Merits of the Companions

Anas ibn Mālik (may Allah be pleased with him) reports that he and a servant of similar age would follow the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) when he went to relieve himself. They would carry a stick with a pointed end like a spearhead, which he would insert in the ground to hang a covering as a screen for his privacy or as a Sutrah (barrier) for his prayer, and would carry as well a small leather vessel filled with water. When the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) finished relieving himself, one of them would hand him the water vessel, and he would cleanse himself with it.

1. A Muslim arranges his cleaning supplies beforehand when relieving himself, to avoid having to move and get dirty afterward.
2. Concealing one's ‘Awrah (private parts) while relieving oneself, so that no one may see it, because looking at ‘Awrah is forbidden. Thus, he (the Prophet) would fix the stick in the ground and drape a covering garment over it as a screen.
3. Teaching Islamic manners to children and raising them upon these values, so they may inherit them.

صحيح البخاري (1/ 42) (152). صحيح مسلم (1/ 227) (271). تيسير العلام شرح عمدة الأحكام، لعبد الله البسام (ص40). تنبيه الأفهام شرح عمدة الأحكام، لابن عثيمين (1/ 43). الإفهام في شرح عمدة الأحكام، لابن باز (ص84).

The Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) were the most eager of people to follow the Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) in every aspect. They would even walk in the same path that he used to walk in, sit in the same places he used to sit in and do everything they knew he used to do. This Hadīth is a proof of that, as Abu Bakr and ‘Umar visited a woman whom the Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) used to visit. They visited her only because of this. When they arrived at her home, she began to weep. They said to her why are you weeping? Do you not know that what Allah, Glorified and Exalted be He, has prepared for His Messenger is better than this world? She replied: I do not weep because of that, but rather because the revelation has ceased. This is because when the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) passed away, the revelation stopped, as there is no revelation after him. That is why Allah perfected the Shariah before he passed away. Allah, the Almighty, says: {This day I have perfected for you your religion and completed My favor upon you and have approved for you Islam as religion} [Al-Mā‘idah: 3]. Upon hearing her words, Abu Bakr and ‘Umar started weeping as well because she reminded them of what they had forgotten.

بهجة الناظرين شرح رياض الصالحين، سليم بن عيد الهلالي، دار ابن الجوزي، الدمام، الطبعة: الأولى 1415هـ. رياض الصالحين من كلام سيد المرسلين، أبو زكريا محيي الدين النووي، تحقيق ماهر الفحل، دار ابن كثير، دمشق، بيروت، الطبعة: الأولى 1428هـ. شرح رياض الصالحين، محمد بن صالح العثيمين، دار الوطن، الرياض، الطبعة: 1426هـ. نزهة المتقين شرح رياض الصالحين، مجموعة من الباحثين، مؤسسة الرسالة، بيروت، الطبعة: الرابعة عشر 1407هـ، 1987م. صحيح مسلم، مسلم بن الحجاج القشيري النيسابوري، تحقيق محمد فؤاد عبد الباقي، دار إحياء التراث العربي، بيروت، الطبعة: 1423 هـ.

Anas ibn Mālik (may Allah be pleased with him) returned from Syria and people received him because of his high status and wide knowledge. The narrator, who was among the people who received him, saw him pray on on a donkey towards the left side of the Qiblah. He asked him about that, and Anas told them that he had seen the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) do that; otherwise, he would not have done it.

