4. Regarding the opinions

of the Companions and Rightly Guided caliphs as Shariah evidence The scholars in the field of principles of Islamic jurisprudence discussed the views of the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) and said that there are different views as to whether the opinion of a Companion is binding and may be used as evidence. Ibn alQayyim stated that there was consensus among the four imams that it may be used as e~idence.9~~ The Companions of the Prophet (g), especially the most prominent among them, were distinguished by their deep understanding and knowledge, as Ibn Mas'ood (&) said. They were the most sincere at heart, the deepest in knowledge, the most straightforward, the best in guidance and the most dignified of this Ummah. They are the people whom AUah chose to accompany His Prophet a) and establish His religion, so we should acknowledge their virtue and follow in their footsteps, for they were on the right path?40 The relevant point here is his saying that they were the deepest in knowledge of this Ummah and had the most understanding. Comparing the knowledge of those who came after them to their knowledge is like comparing the virtue of the two groups.341 Since that is so clear that there is no need to prove it, we will point out the main means by which Allah (B) enabled them to attain this position: 4.0.1. Learning directly from the Prophet (B) This had an effect on their understanding in a number of ways: Financial andjudiciary institutions at the time of 'Ali 4.0.1.a. Purity of the source from which they learned Because they learned directly from the Prophet (g), they were learning the revelation fresh, as it was revealed, and they heard the words of the Prophet (g) directly from him. Their knowledge was not contaminated with anything; rather it was pure Quran and Snnnah that was not mixed with people's opinions or the other elements of knowledge that appeared after the Muslims opened the doors to them later on, such as philosophy and the like. 4.0.1.b. Precise understanding Their understanding was precise because their teacher was the Messenger of Allah (@), the most eloquent and clear in speech and the most able to explain and teach. Imagine when that was combined with listening ears, comprehending minds and good nature, as well as a desire to seek the truth and eagerness to hear it. Undoubtedly that made them understand what was said to them precisely and in accordance with what Allah (s) and His Messenger wanted. This matter is very clear, because the people during their lifetimes, and seekers of knowledge when they are pursuing that knowledge, look for the best of scholars and those who are most able to explain different issues. How many students have become prominent in their fields of knowledge by the grace of Allah (%) and by virtue of the effective teaching of their instructors? We know that no one can ever reach the level of the Prophet (g) in his superior way of teaching, or even reach one-tenth of that. This was the testimony of MuZ2wiyah ihn al-Hakam (&) when he spoke of how great a teacher the Prophet (B) was: "May my father and mother be sacrificed for him. I never saw a teacher before him or after him who was better in teaching than him,x342

'Ali ibn Abi Tilib 4.0.l.c. The certainty of faith that they attained with regard to what they heard and understood Their knowledge was based on certainty, whereas the knowledge of those who came after them was often subject to speculation. 4.0.1.d. They were able to know the reasons for Revelation and background to any hadith They had knowledge of what abrogates and what is abrogated, which helped them to understand the meanings. 4.0.1.e. They had the opportunity to witness the actions of the Prophet (g) The Sunnah explained his words and clarified the verses of the Quran, and by means of his actions, he demonstrated what was meant. 4.0.1.f. Possibility of asking about anything that was not clear to them When they did so, they were able to get an answer. 4.0.2. Their natural understanding of the Arabic language They understood the verses of the Quran and the hadiths of the Prophet (@) by virtue of their natural understanding of the language. They knew the particular meaning of what was said; they did not need to study grammar and principles of Islamic law, as later generations did. 4.0.3. Sincerity towards AUah (&) a n d piety Through the blessing of their sincerity, they attained a great deal of beneficial knowledge within a short period of time. Allah (&) says: (So fear Allah, and Allah teaches (Quran 2: 282). Financial andjudiciary institutions at the time of 'Ali All the factors outlined above formed a strong basis that resulted in deep and solid understanding on the part of the Companions of the Prophet (@). After mentioning their unique understanding, which resulted from their hearing from the Prophet (g), their listening to the narrations of one another and their knowledge of Arabic in the most perfect manner, Ibn al-Qayyim said: "If we compare our understanding to theirs, there is no doubt that they were more sincere at heart, had deeper knowledge, were more straightforward and were more likely to understand the text more correctly than we can do, because Allah (s) blessed them with smarter minds, more eloquence, deeper knowledge, a more straightforward approach to the text, proper and quick understanding, little or no impact from other influences, good intentions and fear of the Lord. The Arabic language came naturally to them, and the correct meanings and concepts were instilled in their hearts and mnds. They had no need to examine the chains of narration and background of the narrators to see if there were any faults in the hadith or to assess the quality of the nmtors or to e x m n e the fundamentals of the branches of knowledge and the different views of the experts on the principles of Islamic law. They had no need of all of that. For them there were only two steps to follow: (i) Allah (&) said such and such, and His Messenger said such and such. (ii) What it means is such and such. They were the most capable of people to go through these two steps easily, and they were the most qualified because all of their energy, knowledge and quality was focused on these two things only. In comparison, the energies and focus of the later scholars were scattered. Studying the Arabic language and matters connected to it took up a great deal of their intellectual efforts. Understanding the fundamentals of different branches of knowledge took up fnrther

'Ali ibn Abi Trilib efforts, and knowledge of the chains of narration and the backgrounds of the narrators took up even more, as did their focus on examining the books of the shaykhs from whom they were learning, of whom there were many, and what they meant (in their books and in what they said), and so on. When they reached the point, after all this effort, of seeking to understand the texts with hearts and minds that were exhausted from examining everything that came before they were in a position to examine the text, and after they had expended their energy in studying things other than the text, then they would understand the text and what it meant with whatever was left of their energy."343 Thus it becomes clear that the Companions of the Prophet (g) had deeper knowledge and understanding on the basis of what Allah (&) granted them of the means to understand and learn. Therefore they had more knowledge of the aims and goals of Shariah than anyone else, because one of the most important means of achieving the aims of Shariah is knowledge of the Quran and Sunnah and the ways of deriving rulings from them. Undoubtedly this was available to the Companions in the most perfect manner.344 Ash-Sh2cibi said: "The early generation (as-Salaf) was the most knowledgeable about the meanings of the ~ u r ' a n . " ~ ~ ~ Concerning the Companions (may AUah be pleased with them), he said: "They are the example to follow with regard to the way in which Shariah and its aims and goals are to be However, the scholars differed as to whether the view of the Companion may be regarded as evidence, and there are five well-known views. Before we mention these views, we will highlight the following points: