The Four Companions Explained

The Four Companions, also called the Four Pillars of the Sahaba, is a Shia term for the four Companions of the Islamic prophet Muhammad who are supposed to have stayed most loyal to Ali ibn Abi Talib after Muhammad's death in 632:[1] [2]

  1. Salman al-Fārisī
  2. Abū Dharr al-Ghifāri
  3. Miqdad ibn Aswād al-Kindi
  4. Ammār ibn Yāsir

Salman is generally considered to be the loftiest amongst these elite four in Shia theology. It is narrated from Muhammad that:[3]

Faith has ten grades, and Salman is on the tenth (i.e., highest) grade, Abu Dharr on the ninth, and Miqdad on the eighth grade.

Those among Muhammad's companions who were closest to Ali were called the ('the partisans of Ali') during Muhammad's lifetime.[4] The following hadith is narrated about them from Jabir al-Ansari:[5]

The Messenger of Allah said: "Glad tidings Oh Ali! For verily you and your companions and your Shi'ah will be in Heaven."[6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12]

These companions were later referred to as "The Real Shia."[13] Abdullah ibn Abbas, Ubay ibn Ka'b,[14] Bilal ibn Rabah, Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr, Malik al-Ashtar,[15] and Hudhayfah ibn al-Yaman[16] [17] were other such partisans. However, it is only The Four Companions that are supposed to have attained distinction in their devotion to Ali.

See also

Notes and References

  1. Book: A Shi'ite Encyclopedia . Respecting the Righteous Companions . https://www.al-islam.org/shiite-encyclopedia/respecting-righteous-companions . Ali . Ahlul Bayt Digital Islamic Library Project . Abbas . https://web.archive.org/web/20200603101754/https://www.al-islam.org/shiite-encyclopedia/respecting-righteous-companions . 3 June 2020 . al-islam.org.
  2. Book: History of the Caliphs . Umars Caliphate . 9781312541085 . https://books.google.com/books?id=YytVCAAAQBAJ&pg=PT290 . CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform . 290 . 2014 . Ja'fariyan . Rasul . Abu Hatin al-Razi says, "It is the appellation of those who were attached to Ali during the lifetime of the Messenger of Allah, such as Salman, Abu Dharr Ghifari, Miqdad ibn al-Aswad and Ammar ibn Yasir and others. Concerning these four, the Messenger of Allah had declared, 'The paradise is eager for four men: Salman, Abu Dharr, Miqdad, and Ammar.'".
  3. Book: Slavery: Islamic & Western Perspectives . Slaves in the History of Islam . https://books.google.com/books?id=puGqDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA24 . 2001 . South Africa . Ahlul Bait (a.s.) Foundation of South Africa . Rizvi . Saeed Akhtar . 24.
  4. Book: Authority in Islam: From the Rise of Mohammad to the Establishment of the Umayyads . https://books.google.com/books?id=wKs0DwAAQBAJ&pg=PT102 . The foundations of Sunnite Authority: The Routinization of Charisma . 102 . 9781351317108 . 2017 . Routledge . Dabashi . Hamid . books.google.com.
  5. Book: A Shi'ite Encyclopedia . The Term Shi'a in Qur'an and Hadith . https://www.al-islam.org/shiite-encyclopedia/term-shia-quran-and-hadith . Ali . Ahlul Bayt Digital Islamic Library Project . Abbas . https://web.archive.org/web/20200118095133/https://www.al-islam.org/shiite-encyclopedia/term-shia-quran-and-hadith . 18 January 2020 . al-islam.org.
  6. Arabic: Arabic: قَالَ رَسُولُ ٱللَّٰهِ ﷺ: يَا عَلِيُّ أَبْشِرْ فَإِنَّكَ وَأَصْحَابُكَ وَشِيعَتُكَ فِي ٱلْجَنَّةِ. See Ahmad ibn Hanbal, Fadha'il al-Sahaba, (Beirut) vol. 2, p. 655
  7. [Abu Nu'aym al-Isfahani]
  8. [Al-Khatib al-Baghdadi]
  9. [Al-Tabarani]
  10. [Nur al-Din al-Haythami]
  11. [Ibn Asakir]
  12. [Ibn Hajar al-Haytami]
  13. Web site: Shi'ism and Its Types During the Early Centuries . 1996 . Ja'fariyan . Rasul . 3 June 2020 . 3 Jun 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200603114938/https://www.alseraj.net/maktaba/kotob/english/women/Womenin/al-tawhid/types/shiism.htm . alseraj.net .
  14. Book: Shi'i Islam: Origins, Faith and Practices . https://books.google.com/books?id=tLUozZJCBJYC&pg=PA25 . Origins of Shi'ism . 2003 . ICAS Press . 9781904063117 . Shomali . Mohammad A . 25 . books.google.com.
  15. Book: Malik al-Ashtar . al-Sayyid . Kamal . Jasim . Alyawy . al-islam.org.
  16. Book: The Narration by Hudhayfah ibn al-Yamani . 10 May 2020 . ibn Muhammad al-Daylami . Hasan . Abu Shahaba . Jerrmein . al-islam.org . 11 May 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200511012231/https://www.al-islam.org/articles/narration-hadeeth-hudhayfah-ibn-alyaman-hasan-ibn-muhammad-al-daylami.
  17. Web site: Hudhayfah ibn al Yaman, the famous companion of the Prophet. 11 May 2020. 11 May 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200511011459/https://rch.ac.ir/article/Details/9536.

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