The Superiority of the Companions over Those Who Came After Them

The questioner:
'Abd al-Aziz, regarding the hadith agreed upon by al-Bukhari and Muslim concerning the superiority of the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) over the later generations, what is the ruling on one who says, "We have a virtue over the Companions in that we believed in the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and did not see him"? I have not seen this as a merit in the Companions.

The Shaykh:
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, "The best of my Ummah is my generation." But the one who comes in times of hardship and whose work is given the reward of fifty does not mean that we are better than them; rather, our reward is only multiplied, and we do not become better than them. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: This is a clear text in the two Sahihs; it is clear. Therefore, the ambiguous is referred back to this. The fact that the one in the last times is given a reward double ours due to his uprightness does not imply that he is better than the Companions. This is ignorance. The Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) are the best of people after they were informed.

The questioner:
The hadith that... they believed in the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and did not...

The Shaykh:
Yes, Shaykh. They are our brothers. They do not have that specific virtue, but they have a great reward by the virtue of the Companions.

The questioner:
Just one point. The superiority is partial only.

The Shaykh:
The one who is washed [for burial] has a reward if they believed in him, and they did not see for him a great reward if they were steadfast upon the religion of Allah, and they have a great rank, but the Companions are better than them. And the Imam said the hadith, then "Taba" (blessing), then "Taba" . This is "bas" with a dammah on the "alif" for reward, but it does not imply that he is present from among the Companions. O Allah, amen. The speech of the Prophet is decisive: "The best of people are my generation" O Allah, send blessings upon him, and those who followed, or that no one spent like the hadith of one, no one reached the measure of one, and no advice, O Allah, send blessings upon him, they supported the religion and became a model for the Ummah (may Allah be pleased with them and grant them satisfaction). Allah. Allah.