Did The Companions Believe They Will Be Saved?

Al Bukhari:

Narrated Al-Musaiyab: I met Al-Bara bin Azib and said (to him): "May you live prosperously! You enjoyed the company of the Prophet and gave him the Pledge of allegiance (of Al-Hudaibiya) under the tree." On that, Al-Bara said, "O my nephew! You do not know what we have done after him (i.e. his death)...

Source: Saheeh Al-Bukhari. Pg. # 1025, H # 4170.

The companions themselves admitted to their wrong doings. This statement alone is suffice to prove the companions themselves did not believe that they had been guaranteed paradise. Al-Bara bin Azib did not happily agree with Al-Musaiyab in that he had given the pledge and was looking forward to Paradise which awaits him, but rather he replied back in the negative sense. It is most certain that all companions will be judged in accordance to their scale of good and bad deeds regardless of whether they had given the pledge or not unless they were the believers who Allah (swt) was referring to, who were those of which stuck to their pledge without going against the oaths taken. It is only these individuals who would undoubtedly be the successful ones. Whilst those who failed to stick to the oaths are evidently not guaranteed the same. The intelligent mind would also make sense of this without having to go in to too much detail. But unfortunately, we find the vast majority being of those with stubborn minds, who rather than accepting common sense instead choose utter nonsense!

إِنَّ الَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ وَهَاجَرُواْ وَجَـهَدُواْ بِأَمْوَلِهِمْ وَأَنفُسِهِمْ فِى سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ وَالَّذِينَ ءَاوَواْ وَّنَصَرُواْ أُوْلَـئِكَ بَعْضُهُمْ أَوْلِيَآءُ بَعْضٍ وَالَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ وَلَمْ يُهَاجِرُواْ مَا لَكُم مِّن وَلـيَتِهِم مِّن شَىْءٍ حَتَّى يُهَاجِرُواْ وَإِنِ اسْتَنصَرُوكُمْ فِى الدِّينِ فَعَلَيْكُمُ النَّصْرُ إِلاَّ عَلَى قَوْمٍ بَيْنَكُمْ وَبَيْنَهُم مِّيثَاقٌ وَاللَّهُ بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ بَصِيرٌ

Verily, those who believed, and emigrated and strove hard and fought with their property and their lives in the cause of Allah as well as those who gave (them) asylum and help, these are (all) allies to one another. And as to those who believed but did not emigrate, you owe no duty of protection to them until they emigrate, but if they seek your help in religion, it is your duty to help them except against a people with whom you have a treaty of mutual alliance; and Allah is the All-Seer of what you do

Holy Qur'aan (8.72)

The above verse is  Muhajirun and Ansar. It is noteworthy that both groups together were only a minority among the companions. Besides the verse is only about those of them who had genuine belief, and who fought in the cause of Allah (swt) with their lives. Not all the companions fulfilled these conditions. Many, if not most, of them used to run away from battles as we have shown earlier thus showing that they were not fighting with their lives. A fact needs to be stressed here. A believer sells his life to Allah (swt) entirely the moment belief enters his heart. The life no longer belongs to him. So, he has no business running away with from Jihad. This is why a believer never flees the battlefields. Whosoever flees has not yet sold his life to our Lord, and that is evidence that emaan has not entered his heart.

إِنَّ اللَّهَ اشْتَرَىٰ مِنَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ أَنفُسَهُمْ وَأَمْوَالَهُم بِأَنَّ لَهُمُ الْجَنَّةَ ۚ يُقَاتِلُونَ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ فَيَقْتُلُونَ وَيُقْتَلُونَ ۖ وَعْدًا عَلَيْهِ حَقًّا فِي التَّوْرَاةِ وَالْإِنجِيلِ وَالْقُرْآنِ ۚ وَمَنْ أَوْفَىٰ بِعَهْدِهِ مِنَ اللَّهِ ۚ فَاسْتَبْشِرُوا بِبَيْعِكُمُ الَّذِي بَايَعْتُم بِهِ ۚ وَذَ‌ٰلِكَ هُوَ الْفَوْزُ الْعَظِيمُ التَّائِبُونَ الْعَابِدُونَ الْحَامِدُونَ السَّائِحُونَ الرَّاكِعُونَ السَّاجِدُونَ الْآمِرُونَ بِالْمَعْرُوفِ وَالنَّاهُونَ عَنِ الْمُنكَرِ وَالْحَافِظُونَ لِحُدُودِ اللَّهِ ۗ وَبَشِّرِ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ

