The Authority of the Statement of a Companion and the Priority of the Statement of the Rightly Guided Caliphs
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The questioner:
We ask Allah about it. Is the statement of the Companions now, or the statement of a Companion, an authority? Excuse me.
The Shaykh:
If no one else contradicts him, according to the correct view, because he is more knowledgeable about the Sunnah and more knowledgeable about the religion. Yes. Abdullah al-Shawkani said that the statements of the Companions are not an authority. That is the position of the later generations, but the correct view is that they are an authority in the principles, meaning: if you return to the Book, the Sunnah, and scholarly consensus, and the statement of a Companion is not contradicted by another. If it is contradicted. Yasin.
The questioner:
If he is contradicted by another, is it an authority?
The Shaykh:
No, the evidence is examined until the people of knowledge determine which is stronger.
The questioner:
If he looks at the majority, if they are many, Shaykh, does he look at the majority of the Companions if they differ or if they are many, Shaykh?
The Shaykh:
Likewise, if disagreement arises, the statements are presented to the evidence, and what the evidence indicates is preferred. But the evidence, Shaykh, looks at the statement of the majority. It is more appropriate if there is no evidence; the majority is more appropriate because it is closer to the truth.
The questioner:
Now, if the Rightly Guided Caliphs agree on a statement and some of the Companions contradict them?
The Shaykh:
Yes, the Rightly Guided are prioritized by the Sunnah: "Hold fast to my Sunnah and the Sunnah of the Rightly Guided Caliphs." The side that has a Rightly Guided Caliph is prioritized, or one of the Rightly Guided.
The questioner:
What is going on? How are you?
The Shaykh:
If there is no evidence that contradicts him. Yes.
We ask Allah about it. Is the statement of the Companions now, or the statement of a Companion, an authority? Excuse me.
The Shaykh:
If no one else contradicts him, according to the correct view, because he is more knowledgeable about the Sunnah and more knowledgeable about the religion. Yes. Abdullah al-Shawkani said that the statements of the Companions are not an authority. That is the position of the later generations, but the correct view is that they are an authority in the principles, meaning: if you return to the Book, the Sunnah, and scholarly consensus, and the statement of a Companion is not contradicted by another. If it is contradicted. Yasin.
The questioner:
If he is contradicted by another, is it an authority?
The Shaykh:
No, the evidence is examined until the people of knowledge determine which is stronger.
The questioner:
If he looks at the majority, if they are many, Shaykh, does he look at the majority of the Companions if they differ or if they are many, Shaykh?
The Shaykh:
Likewise, if disagreement arises, the statements are presented to the evidence, and what the evidence indicates is preferred. But the evidence, Shaykh, looks at the statement of the majority. It is more appropriate if there is no evidence; the majority is more appropriate because it is closer to the truth.
The questioner:
Now, if the Rightly Guided Caliphs agree on a statement and some of the Companions contradict them?
The Shaykh:
Yes, the Rightly Guided are prioritized by the Sunnah: "Hold fast to my Sunnah and the Sunnah of the Rightly Guided Caliphs." The side that has a Rightly Guided Caliph is prioritized, or one of the Rightly Guided.
The questioner:
What is going on? How are you?
The Shaykh:
If there is no evidence that contradicts him. Yes.
Source
شرح كتاب المنتقى من أخبار المصطفى صلى الله عليه وسلم [ الشرح الأول ]، بداية من باب قضاء رمضان متتابعا ومتفرقا وتأخيره إلى شعبان — islamhouse.com (14:28)
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.