Table of Contents
Introduction
The Companions of the Prophet ﷺ, known in Arabic as “al‑Sahabah,” are the first generation of Muslims who believed in him, met him during his lifetime, and died upon Islam. They are the direct witnesses to revelation, the first students of the Qur’an, and the living carriers of the Prophet’s guidance to later generations. Without them, the Seerah as a whole, and Islam as it is known today, would not have reached us in its authentic form.
In a course on the Seerah, understanding who the Companions are, their status in Islam, and their unique role is essential. They are not just historical characters, but the bridge between us and the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.
Definition and Status of the Companions
Scholars define a Companion as any Muslim who met the Prophet ﷺ, believed in him, and died as a believer. This includes men and women, the elderly, the young, those who met him many times, and even those who met him only once but truly believed.
Their status is established clearly in the Qur’an and Sunnah. Allah praises them in many verses, describing their faith, sacrifice, and the pleasure that He has with them. One of the most powerful verses states:
لَقَدْ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنِ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ إِذْ يُبَايِعُونَكَ تَحْتَ الشَّجَرَةِ
“Certainly, Allah was pleased with the believers when they pledged allegiance to you under the tree.”
(Qur’an 48:18)
Another verse speaks about all those who followed the Prophet ﷺ at the beginning of Islam, and those who followed them after:
وَالسَّابِقُونَ الْأَوَّلُونَ مِنَ الْمُهَاجِرِينَ وَالْأَنْصَارِ وَالَّذِينَ اتَّبَعُوهُمْ بِإِحْسَانٍ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُمْ وَرَضُوا عَنْهُ
“And the foremost, the first of the Muhajirun and the Ansar, and those who followed them in excellence, Allah is pleased with them and they are pleased with Him.”
(Qur’an 9:100)
In the Sunnah, the Prophet ﷺ warned against speaking badly about his Companions. He said:
«لَا تَسُبُّوا أَصْحَابِي، فَوَالَّذِي نَفْسِي بِيَدِهِ، لَوْ أَنَّ أَحَدَكُمْ أَنْفَقَ مِثْلَ أُحُدٍ ذَهَبًا مَا بَلَغَ مُدَّ أَحَدِهِمْ وَلَا نَصِيفَهُ»
“Do not abuse my Companions. By the One in Whose Hand is my soul, if one of you were to spend the like of Mount Uhud in gold, it would not equal a mudd (small measure) of what they spent, nor half of it.”
(Al‑Bukhari and Muslim)
This hadith shows that their actions, sacrifices, and closeness to the Prophet ﷺ have a special value that cannot be matched by later generations.
The Companions as a whole are just, trustworthy, and deserving of respect. Speaking ill of them or rejecting their integrity is a serious deviation from the path of Ahl al‑Sunnah.
Categories of the Companions
Not all Companions are the same in rank. The Qur’an itself gives special mention to certain groups among them, especially the early believers and those who took part in major events. However, all are honored by the fact that they accompanied the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.
Among the most distinguished are the “al‑Sabiqun al‑Awwalun,” the first to accept Islam in Makkah, and the “Muhajirun” and “Ansar.” The Muhajirun are those who left their homes and wealth in Makkah to migrate to Madinah for the sake of Allah. The Ansar are the believers of Madinah who welcomed them, gave them shelter, and supported the Prophet ﷺ.
Allah says:
لِلْفُقَرَاءِ الْمُهَاجِرِينَ الَّذِينَ أُخْرِجُوا مِنْ دِيَارِهِمْ وَأَمْوَالِهِمْ يَبْتَغُونَ فَضْلًا مِنَ اللَّهِ وَرِضْوَانًا
“(There is a share) for the poor emigrants who were driven out from their homes and their wealth, seeking bounty from Allah and His pleasure...”
(Qur’an 59:8)
Then He praises the Ansar:
وَالَّذِينَ تَبَوَّءُوا الدَّارَ وَالْإِيمَانَ مِنْ قَبْلِهِمْ يُحِبُّونَ مَنْ هَاجَرَ إِلَيْهِمْ
“And those who, before them, had homes and had adopted the faith, love those who migrate to them...”
(Qur’an 59:9)
There are also those who witnessed the great battles and key events in the life of the Prophet ﷺ. The people of Badr, the first major battle, have a special merit. The Prophet ﷺ said about them:
«وَمَا يُدْرِيكَ لَعَلَّ اللَّهَ اطَّلَعَ عَلَى أَهْلِ بَدْرٍ فَقَالَ: اعْمَلُوا مَا شِئْتُمْ فَقَدْ غَفَرْتُ لَكُمْ»
“And what makes you know, perhaps Allah has looked at the people of Badr and said, ‘Do what you wish, for I have forgiven you.’”
(Al‑Bukhari and Muslim)
Those who pledged under the tree at Hudaybiyyah, known as “Ahl al‑Bay‘ah al‑Ridhwan,” also have a special promise of Allah’s pleasure, as mentioned in Qur’an 48:18.
Love for the Companions as Part of Faith
Loving the Companions is not just a historical appreciation. It is an act of worship and part of true faith, because it is tied to love of the Prophet ﷺ and love of Allah.
The Qur’an teaches the believers to make du‘a for the Companions and to keep their hearts pure towards them. Allah says:
وَالَّذِينَ جَاءُوا مِنْ بَعْدِهِمْ يَقُولُونَ رَبَّنَا اغْفِرْ لَنَا وَلِإِخْوَانِنَا الَّذِينَ سَبَقُونَا بِالْإِيمَانِ وَلَا تَجْعَلْ فِي قُلُوبِنَا غِلًّا لِلَّذِينَ آمَنُوا
“And those who come after them say, ‘Our Lord, forgive us and our brothers who preceded us in faith, and do not place in our hearts any hatred towards those who have believed.’”