تيسير العلام شرح عمدة الأحكام للبسام، حققه وعلق عليه وخرج أحاديثه وصنع فهارسه: محمد صبحي بن حسن حلاق، ط10، مكتبة الصحابة، الإمارات - مكتبة التابعين، القاهرة، 1426هـ. تنبيه الأفهام شرح عمدة لأحكام لابن عثيمين، ط1، مكتبة الصحابة، الإمارات، 1426هـ. الإلمام بشرح عمدة الأحكام، لإسماعيل الأنصاري، ط1، دار الفكر، دمشق، 1381هـ. عمدة الأحكام من كلام خير الأنام صلى الله عليه وسلم لعبد الغني المقدسي، دراسة وتحقيق: محمود الأرناؤوط، مراجعة وتقديم: عبد القادر الأرناؤوط، ط2، دار الثقافة العربية، دمشق ، بيروت، مؤسسة قرطبة، 1408 هـ. صحيح البخاري، تحقيق: محمد زهير بن ناصر الناصر، ط1، دار طوق النجاة (مصورة عن السلطانية بإضافة ترقيم: محمد فؤاد عبد الباقي)، 1422هـ. صحيح مسلم، تحقيق: محمد فؤاد عبد الباقي، دار إحياء التراث العربي، بيروت.

Jarīr ibn ‘Abdullāh al-Bajali (may Allah be pleased with him) went out for a journey, in which he used to serve his companions, who were some men of the Ansār. Among them was Anas ibn Mālik, who was younger than Jarīr. It was said to him: "How do you serve them when you are a Companion of the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessing be upon him?!" Jarīr replied: "I saw the Ansār do something with the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) after which I took an oath upon myself that I would never accompany anyone of them without serving him." This is a form of honoring those who honor the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him). In fact, honoring and respecting a man's companions is part of honoring and respecting the man himself. That is why Jarīr regarded that honoring those people is part of honoring the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him).

بهجة الناظرين شرح رياض الصالحين، لسليم الهلالي، ط1، دار ابن الجوزي، الدمام، 1415هـ. تطريز رياض الصالحين، للشيخ فيصل المبارك، ط1، تحقيق: عبد العزيز بن عبد الله آل حمد، دار العاصمة، الرياض، 1423هـ. دليل الفالحين لطرق رياض الصالحين، لمحمد علي بن محمد بن علان، ط4، اعتنى بها: خليل مأمون شيحا، دار المعرفة، بيروت، 1425هـ. رياض الصالحين، للنووي، ط1، تحقيق: ماهر ياسين الفحل، دار ابن كثير، دمشق، بيروت، 1428هـ. رياض الصالحين، ط4، تحقيق: عصام هادي، وزارة الأوقاف والشؤون الإسلامية القطرية، دار الريان، بيروت، 1428هـ. شرح رياض الصالحين، للشيخ ابن عثيمين، دار الوطن للنشر، الرياض، 1426هـ. صحيح البخاري، ط1، تحقيق: محمد زهير بن ناصر الناصر، دار طوق النجاة، (مصورة عن السلطانية بإضافة ترقيم: محمد فؤاد عبد الباقي)، 1422هـ. صحيح مسلم، تحقيق: محمد فؤاد عبد الباقي، دار إحياء التراث العربي، بيروت.