Verily, Allah has purchased of the believers their lives and their properties for (the price) that theirs shall be the Paradise. They fight in Allah's cause, so they kill and are killed. It is a promise in truth which is binding on Him in the Tawrah and the Injil and the Qur'aan. And who is truer to his covenant than Allah Then rejoice in the bargain which you have concluded. That is the supreme success.

Holy Qur'aan (9.11)

It is not easy to be a believer. The conditions are many and strict. The most relevant here is that the life of a believer is not his. Therefore, he has no reason to shield it from the battlefield. Moreover, unless a person sells his life to Allah (swt), belief will never enter his heart. By that, he remains a hypocrite only who says one thing (i.e. “I believe”) but does another (based on his actions). Furthermore, there is no Paradise for anyone who has not sold his life to Allah (swt). Many of the Muhajirn and Ansar, especially the open hypocrites and those with a disease in their hearts among them, never did.

للفقراء المهاجرين الذين أخرجوا من ديارهم وأموالهم يبتغون فضلاً من اللّه ورضواناً وينصرون اللّه ورسوله أولئك هم الصادقون، والذين تبوؤا الدار والإيمان من قبلهم، يحبّون من هاجر إليهم ولايجدون في صدورهم حاجة ممّا أوتوا ويؤثرون علي أنفسهم ولو كان بهم خصاصة، ومن يوق شحّ نفسه فأولئك هم المفلحون - والذين جاؤا من بعدهم يقولون ربّنا اغفر لنا ولإخواننا الذين سبقونا بالإيمان، ولا تجعل في قلوبنا غلاً للذين آمنوا ربّنا إنّك رؤوف رحيم

And there is also a share in this booty for the poor emigrants, who were expelled from their homes and their property, seeking bounties from Allah and (His) good pleasure, and helping Allah and His Messenger. Such are indeed the truthful. And (it is also for) those who, before them, had homes and had adopted the faith, love those who emigrate to them, and have no jealousy in their breasts for that which they have been given, and give them preference over themselves even though they were in need of that. And whosoever is saved from his own greed, such are they who will be the successful. And those who came after them say: "Our Lord! Forgive us and our brethren who have preceded us in faith, and put not in our hearts any hatred against those who have believed. Our Lord! You are indeed full of kindness, Most Merciful

Holy Qur'aan (59.8-10)

This speaks about those of the Muhajirun who migrated seeking Allah’s (swt) bounties and to please Him and those of the Ansar who helped Allah and His Messenger. No doubt, only people with belief have these attributes. Hypocrites and evil doers do not really believe in Allah (swt) and His Messenger (saw). Therefore, they have no reason to seek to please or help our Lord. Since it is absolutely undeniable that there were hypocrites among the Muhajirun and Ansar, it follows logically that this verse applies only to the believers among them. A prerequisite for belief is selling one’s life to Allah (swt) and doing righteous good deeds (i.e. commanding and forbidding evil). Moreover, an absolute condition for sainthood or Paradise is belief. Allah (swt) hates hypocrites, disbelievers and evil doers. Therefore, whenever He (swt) praises or makes promises to any group of people, it is only to those with belief and righteous good deeds among them. Unless, of course, it can be proven that all 100.000 companions were infallible!  This sets the tone for any other verse or hadeeth that anyone may intend to use to prop up the so called Sunni Aqidah that all 100.000 companions were saints. Neither is their any direct proof from Qur'aan of Hadeeth to prove such a claim.

Categories: Arabic - العربية , English