their hearts and has accepted them and has sent down peace to them. Moreover, among those who swore allegiance to him under the tree in Hudaybiyyah, when the disbelievers prevented him from performing Umrah, they were more than one thousand four hundred companions, Abu Bakr, Umar and Uthman whom Allah has approved, as reported by the author of the Minhaj As-Sunna. Allah also says

« Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah; and those with him are forceful against the disbelievers, merciful among themselves. You see them bowing and prostrating [in prayer], seeking bounty from Allah and [His] pleasure. Their mark is on their faces from the trace of prostration. That is their description in the Torah. And their description in the Gospel is as a plant which produces its offshoots and strengthens them so they grow firm and stand upon their stalks, delighting the sowers – so that Allah may enrage by them the disbelievers. Allah has promised those who believe and do righteous deeds among them forgiveness and a great reward. » Al-Fath -29

This verse shows the greatness of the status of the Companions, that Allah has praised them with these characteristics and has testified that they have already been mentioned in the Torah and the Bible, and therefore, it is not permissible for any Muslim subject to have any displeasure in his heart towards the Companions of the Prophet PBUH. Iman Malik said: (Whoever has any displeasure in his heart towards any of the companions of the Prophet is affected by this verse). Allah The Almighty said: « Not equal among you are those who spent before the conquest [of Makkah] and fought [and those who did so after it]. Those are greater in degree than they who spent afterwards and fought. But to all Allah has promised the best [reward]. And Allah, with what you do, is Acquainted. » Al-Hadid -10

. He has promised them :

« Indeed, those for whom the best [reward] has preceded from Us – they are from it far removed. (*) They will not hear its sound, while they are, in that which their souls desire, abiding eternally. (*) They will not be grieved by the greatest terror, and the angels will meet them, [saying], “This is your Day which you have been promised” » Al-Anbiya -101-102-103

In the Qur’an, all those who kept company with Allah’s Prophet PBUH, will attain the most beautiful reward promised to them by Allah, Who said: « Indeed, Allah does not fail in His promise. » Aal-i-Imran -9. Moreover, Allah The Almighty said: « For the poor emigrants who were expelled from their homes and their properties, seeking bounty from Allah and [His] approval and supporting Allah and His Messenger, [there is also a share]. Those are the truthful. (*) And [also for] those who were settled in al-Madinah and [adopted] the faith before them. They love those who emigrated to them and find not any want in their breasts of what the emigrants were given but give [them] preference over themselves, even though they are in privation. And whoever is protected from the stinginess of his soul – it is those who will be the successful. (*) And [there is a share for] those who came after them, saying, “Our Lord, forgive us and our brothers who preceded us in faith and put not in our hearts [any] resentment toward those who have believed. Our Lord, indeed You are Kind and Merciful.” »

Al-Hashr -8-9-10

These noble verses include the praise of the Companions among the Emigrants and Helpers and those who followed them in good behavior, asking Allah’s Forgiveness for them and invoking Allah never to put a grudge in their hearts for them. They also understand that it is these three classes that deserve the rewards. Thus, there is no doubt that anyone who feels resentment towards the Companions of the Prophet among the Emigrants and the Helpers, will be removed from these classes and will never invoke Allah’s Forgiveness on their behalf.

Secondly: Similarly, Sunnah is full of texts that praise the virtuous Companions of the Prophet and show their merits, at which are as follows:

A- Some hadiths are generally elongated, such as: (Do not insult my Companions! Indeed, if one of you were to spend the equivalent of Uhud Mountain in gold, it would not reach the amount of two palms of one of them, nor even half of it). Authentic: Reported by Al-Bukhari, Muslim, At-Tirmidhi and Abu Daoud.

“The people of my century are the best, then those who follow them, and then those who follow them. Then Imran said, “I do not sure whether he mentioned (after his century) two or three centuries”) Authentic: Reported by Al-Bukhari, Muslim.

B- There are hadiths that praise certain groups of them, such as the people of Badr, about whom the Prophet (pbuh) said: (And who knows, maybe Allah would have already looked at the warriors of Badr and said: “Do whatever you want, for I have forgiven you.) Reported by Muslim, and those who praise the Companions who took the oath of allegiance under the tree of approval, about whom the Prophet (pbuh) said: (He will not enter Hell, Allah willing, whoever took the oath of allegiance under the tree.)

C- Finally, other hadiths praise particular companions, and they are in great numbers, mentioned in the Sihaah and Musnads.

D- A hadith reported by At-Tirmidhi that the Prophet of Allah PBUH warned severely against slandering his Companions RA by saying: -“When my Ummah does fifteen things, the afflictions will occur in it,,and the end of this Ummah curses its beginning. When that occurs, anticipate a red wind, collapsing of the earth, and transformation.”

. And from an authentic narration among the Imamite Shiites, Al-Majjlisi reports according to At-Tussi, that Ali bin Abi Talib is alleged to have said to his companions: (I recommend to you concerning the Companions of the Prophet PBUH and his family, that you do not slander them because they are Companions of your Prophet, who had never innovated anything in their religion, nor had they worshipped any innovator. Indeed, the Prophet of Allah, PBUH, recommended this to me about them.) Similarly, Ibn Abbas, the faqih of the family of the Prophet and the son of his uncle said: (Allah has reserved for His Prophet, Companions who preferred him in all situations, to themselves by their lives and property, which, Allah has characterized in His Book as follows (Merciful among themselves). They raised the milestones of religion, recommended perseverance (in the apprehension of knowledge) to the Muslims, until its paths were refined and strengthened, and the graces of Allah appeared, His religion was established, and its milestones were illuminated. Allah has removed polytheism through them, extirpated its heads and erased its pillars, until His Word is triumphed and theirs is brought low). [Morujj Ad-Dhahab].

Therefore, it becomes clear that it is incumbent upon the Muslim to venerate the Companions of the Prophet PBUH and his family, by invoking Allah to accept them and acknowledge their virtues and rights, as it becomes clear that their defamation and denigration are among the greatest sins and perversions, and that can go beyond all that as some scholars said (Their denigration after the establishment of the verses showing their virtues, is certainly a denigration of Book and Sunnah).

Thus, given all that has been said, it is incumbent on everyone to be careful of the consequences of such behaviour, of anything that might cause disagreements and discords, and to ensure the sense of unity, solidarity and love among all Muslims.

Finally, in this perspective, the Secretariat General of the International Islamic Fiqh Academy, wishes all media, especially websites that preserve film footage on the net, not to keep the footage that are likely to cause discords and discrepancies between people and proceed to remove those that already exist as well as defamatory comments, the authors of which are people who do not understand the consequences.

And may Allah’s blessings and peace be upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family and companions.

The Secretariat General of the International Islamic Fiqh Academy.