Who are the Companions and why do we love them?

Welcome to this course You already know the life of the Prophet ﷺ (course "The life of the Prophet ﷺ") and some of his sayings (course "The Forty Hadith"). This course now looks at the people around him: men and women, rich and poor, old people and many young ones, who believed in him, loved him and passed Islam on all the way to us. Without them, we would have neither the Qur'an written in a muṣḥaf nor the hadiths you have learned.

What is a Companion? The Arabic word is ṣaḥaabi (plural: aṣ-ṣaḥaaba). Scholars define it like this: a Companion is someone who met the Prophet ﷺ while believing in him, and who died as a Muslim [À VÉRIFIER : formulation, souvent attribuée à Ibn Ḥajar]. Some lived with him for years, others saw him only once, for example during the Farewell Pilgrimage. There were tens of thousands of them [À VÉRIFIER : chiffres souvent cités].

The Emigrants and the Helpers • The Emigrants (al-Muhaajiruun): the Muslims of Mecca who left their city, their homes and often their wealth to join the Prophet ﷺ in Medina. • The Helpers (al-Anṣaar): the people of Medina who welcomed them and shared what they had with them. The Prophet ﷺ made each Emigrant the brother of a Helper. So Sa'd ibn ar-Rabii' the Anṣaari offered to share his wealth with 'Abd ar-Raḥmaan ibn 'Awf; 'Abd ar-Raḥmaan thanked him and only asked: "Show me the market", then he worked and earned his living (Bukhari 3780) [À VÉRIFIER : numéro]. Generosity on one side, dignity on the other: that is the brotherhood of Medina.

What the Qur'an says about them • "The very first forerunners among the Emigrants and the Helpers, and those who followed them in goodness: Allah is pleased with them and they are pleased with Him" (meaning of 9:100, text below). • "Allah was pleased with the believers when they pledged allegiance to you under the tree" (meaning of 48:18, text below): this is the pledge of Al-Ḥudaybiya. • "Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, and those who are with him are […] full of mercy towards one another; you see them bowing, prostrating, seeking Allah's bounty and His pleasure" (meaning of part of 48:29).

What the Prophet ﷺ says about them • "The best of people are my generation, then those who follow them, then those who follow them" (Bukhari 2652, Muslim 2533). • "The sign of faith is love of the Anṣaar; the sign of hypocrisy is hatred of the Anṣaar" (Bukhari 17, Muslim 74).

Why do we love them? 1. Because Allah loved them and declared that He is pleased with them. 2. Because they loved the Prophet ﷺ, protected him and followed him in easy times as in the hardest ones. 3. Because everything we have of Islam came through them: the Qur'an, the prayer, the hadiths. 4. Because they are real-life role models: young people, parents, traders, freed slaves, who lived Islam in real life.

"You will be with those you love" A man asked the Prophet ﷺ: "When will the Hour come?" He answered: "What have you prepared for it?" The man said: "Nothing, except that I love Allah and His Messenger." The Prophet ﷺ said: "You will be with those you love." Anas, who tells the story, adds: "I love the Prophet ﷺ, Abu Bakr and 'Umar, and I hope to be with them because of my love for them, even though I have not done as much as they did" (Bukhari 3688, Muslim 2639).

Understanding the lesson

Explanation The Companions are not legendary heroes: they are real people, with their families, their jobs and their difficulties. What makes them unique is that they lived with the Prophet ﷺ, believed in him when it was dangerous, and faithfully passed on what they received. The Qur'an says of them: "Allah is pleased with them and they are pleased with Him" (9:100). This is an immense honour: their worth does not come from our opinion, but from the testimony of Allah Himself. The story of Sa'd and 'Abd ar-Raḥmaan shows the spirit of this generation: each one thinks of the other first. One offers everything, the other takes nothing and prefers to work. Finally, the saying "You will be with those you love" opens a door of hope: even if we have not done as much as they did, sincere love for them, together with the wish to follow them, brings us closer to them.

Lessons to draw from it • Learning the stories of the Companions means learning how Islam is lived for real. • Loving them is part of faith: we speak of them with respect and with affection. • True brotherhood means giving without counting and receiving with dignity. • Their example shows that Islam was carried by people of all ages and all backgrounds. • Choose right now a Companion whose story you want to know better.

Key points to remember • A Companion: someone who met the Prophet ﷺ while believing in him and who died a Muslim. • The Emigrants (Muhaajiruun) and the Helpers (Anṣaar): 9:100. • "The best of people are my generation" (Bukhari 2652, Muslim 2533). • Love of the Anṣaar is a sign of faith (Bukhari 17, Muslim 74). • "You will be with those you love" (Bukhari 3688, Muslim 2639).

The main message The Companions are the generation Allah chose to accompany His Prophet ﷺ: knowing them and loving them means understanding Islam better and hoping to be with them.

The text: Surah At-Tawba (9), verse 100 [TEXTE ARABE À INSÉRER : sourate 9:100]

The text: Surah Al-Fatḥ (48), verse 18 [TEXTE ARABE À INSÉRER : sourate 48:18]

Meaning: 9:100: "The very first forerunners among the Emigrants and the Helpers, and those who followed them in goodness: Allah is pleased with them and they are pleased with Him. He has prepared for them gardens beneath which rivers flow, where they will remain forever. That is the immense success." 48:18: "Allah was pleased with the believers when they pledged allegiance to you under the tree. He knew what was in their hearts, so He sent down tranquillity upon them and rewarded them with a near victory."

Arabic text: deliberately not typed, to avoid any error; it is to be copied from the centre's mushaf (or a verified source) at the place indicated.