fiqah of following the athar pt 1

7/21/2019 Fiqah of Following the Athar PT 1

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Fiqah of following the Athar PT 1

Praises are all due to Allah, the Most High and the Most Wise. We ask Allah to bestow his

blessings on Muhammad ().The most correct etiquette for a seeker of knowledge is to avoid

taking a contrary opinion which is isolated from the understanding of the Sahabah. Allah says:

And whoever contradicts and opposes the Messenger after the right path has been shown

clearly to him, and follows other than the believers' way. We shall keep him in the path he has

chosen, and burn him in Hell - what an evil destination1 The Most Merciful warns that choosing

a path other than the Messenger and His companions lands a person in Hell. Who are the best

believers after the Prophet ()? Who witnessed revelations descend? Why not learn some

basic guiding principles for their speech and actions. Seeking Allahs assistance I collected some

details about the Sahabahsnarration and titled this article, Fiqah of Following the Athar

Definition

In order to have an accurate understanding of this topic we need to first

concentrate on the meaning of the title. Fiqah of following the Athar. Fiqah in

the linguistically meaning refers to comprehension, however here I am using the

technical Islamic term for the word which is : Knowledge of the Islamic verdicts

related to belief or actions and then deeds based on them.2Next the word Athar

is something that remains, but the technical Islamic expression for the word is:

anything narrated on the Prophet (

) or His companions (may Allah be pleased

with them). This is the definition for the majority of the scholars of hadith as cited

by Imam An-Nawawi. The Scholars in Khurasan consider the word Athar to be

used only when talking about the narrations of the companions and Khabar to

refer to anything narrated on the Prophet (

).3

In this article we will use the word Athar for the narrations of the companions(radi Allahu anhum). So the topic for discussion means: Having a familiarity for

1Quran: An-Nisa-115

2Shaykh Ahmad An-Najjar, Sharhul Waraqat , pg 26

3 Refer to Fathul Maghith (1/105), Tadreeb Ar-Rawee(1/43) Qawaid fi Ulumil Hadeeth(pg 25-26)


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the Islamic verdicts about belief and deeds from the Sahabah, and thus acting by

those verdicts.

The status of the companions

The companions of the Prophet (

) are those people who meet him, believed in him and died

as Muslims, even if they apostate and then returned to Islam before their death. Prophet

Muhammads()companions are the best nation.4Allah has praised the Sahabah, And the

first to embrace Islam of the Muhajirun (those who migrated from Makkah to Al-Madinah) and

the Ansar (the citizens of Al-Madinah who helped and gave aid to the Muhajirun) and also those

who followed them exactly (in Faith). Allah is well-pleased with them as they are well-pleased

with Him. He has prepared for them Gardens under which rivers flow (Paradise), to dwell therein

forever. That is the supreme success.5

The Importance of the SahabahsAthar to understand the Shariah

The Sahabah understood the meanings of the Prophets speech and followed his

actions. The Prophets companions are the best generation for the Muslimsto

learn from. They learned directly from the Prophet .The Sahabah understood all

the fundamental principles of this deen. Whenever there was a possible

misunderstanding or they required extra clarity they asked the Prophet directly or

other companions.

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The recording of their narrations

Allah the Most Wise said: Verily We: It is We Who have sent down the Dhikr (i.e. the

Qur'an) and surely, We will guard it (from corruption).7This verse serves as a promise

from Allah that revelation will remain unharmed and whenever innovation appears it

will be rebuked. A real blessing for this nation is the preservation of the Isnad, unlike

the previous nations. Muslims have texts for the Prophets speech, action, approval,

disapproval, description and character. The task to report these narrations was takenup by his companions. Now it didnt stop there, and the speech, actions, approval

and disapproval for his companions has also been recorded. The wisdom behind this

4Al-Alamah Abdul Aziz Ar-Rajhi, Sharus Usul As-Sunnah( pg 19-20)

5Quran : At-Taubah: 100

6 Refer to Majmu 9/200

7Quran :Al-Hijr:9


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action comes from the Prophets words, The Muslims will split into 73 groups and all

them will go to Hell, except 1. The companions asked him: Who are the Muslims

saved from Hell? , He replied: Those who practice Islam like me and my

companions.8

After we hear such a strong praise from Allah and His messenger we should be easily persuaded

to want to read the Seerah of the Prophet and His companions; in order to know how they lived

and worshipped Allah. The companions of the Prophet () are all trustworthy and reliable, so

there is no reason to search abouttheir integrity. Therefore whenever scholars of hadith

begin to check the Isnad they begin with the Tabeeoon , then those who succeeded

them and so on .9

Since there is value in the Athar of the companions the Muhaddithoon collected

them in their books; Imam Malik in his Muwatta, Abdur Razak in the Musnaf, Ibn Abi

Shaybah in the Musnaf, Saeed ibn Mansour in his Sunnan and Ibn Hazm in Al-

Muhallah. These books are among the most noted with Athar of the Sahabah(Radi

Allahu anhum), but there are many more which cantbe mentioned here due to their

exceeding numbers.

The Athar of the Sahabah found within these books are called, Mawqoof

The Status of the Athar of the Sahabah

Allah says: Allaah knows best with whom to place His Message10

The era of the Shabah is a golden one. Imam Malik said : Whatever wasnt

considered part of the religion of during the period Prophet and His companions

cant be considered part of the religion today.11

Hudhayfah said: Everyact of worship the companions didnt do, then you must

avoid it.12

Imam Az-Zanjani (471H) said in Ar-Raa-iyah13

8Abu Dawud (5496), At-Tirmithi(2641) on the authority of Abdullah ibn Amr (radi Allahu anhu) graded as being

Hasan by shaykh Al-Albani in Mishkah (171)9Al-Alamah Ar-Rajhi , pg 20

10 Quran :al-Anaam 6:124

11Al-Itasam Ash-Shatabi 1/28

12Al-Lalakaae , Sharh Usul (1/101)


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Whatever wasnt a commonpractice during their era

Then someone comes after them and makes it practice, is rejected then rebuked.