(Qur’an 59:10)
The Prophet ﷺ also linked love of specific Companions to faith. Regarding the Ansar he said:
«آيَةُ الْإِيمَانِ حُبُّ الْأَنْصَارِ، وَآيَةُ النِّفَاقِ بُغْضُ الْأَنْصَارِ»
“Loving the Ansar is a sign of faith, and hating the Ansar is a sign of hypocrisy.”
(Al‑Bukhari and Muslim)
This shows that a believer keeps his or her heart clean towards the Companions and avoids hatred, insults, or suspicion about them.
Loving all the Companions, respecting them, and refraining from cursing, insulting, or rejecting them is an obligation for Muslims, and is directly connected to sound belief.
The Companions as Witnesses of Revelation
The Companions lived through every stage of revelation. They saw verses of the Qur’an revealed in response to events, questions, and situations that they themselves experienced. They watched how the Prophet ﷺ applied the Qur’an in real life.
When Allah revealed a verse, they heard it with their own ears, learned it directly from the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, and then memorized, wrote, and practiced it. Abdullah ibn Mas‘ud رضي الله عنه described their approach:
“When one of us learned ten verses from the Qur’an, he would not move on to the next ten until he had learned what they contained of knowledge and action.”
(Reported from early sources of tafsir)
They were the living context of the Qur’an. That is why their explanations of verses and their understanding of the circumstances around revelation are so important in tafsir.
They also witnessed the Sunnah in action. They saw how the Prophet ﷺ prayed, fasted, dealt with people, led in times of peace and war, forgave his enemies, and guided his family and community. Their memories, reports, and actions became the primary way by which later generations learned the Sunnah.
The Companions as Teachers of the Ummah
After the passing of the Prophet ﷺ, the Companions became the teachers and leaders of the Muslim community. People from all over the growing Muslim world would travel to them to learn the Qur’an, hadith, and the practical details of Islamic life.
Some Companions were especially known for specific areas of knowledge. Although later chapters will speak more about preservation of Islam in detail, here we simply note that many great fields of Islamic knowledge trace back directly to individual Companions.
The Prophet ﷺ himself indicated that his Companions were a source of guidance. He said:
«أَصْحَابِي أَمْنَةٌ لِأُمَّتِي، فَإِذَا ذَهَبَ أَصْحَابِي أَتَى أُمَّتِي مَا يُوعَدُونَ»
“My Companions are a source of security for my Ummah. When my Companions depart, then what has been promised to my Ummah will come.”
(Muslim)
This hadith points to their role in protecting the Ummah from misguidance. While they were alive, people could always return to them for clarity. Their agreement on beliefs and practices became a reference point for later scholars.
The Prophet ﷺ also said:
«خَيْرُ النَّاسِ قَرْنِي، ثُمَّ الَّذِينَ يَلُونَهُمْ، ثُمَّ الَّذِينَ يَلُونَهُمْ»
“The best of people are my generation, then those who come after them, then those who come after them.”
(Al‑Bukhari and Muslim)
The first of these “best generations” are the Companions. Their way of understanding Islam, their balance between worship and work, and their loyalty to the Prophet ﷺ set the standard for all Muslims.
Human Beings, Not Angels
Although the Companions have a very high rank, they were still human. They felt fear, hunger, tiredness, and sometimes even disagreed with each other. The Qur’an itself describes their human qualities.
For example, in the context of Uhud, Allah says:
إِنَّ الَّذِينَ تَوَلَّوْا مِنْكُمْ يَوْمَ الْتَقَى الْجَمْعَانِ إِنَّمَا اسْتَزَلَّهُمُ الشَّيْطَانُ بِبَعْضِ مَا كَسَبُوا
“Indeed, those of you who turned back on the day the two armies met, it was Satan who caused them to slip because of some of what they had earned...”
(Qur’an 3:155)
Yet Allah also mentions His forgiveness and mercy towards them. Their mistakes do not remove their status, because they are judged by the whole of their lives, their sacrifices, and their sincere repentance.
For beginners studying the Seerah, it is important to keep a balanced view. The Companions are to be honored, loved, and followed in their understanding of Islam, but they are not worshiped, and their human struggles actually make their example more accessible.
The correct attitude is to respect the Companions completely, follow their guidance, and avoid exaggeration in either direction: neither raising them to a level of worship nor disrespecting or belittling them.
The Companions as a Model for Muslims Today
The Companions are not only a historical subject. Their lives offer a living model for Muslims in all times. They show how ordinary men and women, from different backgrounds, can be transformed by faith and by sincere following of the Prophet ﷺ.
They demonstrate how to respond to hardship with patience, to success with gratitude, and to differences with justice and mercy. Their love for the Qur’an, their readiness to sacrifice for the sake of Allah, and their obedience to the Messenger ﷺ are constant lessons for later generations.
Allah praises the believers who follow their path:
وَالَّذِينَ اتَّبَعُوهُمْ بِإِحْسَانٍ
“And those who followed them in excellence...”
(Qur’an 9:100)
Following them “in excellence” means learning how they believed, worshiped, and behaved, then trying to live by the same principles in our own time.
As you continue through this course and read about the Seerah in more detail, you will encounter the names and stories of many Companions. Remember that each of them is part of the living legacy of the Prophet ﷺ, and that our connection to him in practice is largely through them.