Abu Mūsa al-Ash‘ari (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that one day he performed ablution at home then set out seeking the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) saying: "Today, I shall stick to the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him)." i.e. I will be with him as he comes and goes. So, he went to the mosque, because the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) was either in the mosque or at home tending to his family's needs or helping his companions with their affairs. He did not find him in the mosque. So, he inquired about him and the people told him that he walked in a certain direction. They pointed to the direction of Arīs, a well in the outskirts of Qubā'. Abu Mūsa then pursued him until he arrived at the well and found the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) there. He stayed at the gate of the orchard wherein the well was. The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) answered the call of nature and then performed ablution and sat at the center of the edge of the well, dangling his legs and uncovering his shins. Abu Mūsa was guarding the door of the well, acting as a guard for the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him). Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) sought permission to enter, but Abu Mūsa did not permit him until he informed the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) that Abu Bakr was seeking permission. The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) told him to let Abu Bakr in and to give him glad tidings of Paradise. Such great tidings, indeed; giving him glad tidings of Paradise and then permitting him to enter to be in the Prophet's company. Abu Bakr entered and found the Prophet sitting in the center of the well's edge. He sat on his right side because the Prophet loved to start with the right side in all things. So, Abu Bakr sat on his right and did as the Prophet did. He dangled his feet in the well and uncovered his shins, disliking to sit in a way different from the way the Prophet was sitting. Abu Mūsa, who had left his brother performing ablution to catch up with him later, said that if Allah willed good for his brother, He will bring him there. And if he came and sought permission, he would be given glad tidings of Paradise. However, another man sought permission. Abu Mūsa went to the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) and said that it was ʿUmar. So, he told him to let him in and to give him glad tidings of Paradise. He let him in and told him that the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessing be upon him) gave him glad tidings of Paradise. ‘Umar went in and found the Prophet and Abu Bakr sitting on the edge of the well. He sat on the left of the Prophet. The well was narrow and not wide, and so the three of them filled one side. Then, ‘Uthmān sought permission to enter, and Abu Mūsa sought permission for him in the same manner. The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) told him to let ‘Uthmān in and to give him glad tidings of Paradise after a calamity that would befall him. So, he was given tidings of both Paradise and a calamity. In response, ‘Uthmān (may Allah be pleased with him) praised Allah for the glad tidings of Paradise and said that Allah is the One sought for help to overcome that calamity. He then went in and found the edge of the well (on one side) fully occupied as it was not very wide. So, he went to the opposite side, sat there, dangled his feet, and uncovered his shins. Sa‘īd ibn al-Musayyib, a leading Tābi‘i (from the generation that followed the Companions) interpreted this order of sitting to be their graves, since the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him), Abu Bakr, and ‘Umar were all buried in one room, and when they were alive, they came and went together. The Prophet would always say "I, Abu Bakr, and ʿUmar went" and "I, Abu Bakr, and ‘Umar came!" So, they were his companions and ministers, and on the Day of Resurrection they will come out of their graves together. They are together in this world and in the Hereafter. So, ‘Uthmān sat opposite them, and the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) gave him glad tidings of Paradise after a calamity that would befall him. This calamity is what happened to him when the people rebelled against him and murdered him at his home in Madīnah. They killed him while he was reciting the Qur’an, with the Book of Allah before him.

بهجة الناظرين شرح رياض الصالحين لسليم الهلالي، ط1، دار ابن الجوزي، الدمام، 1415ه. تطريز رياض الصالحين للشيخ فيصل المبارك، ط1، تحقيق: عبد العزيز بن عبد الله آل حمد، دار العاصمة، الرياض، 1423هـ. رياض الصالحين للنووي، ط1، تحقيق: ماهر ياسين الفحل، دار ابن كثير، دمشق، بيروت، 1428هـ. شرح رياض الصالحين للشيخ ابن عثيمين، دار الوطن للنشر، الرياض، 1426هـ. صحيح البخاري، تحقيق: محمد زهير بن ناصر الناصر، ط1، دار طوق النجاة (مصورة عن السلطانية بإضافة ترقيم: محمد فؤاد عبد الباقي)، 1422ه. صحيح مسلم، تحقيق: محمد فؤاد عبد الباقي، دار إحياء التراث العربي، بيروت. كنوز رياض الصالحين، مجموعة من الباحثين برئاسة حمد بن ناصر العمار، ط1، كنوز إشبيليا، الرياض، 1430هـ. نزهة المتقين شرح رياض الصالحين لمجموعة من الباحثين، ط14، مؤسسة الرسالة، 1407هـ.

Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) once said: I will do my best to lead you in prayer just as the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) used to lead us in prayer, so that you may follow his model and pray as he used to. Thābit al-Bunāni said: Anas used to beautify and perfect his prayer in a way that I have not seen any of you doing. That is he used to prolong the standing after bowing, as well as the sitting after prostration. A person seeing him in either position would think that he had forgotten to change posture.

