—and in full accord, for this is part of sincere counsel to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.

Another aspect of sincere counsel to the Prophet ﷺ is to honor, revere, and love his Companions, for a person’s companions are unmistakably those closest and dearest to him. That is why the Companions—may Allah be pleased with them—were the best of all generations: they were the Companions of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. Whoever reviles the Companions, hates them, slanders them, or suggests anything that would disgrace them has not shown sincere counsel to the Messenger ﷺ. Should he claim otherwise, he is a liar. How can you revile and detest the Companions of the Messenger ﷺ while professing love for the Messenger and claiming to offer him sincere counsel?

The Prophet ﷺ said, “A person follows the religion of his close friend, so let each of you consider whom he befriends.” Thus, when the lying slanderer reviles the Companions of the Messenger ﷺ, he is in fact reviling the Messenger himself and failing to give him sincere counsel. Indeed, such abuse strikes at the heart of the religion, for the ones who carried the sacred law to us were the Companions—may Allah be pleased with them. If they were deserving of vilification and censure, the Sharia could no longer be trusted, for its transmitters would be people of blame and reproach. Nay, reviling the Companions—may Allah be pleased with them—is tantamount to reviling Allah Himself—may He protect us—and to questioning His wisdom in choosing for His Prophet ﷺ, and for bearing His religion, people worthy of honor and esteem.

Therefore, sincere counsel to the Messenger ﷺ includes loving, honoring, and venerating his Companions; this is an integral part of the faith.

Fourth: he ﷺ said, “and to the leaders of the Muslims.” The term leaders (aʾimmah) is the plural of imam, and what is meant by an imam