—and then he went on to say: “They surpass us in every kind of knowledge, exertion, piety, sound judgment, and in every avenue by which knowledge is attained. Their opinions are more praiseworthy for us and more fitting for us to follow than our own. Every scholar whom we have encountered and deemed reliable—or whose reliability has been reported to us in our lands—whenever they did not know of a specific sunnah on a matter, would turn to the statements of the Companions, adopting their unanimous view if they had agreed or the view of some of them if they had differed. That is likewise our position, and we do not step outside the collective statements of all of them.

Al-Shāfiʿī also said: “Allah praised the Companions in the Torah, the Gospel, and the Quran, and through the tongue of their Prophet ﷺ granted them a virtue that no one after them will ever attain.” (1)

Abu Ḥanīfah declared: “If something comes from the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, we accept it with absolute deference; and if it comes from the Companions, we choose among their opinions and never depart from them.” (2)

Ibn al-Qāsim related: “I heard Mālik say: When the Companions of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ entered Syria, a man from the People of the Book looked at them and said, ‘The disciples of Jesus son of Mary, who were sawn apart and crucified upon wooden beams, were no more diligent in their striving than these men.’” (3)