As-Sahaabah is a Lafzh (wording) that has been applied to the one whose Suhbah (companionship) with the Nabi (saw) has been lengthy and his sittings with him have been many involving pursuing him and taking from him (saw).

Al-Imaam Al-Haafizh related in his ‘Isnaad’ from Sa’eed Ibn AlMusayyib that he said: “We do not count someone to be from the Sahaabah unless he resided with the Messenger of Allah (saw) for a year or two years and (or) went to battle (Ghazwah) with him on one or two Ghazwahs”.

Al-Maazaniy said in ‘Sharh Al-Burhaan’: “When we say that the Sahaabah are ‘Udool (just) we have not meant everyone who saw him (saw), or visited him occasionally, or met with him for a certain purpose and then left (quickly). Rather we only mean those who remained beside him, supported him and followed the light that Allah had revealed, and those are the successful ones (Muflihoon)”.

The Suhbah (companionship) is established by (certain) matters including: 1 – By Tawaatur: This is like the Suhbah (companionship) of Abu Bakr, ‘Ali, ‘Umar, ‘Uthmaan (rah) and all of those who were given glad tidings of Jannah.

2 – By Akhbaar Al-Aahaad: And this is when it has been related from single narrations of the Sahaabah or the Taabi’een that such and such a person was a Sahaabiy or through his own informing about this after affirming his trustworthiness that he is a Sahaabiy.

All of the Sahaabah are ‘Udool (just and trustworthy) and their ‘Adaalah (justice or trustworthiness) is not enquired about in respect to any of them. Rather this matter has been dealt with because they have been accredited as being just and trustworthy through the texts of the Kitaab and the Sunnah, some of which we mentioned earlier in relation to the subject of the Hujjiyah (validity) of Ijmaa’ AsSahaabah.

Those who seek to undermine their trustworthiness only wish to declare our witnesses to be unreliable in a (malicious) attempt to undermine the Kitaab and the Sunnah.

It is true that a Sahaabiy by himself is not Ma’soom (infallible) and what is possible to happen in respect to any other human being in terms of making mistakes and committing prohibited acts is also possible in respect to him. However, what they have transferred and transmitted to us from the Deen, even if this was individually, is Saheeh (valid) because they are ‘Udool (trustworthy) in respect to transmission due to the speech of the Messenger (saw): “By anyone of them you follow you will be guided” (Al-Bayhaqi and AdDailamiy attributed it from Ibn ‘Abbaas).

However, in regards to what they agreed and held a consensus upon then this is definite in respect to its validity (Sihhah) due to the reasons that we mentioned related to the Hujjiyah of their Ijmaa’.