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Answer:
Al salam alaykum wa rahmat Allah wa barakatuh,
There are two different meanings for the word ‘suhbah’ or companionship in
the Arabic language. There is a conventional meaning for the word and a
linguistic one. Lots of people confuse between these two different
meanings. Due to this confusion, some people allowed for themselves to
slander the companions of the Prophet peace be upon him for the sake of
objectivity, scientific criticism, and to defend Islam!
Before we talk about the Companions, let us examine the meanings of
‘suhbah’ or companionship in Arabic.
The word ‘suhbah’ has a broad meaning in the Arabic language. It includes
the true friendship between two friends. It also includes illusionary
‘suhbah’ that could occur between two persons separated by centuries as
the Prophet peace be upon him said to his wives, “You are the Companions
of Yusuf.” The word ‘suhbah’ is also called for people who follow a
particular school of jurisprudence, as ‘the companions of Al-Shafe’ei, or
the companions Ahmed.’ Some scholars call their peers, who existed
centuries ago, as ‘companions.’ The word ‘suhbah’ could also mean ‘with’
as you say, “so and so is suhbah (with) so and so.”
The word could also be used as an addition when you say, ‘the companion of
money’ meaning ‘a person with lots of money.’ Another meaning is “taking
care of” as Allah says, “We let no one to be the companions of hell fire
but the angels,” meaning, “We let no one to take care of hell fire but the
angels.”
Due to these broad meanings for ‘suhbah’, it is applicable to equal the
linguistic companionship with the good or bad, real or illusionary
companionship.
The linguistic meaning of companionship is also called on the
companionship between a disbeliever and a believer as Allah says, “His
companion said to him, in the course of the argument with him: "Dost thou
deny Him Who created thee out of the dust, then out of a sperm-drop, then
fashioned thee into a man?” [Al-Kahf, 37] And, “(Abundant) was the produce
this man had: he said to his companion, in the course of a mutual
argument: "More wealth have I than you, and more honor and power in (my
following of) men."” [Al-Kahf, 34]
It is permissible in the Arabic language to call the hypocrite as a
companion. When the Companions requested from the Prophet peace be upon
him to kill the hypocrite Abdullah bin Ubay bin Sallool, the Prophet peace
be upon him rejected their plea and said, “So people will not say that
Muhamed kills his companions.” Abdullah bin Ubay is not considered a
Companion because he is a hypocrite. However, in the previous hadeeth, he
is called a companion for two reasons.
The first reason is that the word companion here is used in the linguistic
form of the word. That form of meaning does not distinguish between faith
and hypocrisy. The second reason is more important, however. The Prophet
peace be upon him said, “So people will not say.” The Prophet peace be
upon him pointed these people as an opposing party to the Companions. When
the Quran addresses the people of faith, it says, “O’ those who believe.”
But when the addressing is towards the disbeliever, or to the whole
people, disbelievers or believers, it says, “O; People!” Therefore, the
disbelievers are more likely to slander the Prophet peace be upon him.
Hence, if the Prophet peace be upon him killed Abdullah bin Ubay, then the
disbelievers would not say that the Prophet killed a hypocrite, but would
rather say that the Prophet peace be upon him killed his ‘companion’.
Their aim is to pull people away from Islam and its people.
It is permitted in the Arabic language to call a person’s enemy as a
companion. The Prophet peace be upon him said, “If two Muslims fought each
others with their swords, then both of them would be in hell.” Then the
Prophet peace be upon him was asked, “We understand why the killer would
go to hell, but why the killed one would go to hell?” The Prophet peace be
upon him answered, “He wanted to kill his companion.” [Narrated by
Al-Bukhari]. You may also call the two persons who meet for the first time
as companions. The Prophet peace be upon him said, “Both parties in a
business transaction have the right to annul it so long as they have not
separated, except in transactions which have been made subject to the
right of parties to annul them.” [Saheeh Al-Bukhari]
You may also call a person as a companion even if you never knew him.
Abdulrahman bin Owf said, “When I was in the battle of Badir, I saw a
young man from Al-ansar on my right hand sight, and another one on my
left. One of them said to me, “Uncle, do you know Abu Jahl?” I answered,
“Yes, but why?” He answered, “We were told that he libeled the Prophet
peace be upon him. I swear by Allah that if I saw him, I will not leave
him until I kill him or he kills me.” Then the second young man said the
same thing to me. The time I saw Abu Jahl in the battlefield, I said to
the two young men, “Here is your companion, do not you see him?” Then the
two young men went and beated Abu Jahl until he died.”
Therefore, there is no limit for the linguistic meaning of the word
‘companionship.’ If a Companion is the one with the linguistic meaning of
companion, then we are all companions! Hence, the scholars of Islam had
established a specific definition for the conventional meaning of the word
“companion.” Ibn Hajar Al-Asqalani said that the companion is the one who
“met the Prophet peace be upon him as a Muslim, and passed away as a
Muslim too.” [Al-Esabah fi Tamyeez Al-Sahabah, 1/8]
Al-Shaheed Al-Thani, a grand Shia scholar, said, “The Companion is the one
who met the Prophet peace be upon him as a believer, and died as a Muslim…
By ‘meeting’, we mean more than getting together, seeing and talking to
each others.” [Al-Ri’ayah, p.339]
Followed is an explanation for the conventional meaning of the word
‘companion’:
“Who met the Prophet peace be upon him”: it means the people who met the
Prophet peace be upon him in the lifetime of the Prophet peace be upon
him. However, if the person saw the Prophet peace be upon him after his
death, then he is not considered as a Companion. Abu Thu’ayb Al-Huthali,
the poet, saw the Prophet peace be upon him at his funeral, therefore, he
is not considered a Companion. Note that the scholars used the term “meet”
rather than “see” because there were some blind Companions like Abdullah
bin Umm Maktoom.
“As a believer”: Meaning, that for a person to be qualified as a
companion, he must be a Muslim. Therefore, anyone who met the Prophet
peace be upon him as a disbeliever, whether he turned to Islam after the
death of the Prophet peace be upon him or not, is not a companion.
However, the scholars disagreed about the Companionship of the person who
was a Muslim at the time of the Prophet peace be upon him, apostated at
the life of the Prophet peace be upon him, and then came back to Islam
after the demise of the Prophet peace be upon him.
“Died as a Muslim”: Therefore, any Muslim met the Prophet peace be upon
him, but died as a disbeliever is not considered as a Companion.
wa alaykum al salam
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