when He says: “And those who came after them pray, ‘Our Lord, forgive us and our brothers who preceded us in faith; and do not place in our hearts any rancour toward those who believe.’” [59:10].

Those people, then, possess early merits and deeds that erase whatever slips they may have made, a striving in Allah’s cause that wipes sins away, and acts of worship that purify. We are not among those who exaggerate about any one of them, nor do we claim they were infallible. We are certain that some of them excelled others, and we are certain that Abū Bakr and ʿUmar are the best of this community.

After them come the remaining members of the Ten who were promised Paradise, followed by Hamzah, Jaʿfar, Muʿādh, Zayd, the Mothers of the Believers, the daughters of our Prophet ﷺ, and the people of Badr, each according to his or her rank.

Next in excellence are men such as Abū al-Dardāʾ, Salmān the Persian, Ibn ʿUmar, and the rest of those who pledged under the tree at al-Riḍwān, whom Allah praised explicitly in the verse of Sūrat al-Fatḥ (1).

Then come the rest of the Emigrants and the Helpers—people like Khālid ibn al-Walīd, al-ʿAbbās, ʿAbd Allāh ibn ʿAmr, and their peers.

After them are all who accompanied the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, fought by his side, performed the pilgrimage with him, or merely heard from him—may Allah be pleased with them all—as well as every woman who kept his company: the emigrant and Medinan women, Umm al-Faḍl, Umm Hāniʾ the Hāshimite, and the other female Companions.

As for whatever the Rāfiḍah and the people of innovation circulate in their books on this matter, we do not so much as glance at it—indeed, it deserves no honour—for most of it is falsehood, lies, and sheer fabrication. The habit of the Rāfiḍah is either to relay absurd tales or to reject what is found in the sound collections and the Musnads. When, then, will the drunken man ever come to his senses?

Moreover, many of the Followers spoke ill of one another, even fought one another, and events unfolded that cannot be fully explained. There is no benefit in publicising such things. Astonishing reports have found their way into books of history and into works on narrator criticism and appraisal. A sensible person challenges his own soul, and part of a person’s excellence in Islam