Minhaj as-Sunnah - Ibn Taimiya - (8/383)

Minhaj as-SunnahIbn Taimiya

from him (1):

“Whoever accompanied the Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—for a year, or a month (2), or a day, or an hour (3), or saw him while believing (4) in him, is one of his Companions. His share in companionship is commensurate with the time he spent accompanying him.”

This is the view of the vast majority of scholars, including jurists, speculative theologians, and others: they count among his Companions both those whose companionship was brief and those whose companionship was lengthy. There is a weak dissenting view on this matter.

The evidence for the majority’s view is the report recorded in the two Sahīh collections from Abū Sa‘īd al-Khudrī, who related that the Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—said:

“A time will come when a group of people will go on a military campaign, and they will be asked, ‘Is there anyone among you who saw the Messenger of Allah—may Allah bless him and grant him peace?’ They will answer, ‘Yes,’ and victory will be granted to them. Then a group of people will go on a military campaign, and they will be asked, ‘Is there anyone among you who saw someone who accompanied the Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace?’ They will answer, ‘Yes,’ and victory will be granted to them. Then a group of people will go on a military campaign, and they will be asked, ‘Is there anyone among you who saw someone who accompanied someone who accompanied the Messenger of Allah—may Allah bless him and grant him peace?’ They will answer, ‘Yes,’ and victory will be granted to them.”

This is Muslim’s wording. In another narration, he records:

“A time will come when an expedition will be dispatched from among them (5), and they will say, ‘See whether you can find among you any of the Companions of the Messenger of Allah—may Allah bless him and grant him peace.’ Such a man will be found, and victory will be granted to them on his account.

(1) Ibn Abī Yaʿlā included this treatise in the biography of ʿAbdūs ibn Mālik al-ʿAttār in Tabaqāt al-Hanābila (Biographies of the Hanbalis), 1:241–246. The following passage appears at 1:243. (2) The treatise reads: “Everyone who accompanied him for a year or a month.” (3) The phrase “believing in him” does not appear in the treatise. (4) m: “a year, and a month, and a day, and an hour.” (5) m: “among them.”

عَنْهُ (١) : " مَنْ صَحِبَ النَّبِيَّ - صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - سَنَةً، أَوْ شَهْرًا (٢) ، أَوْ يَوْمًا، أَوْ سَاعَةً (٣) ، أَوْ رَآهُ مُؤْمِنًا (٤) بِهِ فَهُوَ مِنْ أَصْحَابِهِ لَهُ مِنَ الصُّحْبَةِ عَلَى قَدْرِ مَا صَحِبَهُ " . وَهَذَا قَوْلُ جَمَاهِيرِ الْعُلَمَاءِ مِنَ الْفُقَهَاءِ وَأَهْلِ الْكَلَامِ وَغَيْرِهِمْ: يَعُدُّونَ فِي أَصْحَابِهِ مِنْ قَلَّتْ صُحْبَتُهُ وَمِنْ كَثُرَتْ، وَفِي ذَلِكَ خِلَافٌ ضَعِيفٌ. وَالدَّلِيلُ عَلَى قَوْلِ الْجُمْهُورِ مَا أَخْرَجَاهُ فِي الصَّحِيحَيْنِ عَنْ أَبِي سَعِيدٍ الْخُدْرِيِّ عَنِ النَّبِيِّ - صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - قَالَ: " «يَأْتِي عَلَى النَّاسِ زَمَانٌ يَغْزُو فِئَامٌ مِنَ النَّاسِ، فَيُقَالُ: هَلْ فِيكُمْ مَنْ رَأَى رَسُولَ اللَّهِ - صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ -؟ فَيَقُولُونَ: نَعَمْ، فَيُفْتَحُ لَهُمْ، ثُمَّ يَغْزُو فِئَامٌ مِنَ النَّاسِ فَيُقَالُ: هَلْ فِيكُمْ مَنْ رَأَى مَنْ صَحِبَ النَّبِيَّ - صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ -؟ فَيَقُولُونَ: نَعَمْ فَيُفْتَحُ لَهُمْ، ثُمَّ يَغْزُو فِئَامٌ مِنَ النَّاسِ فَيُقَالُ: هَلْ فِيكُمْ مَنْ رَأَى مَنْ صَحِبَ مَنْ صَحِبَ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ - صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - فَيَقُولُونَ نَعَمْ فَيُفْتَحُ لَهُمْ» . وَهَذَا لَفْظُ مُسْلِمٍ، وَلَهُ فِي رِوَايَةٍ أُخْرَى: " «يَأْتِي عَلَى النَّاسِ زَمَانٌ يُبْعَثُ مِنْهُمْ (٥) الْبَعْثُ فَيَقُولُونَ: انْظُرُوا هَلْ تَجِدُونَ فِيكُمْ أَحَدًا مِنْ أَصْحَابِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ - صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ -؟ فَيُوجَدُ الرَّجُلُ فَيُفْتَحُ لَهُمْ بِهِ.

(١) هَذِهِ " الرِّسَالَةُ " أَوْرَدَهَا ابْنُ أَبِي يَعْلَى فِي تَرْجَمَةِ عَبْدُوسَ بْنِ مَالِكٍ الْعَطَّارِ فِي " طَبَقَاتِ الْحَنَابِلَةِ " ١/٢٤١ - ٢٤٦، وَالنَّصُّ التَّالِي فِي ١/٢٤٣. (٢) الرِّسَالَةُ: كُلُّ مَنْ صَحِبَهُ سَنَةً أَوْ شَهْرًا. (٣) عِبَارَةُ " مُؤْمِنًا بِهِ " لَيْسَتْ فِي " الرِّسَالَةِ ". (٤) م: سَنَةً وَشَهْرًا وَيَوْمًا وَسَاعَةً. (٥) م: فِيهِمْ.