The Ruling on Preferring Abu Bakr over Ibn al-Qayyim
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His Eminence the Shaykh: A disagreement arose among some of the brothers, and one of them said: Ibn al-Qayyim is more knowledgeable in the knowledge of the Shari'ah than Abu Bakr.And the other said: No; because Ibn al-Qayyim came after the Companions and does not know all of the hadith.And he said: Abu Bakr was constantly in the company of the Messenger, so he knew all of the hadith. So which of the two is preferred?
Does anyone doubt that Abu Bakr is more knowledgeable than Ibn al-Qayyim, and also than Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah, in the sciences of the Shari'ah? No one doubts it. For this reason, the statement of Abu Bakr is a proof, and the statement of Ibn al-Qayyim is not a proof.
As for the other sciences that emerged later, these may have been hidden from Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him). But if there had been good in them, Abu Bakr would have been the most knowledgeable of people about them after the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him).
The questioner: But perhaps he knows a hadith that Abu Bakr did not hear?The Shaykh: And how do we know that he did not hear it?The questioner: Perhaps he did not know it?The Shaykh: The word "perhaps" is not verified.
The questioner: The hadith of Mu'adh in which he said: (Do not give them good news)?The Shaykh: Do you think that something is hidden from Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) while he was constantly in the company of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) in complete constancy? As for the hadith of Mu'adh, it is possible that the Messenger informed Mu'adh of it and said: (Do not give them good news), and he may have informed Abu Bakr of it as well.
Then this is idle talk, and its speaker intends nothing by it but evil. How can one prefer the most knowledgeable of the Ummah over one who is in the seventh century?
The questioner: It is not about excellence, but about knowledge?The Shaykh: And is knowledge not a form of excellence?The Shaykh: In summary: this is talk that only comes from fools who do not know the status of the Companions, and especially the status of Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him).
Does anyone doubt that Abu Bakr is more knowledgeable than Ibn al-Qayyim, and also than Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah, in the sciences of the Shari'ah? No one doubts it. For this reason, the statement of Abu Bakr is a proof, and the statement of Ibn al-Qayyim is not a proof.
As for the other sciences that emerged later, these may have been hidden from Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him). But if there had been good in them, Abu Bakr would have been the most knowledgeable of people about them after the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him).
The questioner: But perhaps he knows a hadith that Abu Bakr did not hear?The Shaykh: And how do we know that he did not hear it?The questioner: Perhaps he did not know it?The Shaykh: The word "perhaps" is not verified.
The questioner: The hadith of Mu'adh in which he said: (Do not give them good news)?The Shaykh: Do you think that something is hidden from Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) while he was constantly in the company of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) in complete constancy? As for the hadith of Mu'adh, it is possible that the Messenger informed Mu'adh of it and said: (Do not give them good news), and he may have informed Abu Bakr of it as well.
Then this is idle talk, and its speaker intends nothing by it but evil. How can one prefer the most knowledgeable of the Ummah over one who is in the seventh century?
The questioner: It is not about excellence, but about knowledge?The Shaykh: And is knowledge not a form of excellence?The Shaykh: In summary: this is talk that only comes from fools who do not know the status of the Companions, and especially the status of Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him).