to accompany His Prophet and uphold His religion. So acknowledge their due rights and hold fast to their guidance, for they followed the straight path.” Thus, he described them as combining perfect righteousness of heart with perfect depth of knowledge.

This combination is rare among later generations, as reflected in the saying, “Among the rarities are a jurist who is a Sufi and a scholar who is an ascetic,” and similar remarks. Those whose hearts are righteous, whose intentions are good, and whose aims are sound are praised because their hearts are free of blameworthy desires. Yet they often lack knowledge and an understanding of people’s actual circumstances—an understanding that calls for condemning evil, forbidding it, and waging jihad in Allah’s cause. Those who delve deeply into the sciences, on the other hand, may acquire such knowledge of evils and specious arguments that it leads them into various forms of error and misguidance. The Companions of Muhammad, however, had the most righteous hearts and the deepest knowledge of all people.

Moreover, among most of those in later generations who delve deeply into knowledge, whether speculative theologians or devotees, this depth is accompanied by blameworthy affectation: speaking and acting without knowledge, and pursuing what cannot be attained. The Companions of Muhammad, despite being the most accomplished of all people in beneficial knowledge and righteous deeds, were the least given to affectation. One of them would utter a word or two of wisdom or insight through which Allah would guide an entire community. This is among Allah’s favors to this community. Others, by contrast, fill pages with contrived statements and extravagant utterances that rank among the worst needless innovations and invented opinions. Their only precedent in this was the follies of the soul inherited from those whose intentions in religion were corrupt.