Ijtihad of the Companions

Sunnis maintain that all the Companions( including Umar,Abu Bakr, Uthman and Muawiya) were just and righteous people, and that all of them will be in Paradise. According to Mustadrak al-Hakim, Vol. 4, p. 20, however, Ubaydullah ibn Jahsh, a prominent Companion, actually converted to Christianity, and died a Christian. Will he too go to Paradise?

Ibn Athir records in his Usd al-Ghabah, Vol. 4, p. 675, about Walid ibn Uqbah, another prominent Companion:
"Walid ibn Uqbah led the people of Kufa in the Subh prayer and made it four rakats".
Ibn Abd al-Barr, in his al-Isti'ab, Vol. 4, p. 1552, relates from Abu Ubaydah, Ibn Kalbi and others:
"Walid ibn Uqbah is a fasiq who drinks alcohol".
Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani, in his Isabah, Vol. 6, p. 321, writes:
"In addition to this story (of how he made Subh four rakats), there is another one, equally well-known, of how he used to drink alcohol".
The Mu'tazilite scholar, Ibn Abu al-Hadid, in his Sharh Nahj al-Balaghah, Vol. 17, p. 230, writes:
"Walid was a fornicator who drank alcohol".
These kinds of proofs embarrass Sunnis. They just do not know how to maintain that a drunkard and fornicator was a righteous predecessor! A fasiq was righteous?! They are left clueless and out of wits. However, they have an easy explanation: the Sahabi merely exercised ijtihad, and will be rewarded for it. Ubaydullah converted to Christianity out of ijtihad, and will be rewarded. Walid made Subh four rakats out of ijtihad, and will be rewarded for it. Also, he used to fornicate and drink alcohol out of ijtihad, and will be rewarded for it!

Ibn Kathir has recorded one such other ijtihad from Mu'awiyah in his al-Bidayah wa Nihayah, Vol. 8, p. 90, events of 60H from Sa'eed ibn Suwayd:

"Mu'awiyah led us the Jum'at prayer at Nakhlah (on the outskirts of Kufa) just at daybreak. Then, he delivered a khutbah to us, saying: I did not fight you to make you fast, pray, do Hajj or pay Zakat. I knew you were doing all these before I came. Rather, I fought you only to rule you, and Allah has granted me that. But, you do not like this".

Ibn Kathir has raised no objection on the narration. Instead, he has supported its chain with two others. That shows he considers it authentic.

Just look at the ijtihad. He murdered people for power, and prayed Jum’at at daybreak, and that's ijtihad and he will be rewarded for it!!

The Holy Prophet (pbuh) seems to reject his Ijtihad however. He said:

"If you see Mu'awiyah on my minbar, kill him".

Al-Baladhuri has recorded it from two sahih chains, one mursal from Hasan al-Basri and the other marfu' from Abu Sa'eed al-Khudri.

There is also a second hadith narrated by Imam Ali (as):

"The Holy Prophet (pbuh) promised me that I would fight the Nakitheen (betrayers), Qasiteen (deviants) and Mariqeen (apostates)."
Majma al-Zawaid, Vol. 7, p. 238

Al-Haythami comments:

Al-Bazzar has recorded it, as well as Tabarani in his al-Awsat; one of the chains of al-Bazzar, its narrators are narrators of sahih except Rabi' ibn Sa'd and Ibn Hibban declared him thiqah.

Ibn Kathir explains the terms:

"What is intended by the term Nakitheen are the People of the Camel (Aisha, Talha, Zubayr and their followers), by Qasiteen the Syrians (under Mu'awiyah) and by Mariqeen the Khawarij".
Al-Bidayah wa Nihayah, Vol. 7, p. 304

About Mu'awiyah and his followers, the Holy Qur'an says:

"And as for the Qasiteen, they shall be firewood for Hell"
Qur'an 72:15

Albaani too has recorded in his Silsilah Ahadith Sahihah (Series of Sahih Hadiths), Vol. 5, p. 18:

"Ammar will invite them to the Paradise, while they will invite him to the Fire. His killer and plunderer will be in the fire".

Albaani comments:

"This chain is sahih. Its narrators are thiqah, from the narrators of sahih Muslim".

We all know who the killer and plunderer of Ammar was: Mu'awiyah!

Further, The Holy Prophet (pbuh) said:

Whoever annoys Ali has annoyed me.
Majma al-Zawaid, Vol. 9, p. 126.
And we all know that Umar and Abu Bakr had annoyed Ali (AS) by denying FADAK and both of them(Umar and Abu Bakr) were responsible in the killing the wife of Ali AS

Al-Haythami says: Abu Ya'li and al-Bazar have narrated it briefly, and the narrators of Abu Ya'li are narrators of sahih except Mahmud ibn Khudash and Qanaan, and both are thiqah.

Al-Haythami has  also recorded it in his Majma al-Zawaid, Vol. 9, p. 129, with these comments:

Ahmad and Tabarani have narrated it briefly, and the narrators of Ahmad are thiqah.

 Conclusion : 

 

In the Qur'an 33:57, we read:
Verily, those who annoy Allah and His Messenger, Allah has cursed them in this world and in the Hereafter, and has prepared for them a humiliating torment.
 Thus our Sunni brothers should not be annoyed with shias for not believing in Abu Bakr, Umar and Uthman. This is because Shias dont believe them to be worthy of leadership of Muslim Ummah after witnessing their acts during the life time of Holy Prophet SAWA and after him. As per the Quranic Aya quoted above those who annoy Allah and his messenger has been cursed by Allah in this world and hereafter and we all know that Umar had annoyed Holy Prophet SAWA at his death bed by not allowing him pen and paper knowing fully well that Prophet did not speak until he is ordered by Allah to speak.

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