بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
The question:
What do you say about the companion’s statement: Is it evidence or not? Or is there a specific detail?
The answer:
It is necessary to detail: If a companion said a statement in the presence of some companions and no one disagreed with him, then we can rest assured of this and use it as evidence.
But if there is no such evidence, and then there is nothing in the text of the Qur’ān or Sunnah that contradicts the statement, then we are also assured of it; But we cannot give him the status of the Qur’ān and Sunnah, unless there are other people with him (in agreement). (Kitāb Durūs of Al-Albānī 15/18)
The question:
Is the action of the Companion considered a Sunnah from the sunnah of the Rightly Guided Caliphs or not?
The answer:
The saying of a companion is evidence if he is one of the people of knowledge and jurisprudence. Because, as you know, if a Bedouin comes to the Prophet (ﷺ) and embraces Islām, then returns to his camel, then he is a companion, but he may be ignorant in many matters of knowledge.
However, if the companion is one of the jurists known for jurisprudence, then his statement is evidence under two conditions:
The first condition: It does not contradict the words of Allāh and His Messenger; If it contradicts the words of Allāh and His Messenger, it’s obligatory to leave it and take what Allāh and His Messenger said.
Ibn Abbās said: Stones are about to rain down on you from the sky (as a punishment). I say: The Messenger of Allāh (ﷺ) said, and you say: Abū Bakr and ‘Umar said! (Zād al-Ma’ād of Ibn al-Qayyim 2/182)
And Allāh said:
{فَلْيَحْذَرِ الَّذِينَ يُخَالِفُونَ عَنْ أَمْرِهِ أَنْ تُصِيبَهُمْ فِتْنَةٌ أَوْ يُصِيبَهُمْ عَذَابٌ أَلِيمٌ}
{Let those who oppose his command beware.} [Al-Nūr: 63] That is, regarding the command of the Messenger (ﷺ): {Lest a trial (fitnah) befall them or a painful punishment be inflicted on them} [Al-Nūr: 63]. Imām Ahmad said: Do you know what is meant by fitnah? It is Shirk (polytheism); Perhaps if he rejects some of the Messenger’s (ﷺ) words, some deviation will fall into his heart and he will perish. We ask Allāh for well-being. (Ibn Battah Sunan al-Kubrā 1/260)
The second condition: That it does not contradict the statement of another companion. If it contradicts the statement of another companion, the more correct opinion must be considered (i.e. investigated). Because it is not the (sole) statement of one of them that is more worthy of acceptance than the other, but we have to look into what is more correct.
If one of those who differ is lesser than the other in matters of jurisprudence in Allāh’s religion, the more knowledgeable of them is given precedence, and this is what the Messenger (ﷺ) said: (You must adhere to my Sunnah and the Sunnah of the Rightly Guided Caliphs), so he first gives priority to his Sunnah; Because his Sunnah takes precedence over everything.
(Abridged, Kitāb Liqā’a al-Bāb al-Maftūh of Ibn ‘Uthaymīn 59/24)
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