The Issue of Preferring One Companion Over Another
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What is your opinion on the issue of preferring one Companion over another;It has been said: Who is the best among them: Abu Bakr, then 'Umar, then 'Uthman, and we stop there. This was the practice of the Salaf, citing the report of Ibn 'Umar that he stopped there and did not mention 'Ali. They objected to the consensus (ijma') transmitted by al-Hafiz Ibn Hajar that all the people of the Sunnah hold that 'Ali is preferred over the other Companions after 'Uthman. However, they objected to this consensus because he transmitted it from Abu 'Umar Ibn 'Abd al-Barr, who had some inclination toward Shi'ism in this matter. So how should one respond?
First: Ibn 'Abd al-Barr (may Allah have mercy on him) was among those who were lenient in transmitting consensus; because he would transmit a consensus on an issue, and when a person investigated it, they would find that there was no consensus on it. As for the issue of preference, the Companions and those after them agreed that the best of this Ummah after its Prophet is Abu Bakr, then 'Umar, and there is no disagreement on that. Then they differed regarding 'Uthman and 'Ali: some preferred 'Uthman, some preferred 'Ali, some limited it to Abu Bakr, then 'Umar, then 'Uthman and remained silent, and some stopped there. But Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah (may Allah have mercy on him) says in al-'Aqidah al-Wasitiyyah: that the view of the people of the Sunnah and the community settled on the fact that their order in excellence is like their order in the caliphate, and that they agreed, with no disagreement among them, that the caliph after the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) is Abu Bakr, then 'Umar, then 'Uthman, then 'Ali. They also agreed that this order in the caliphate is the truth and does not deny the right of anyone. 'Ali ibn Abi Talib (may Allah be pleased with him) delivered a sermon on the pulpit of Kufah and declared that the best of this Ummah after its Prophet is Abu Bakr, then 'Umar.
And the issue of preference between 'Uthman and 'Ali is easy as long as there is an old disagreement among the people of the Sunnah on it. But the one who misguides in this matter is the one who prefers 'Ali over 'Uthman in the caliphate, saying: that 'Ali is more entitled to it than he is. And more misleading, more abominable, and more unjust is the one who prefers 'Ali in the caliphate over Abu Bakr and 'Umar,And he said: claiming that they wronged him.
And the wonder is that I saw a laughable statement saying: Claiming that Abu Bakr and 'Umar, both of them, are open sinners and unjust, and that 'Ali ibn Abi Talib is also a disbeliever; because he did not demand his right, and silence about the right is disbelief. So who remains?Its meaning is: That all the caliphs became disbelievers according to the view of this claimant.
And among those who say from the misguided innovators: Claiming that Abu Bakr and 'Umar wronged 'Ali ibn Abi Talib in the caliphate. He lied in that; because 'Ali ibn Abi Talib is among those who pledged allegiance to them in the caliphate and acknowledged their excellence publicly.
First: Ibn 'Abd al-Barr (may Allah have mercy on him) was among those who were lenient in transmitting consensus; because he would transmit a consensus on an issue, and when a person investigated it, they would find that there was no consensus on it. As for the issue of preference, the Companions and those after them agreed that the best of this Ummah after its Prophet is Abu Bakr, then 'Umar, and there is no disagreement on that. Then they differed regarding 'Uthman and 'Ali: some preferred 'Uthman, some preferred 'Ali, some limited it to Abu Bakr, then 'Umar, then 'Uthman and remained silent, and some stopped there. But Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah (may Allah have mercy on him) says in al-'Aqidah al-Wasitiyyah: that the view of the people of the Sunnah and the community settled on the fact that their order in excellence is like their order in the caliphate, and that they agreed, with no disagreement among them, that the caliph after the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) is Abu Bakr, then 'Umar, then 'Uthman, then 'Ali. They also agreed that this order in the caliphate is the truth and does not deny the right of anyone. 'Ali ibn Abi Talib (may Allah be pleased with him) delivered a sermon on the pulpit of Kufah and declared that the best of this Ummah after its Prophet is Abu Bakr, then 'Umar.
And the issue of preference between 'Uthman and 'Ali is easy as long as there is an old disagreement among the people of the Sunnah on it. But the one who misguides in this matter is the one who prefers 'Ali over 'Uthman in the caliphate, saying: that 'Ali is more entitled to it than he is. And more misleading, more abominable, and more unjust is the one who prefers 'Ali in the caliphate over Abu Bakr and 'Umar,And he said: claiming that they wronged him.
And the wonder is that I saw a laughable statement saying: Claiming that Abu Bakr and 'Umar, both of them, are open sinners and unjust, and that 'Ali ibn Abi Talib is also a disbeliever; because he did not demand his right, and silence about the right is disbelief. So who remains?Its meaning is: That all the caliphs became disbelievers according to the view of this claimant.
And among those who say from the misguided innovators: Claiming that Abu Bakr and 'Umar wronged 'Ali ibn Abi Talib in the caliphate. He lied in that; because 'Ali ibn Abi Talib is among those who pledged allegiance to them in the caliphate and acknowledged their excellence publicly.