Shaykh Abdul Razaq Al-Badr (may Allah preserve him) said : This line of poetry means

any act of worship that wasnt usual during the time of the companions cant be

considered a part of Islam.14

As a result of this principle agreed on by the Ahlus Sunnah Imam Ahmed said :

TheFundamental principles of the Sunnah with us; Sticking to what the companions

of Allahs Messenger did and following their examples as a model to be followed.15

Al-Alamah Abdul Aziz Ar-Rajhi (may Allah preserve him) said: This means we follow

the companions by doing what they did and saying the same thing they said and

avoiding whatever they avoided.16

Scholars interaction with the Athar of the Sahabah

This nation divided over the companions and their level. The Rafidah hate and curse

plus consider all of the Prophets Sahabahdisbelievers except a few. The smallnumber of among them they accept are Salman Al-Farasi,Ammar ibn Yasar, and Abi

Dhaar Al-Ghafari. In contrast the Khawarij consider the Prophets household, in

particular Ali ibn Abi Talib disbelievers.17

Ahlus Sunnah are the middle course between those two groups. They hold a high

opinion and respect for the companions. The accept the order for the four rightly

guided Caliphs; Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman , then Ali(Radi Allahu anhum). If these 4

13 Sad ibn Ali Abu Qassim Az-Zanjani, Az-Zanjani is a place located in Azerbaijan. He was born in 380 H.He died in

Mecca and heard from numerous scholars. He learned from Muhammad ibn Al-Fadl, Muhammad ibn Abi Ubayd,

and some of his students were Muhammad ibn Tahir, Abul Fadl Al-Maqdasi, Abu Bakr Al-Khateeb and As-Samani.

He authored numerous books in Aqeedah and Fiqh. Ibn Jawzi said he was an Imam and Hafith known to be

steadfast in his obedience to Allah. His Aqeedah was Salafy. Explanation of Manthumma Ar-Raa-iyah14

Shaykh Abdur Razaq , Explanation of Manthumma Ar-Raa-iyah page 7015

Imam Ahmed , Usul As-Sunnah.16

Ar-Rajhi , pg 2117

Sharhu Al-Qaseedahti Ad-Daaliyah, byAl-Alamah Abdur Rahman Al-Barrak, pg 98-98


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Imams agree on a issue of Fiqh but there are other companions who differed with

them, then their position would be considered to be the closet to the truth, but not a

PROOF. Placing these four caliphs as a proof in this instance would make them

infallible.

Without a doubt, when Abu Bakr and Umar both agree on something it carries strong

weight; as the Prophet (

) If you obey Abu Bakr and Umar , then you will be

guided.18

And FollowAbu Bakr and Umar after I die.19

Nevertheless, both of these noble companions speech or actionsarent a proof if

there is a contradiction.20

Likewise the speech and action of the Prophets Householdisnt counted as

evidence.21If their speech agrees with the Quran& the Sunnah then its accepted,

otherwise its rejected.

Scholars rely on the Athar for Issues of Fiqh and Aqeedah.

Scholars of Fiqh and Hadith value the Athar for issues of Fiqh and Aqeedah. When it

comes to Fiqh there are some guidelines the scholars hold. For example; If and when

a companion said: We were ordered, We were prohibited from, We were allowed

to, then these words carry the rank of being attributed to the Prophet ((

) .

In other words, the Prophet (

) is one who commanded his companions during his

lifetime. Moreover, if the companions said: From the Sunnah is then this also is

connected to the Prophet (

) ; as they are only referring to His Sunnah.

Furthermore, when the Sahabah said: Weused to do this or that during the time of

the Prophet (), in that case this and with all of the previous words are proofs and

18 Muslim # 281

19At-Tirmithi # 3662. Graded as being Hasan by Imam at-Tirmithi

20Sharuh Mukhtsar Al-Harir, by Al-Uthaymee

21His household includeds: Ali, Fatimah, Hasan and Hussain. This is who people refer to when they mention his

household, but his wives are also included.


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are directly related to the Prophet (

) although, he isnt mentioned.The technical

Islamic term for these phrases are, Marfu Hukm22

Summary

Islam is preserved by Allah through the Quran and the authentic texts of the

Sunnah and the Athar. The companions of the Prophet served Islam with the life.

For that reason loving them is the religion, faith and piety, but hating them is kufr,

hypocrisy and misguidance. Returning to the Athar of the companions protects

our comprehension, helps our intellectual capacity for issues of Aqeedah, Fiqh

and Tafsir. Their Fatawa contain what they heard from the Prophet, or from other

companions who heard it from the Rasul(

). In consequence the speech of the

companions is proof whenever disagreement from other the Quran, Sunnah or

other companions is non-existent. Whenever there is a difference between the

companions in issues of Fiqh then it is a must to take the strongest view. This is

only acceptable when their speech and actions dont oppose the textsbased on

their intellectual deduction. And when their logic goes against the texts they are

excused. May Allah be pleased with all of the Sahabah.23

Prepared by the one in need of Allahs Mercy

Abu Aaliyah Abdullah ibn Dwight Lamont Battle Sr

Phd Student (Hadith & its Sciences)

Doha, Qatar 1436

22Refer to Ikthsar ulumul Hadith, by Ibn Kathir

23Manthumma Usul-Al-Fiqh wa Qawaid, by Al-Uthaymeen, pg 184.

fiqah of following the athar pt 1

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