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﴿ فَاسْأَلُوا أَهْلَ الذِّكْرِ إِن كُنتُمْ لَا تَعْلَمُونَ ﴾

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Testifying to Paradise and Hellfire

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Question:
And whoever does not testify for those for whom the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) testified to Paradise, is a person of religious innovation and misguidance.

Answer:
Testifying that someone is in Paradise or in the Fire. This is a matter of distinction among the people of the Sunnah and the community. If the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) testified that someone is in Paradise or in the Fire, we testify to that for them. We testify to that for them, because the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) does not
(3) Nor does he speak from [his own] inclination. (4) It is not but a revelation revealed,يَنطِقُ عَنِ الْهَوَىٰ إِنْ هُوَ إِلَّا وَحْيٌ يُوحَىٰ
[An-Najm 53:3-4]
. Before that, Allah informed us about those who are in the Fire, such as Pharaoh, Haman, Qarun, and the family of Pharaoh. Allah informed us that they are in the Fire, so we believe in that. We believe in that.
As for those for whom no evidence has come that they are in Paradise or that they are in Hellfire, we do not testify to Paradise or Hellfire for anyone, but rather we hope for the doer of good and fear for the doer of evil.
This is from the perspective of individuals. As for the general perspective, we believe that the believers are in Paradise, that all the believers are in Paradise, and that all the disbelievers are in Hellfire, from the general perspective. As for the perspective of individuals, a distinction is necessary; we do not assert Paradise or Hellfire for anyone except with evidence from the Book and the Sunnah. And the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) testified...
About certain of the Companions that they are in Paradise, so we are certain that they are among the people of Paradise by their specific names and persons. They are the ten who were testified to be in Paradise: the four caliphs, Abu Bakr, 'Umar, 'Uthman, and 'Ali; Talhah and al-Zubayr; Sa'd ibn Abi Waqqas; Sa'id ibn Zayd ibn 'Amr ibn Nufayl; Abu 'Ubaydah ibn al-Jarrah; and 'Abd al-Rahman ibn 'Awf (may Allah be pleased with them). These are the ones for whom the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) testified that they are among the people of Paradise, so we believe in that and are certain that they are among the people of Paradise. We are certain that they are among the people of Paradise by their specific names. We believe that all the Companions are in Paradise, those who died upon the state of companionship and did not become apostates, that they are in Paradise, because Allah (Mighty and Majestic) said
Certainly was Allah pleased with the believers when they pledged allegiance to you, [O Muhammad], under the treeلَّقَدْ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنِ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ إِذْ يُبَايِعُونَكَ تَحْتَ الشَّجَرَةِ
[Al-Fath 48:18]
and said
And the first forerunners [in the faith] among the Muhajireen and the Ansar and those who followed them with good conduct - Allah is pleased with them and they are pleased with Him, and He has prepared for them gardens beneath which rivers flowوَالسَّابِقُونَ الْأَوَّلُونَ مِنَ الْمُهَاجِرِينَ وَالْأَنصَارِ وَالَّذِينَ اتَّبَعُوهُم بِإِحْسَانٍ رَّضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُمْ وَرَضُوا عَنْهُ وَأَعَدَّ لَهُمْ جَنَّاتٍ تَجْرِي تَحْتَهَا الْأَنْهَارُ
[At-Tawbah 9:100]
. All the Companions of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) are in Paradise by the testimony of Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He), and specifically the ten. And the people of the Pledge of Satisfaction, about whom it was reported, and the people of Badr, about whom a special virtue was reported, and those who believed
those who spent before the conquest [of Makkah] and fought [and those who did so after it]. Those are greater in degree than they who spent afterwards and foughtأَنفَقَ مِن قَبْلِ الْفَتْحِ وَقَاتَلَ أُولَٰئِكَ أَعْظَمُ دَرَجَةً مِّنَ الَّذِينَ أَنفَقُوا مِن بَعْدُ وَقَاتَلُوا
[Al-Hadid 57:10]
. Yes, those who embraced Islam before the Conquest are better than those who embraced Islam after the Conquest of Makkah. The Companions differ in rank without a doubt, but all of them (may Allah be pleased with them and grant them satisfaction). No one criticizes a Companion of the Companions of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) except the people of desires and the people of innovation, from the Khawarij and the Rafidah and others.
The one who casts doubt in the Rightly Guided Caliphs, Abu Bakr, 'Umar, and 'Uthman, and describes them as unjust, and describes Abu Bakr and 'Umar as the idols of Quraysh and as the false gods and the taghut, is more misguided than the Jews and the Christians. The Jews and the Christians do not say this about the Companions of the Messenger of Allah, and they are Jews and Christians, and these people claim Islam and say this abominable statement. If it were said to the Jews and the Christians, if it were said to the Jews, who is the best of you? They would say, the Companions...
Source شرح السنة للبربهاري، المبشرون بالجنة - التوبة إلى الله تعالى - الاعتصام بالسنة — islamhouse.com (27:00)

The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.

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