Traditions Claiming that the Companions were the Best of All Generations The Prophet (ص) is claimed to have said, “The best people are living in my generation, and then those who will follow them, and then those who will follow the latter.” This forgery apparently dates to the early Umayyad era or perhaps to the caliphate of Uthman, and many of its chains of transmission are rather problematic. Of note, in Sahih Bukhari, two of these traditions are related through Muhammad ibn Kathir, who Ibn Ma’in said “is not trustworthy (thiqah)”. Four traditions in Sahih Bukhari are through Zahdam ibn Mudarrib from Imran ibn Husayn. The former is barely known, as there are only two traditions related from him, while the latter worked for Abd Allah ibn Amir while he served as governor of Basrah during the caliphate of his cousin Uthman. Nevertheless, this tradition states nothing to support the belief that every companion was just. It was obviously not the hypocrites among the companions who were the best of all time, but rather the Prophet’s (ص) righteous companions. In fact, the Shi’ah have no trouble accepting the claim that the best people were the devoted companions of the Prophet (ص), followed by the devoted companions of Ali (ع), followed by the devoted companions of Hasan (ع) and Husayn (ع). Indeed, to use this tradition to claim that the companions were all exemplary character is absurd. Were those who left Islam after the Prophet’s (ص) death among the best of all times? Were the companions who he promised would innovate in his religion and be sent to hell because of what they would do after his death be the best of all times? What about the eight or twelve companions he promised would never enter paradise until a camel fits through a needle hole? What about those who harassed him in his life, who plotted to assassinate him, who usurped the caliphate upon his death, and who fought Ali (ع) after him? What about the breaker of vows, the deviants, and there heretics whom he ordered Ali (ع) to fight — were they the best of all time? Shi’ah Islam: Proofs from the Qur’an, Sunnah, and History p 924-925
Posted on: Tue, 06 Jan 2015 06:43:05 +0000
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