تيسير العلام، للبسام، الناشر: مكتبة الصحابة، الإمارات، مكتبة التابعين، القاهرة، الطبعة العاشرة، 1426هـ - 2006م. تنبيه الأفهام، للعثيمين، طبعة مكتبة الصحابة، الإمارات، مكتبة التابعين، القاهرة، الطبعة الأولى، 1426ه. الإلمام بشرح عمدة الأحكام، لإسماعيل الأنصاري، طبعة دار الفكر، دمشق، الأولى، 1381ه. صحيح البخاري، لأبو عبد الله محمد بن إسماعيل البخاري، تحقيق محمد زهير بن ناصر الناصر، الناشر: دار طوق النجاة، الطبعة: الأولى، 1422هـ. صحيح مسلم، المحقق: محمد فؤاد عبد الباقي - الناشر: دار إحياء التراث العربي – بيروت. تأسيس الأحكام، أحمد بن يحيى النجمي، دار المنهاج، القاهرة، مصر، الطبعة الأولى.

Anas ibn Mālik (may Allah be pleased with him) addressed a group of people who took some deeds lightly, saying: You take some sins lightly because you fail to consider the greatness of the One you disobey. They seem trivial in your sight; whereas the Companions used to consider them as destructive sins, given the greatness of the One disobeyed, and because they were extremely fearful and heedful of their Lord and used to hold themselves accountable for their actions.

بهجة الناظرين شرح رياض الصالحين لسليم الهلالي، ط1، دار ابن الجوزي، الدمام، 1415ه. تطريز رياض الصالحين للشيخ فيصل المبارك، ط1، تحقيق: عبد العزيز بن عبد الله آل حمد، دار العاصمة، الرياض، 1423 هـ. دليل الفالحين لطرق رياض الصالحين لمحمد علي بن محمد بن علان، ط4، اعتنى بها: خليل مأمون شيحا، دار المعرفة،بيروت، 1425 ه. رياض الصالحين للنووي، ط1، تحقيق: ماهر ياسين الفحل، دار ابن كثير، دمشق، بيروت، 1428 هـ. كنوز رياض الصالحين، مجموعة من الباحثين برئاسة حمد بن ناصر العمار، ط1، كنوز إشبيليا، الرياض، 1430هـ. صحيح البخاري، تحقيق: محمد زهير بن ناصر الناصر، ط1، دار طوق النجاة (مصورة عن السلطانية بإضافة ترقيم: محمد فؤاد عبد الباقي)، 1422ه. نزهة المتقين شرح رياض الصالحين لمجموعة من الباحثين، ط14، مؤسسة الرسالة، 1407هـ.

A man came to the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) and asked him to appoint him as a ruler like the rest of those whom he had appointed. So the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) advised him as well as his Companions to have patience in the face of the future oppression and injustice that would be inflicted by rulers, who will monopolize the wealth and goods of the nation and deprive their subjects thereof. He commanded them to have patience until they meet him at his Basin.

بهجة الناظرين شرح رياض الصالحين، لسليم الهلالي، ط1، دار ابن الجوزي، الدمام، 1415هـ. رياض الصالحين للنووي، ط1، تحقيق: ماهر ياسين الفحل، دار ابن كثير، دمشق، بيروت، 1428هـ. رياض الصالحين، ط4، تحقيق: عصام هادي، وزارة الأوقاف والشؤون الإسلامية القطرية، دار الريان، بيروت، 1428هـ. الشرح الممتع على زاد المستقنع، لمحمد بن صالح بن محمد العثيمين، ط1، دار ابن الجوزي، 1422 - 1428هـ. شرح رياض الصالحين، للشيخ ابن عثيمين، دار الوطن للنشر، الرياض، 1426هـ. صحيح البخاري، ط1، تحقيق: محمد زهير بن ناصر الناصر، دار طوق النجاة، (مصورة عن السلطانية بإضافة ترقيم: محمد فؤاد عبد الباقي)، 1422هـ. صحيح مسلم، تحقيق: محمد فؤاد عبد الباقي، دار إحياء التراث العربي، بيروت. كنوز رياض الصالحين، مجموعة من الباحثين، برئاسة حمد بن ناصر العمار، ط1، كنوز إشبيليا، الرياض، 1430هـ. نزهة المتقين شرح رياض الصالحين، لمجموعة من الباحثين، ط14، مؤسسة الرسالة، 1407ه.