the companions are The best interpreters of the book and Sunnah
the companions are The best interpreters
of the book and Sunnah
The Prophet explained the words of the Qur’an and their meaning to his companions. This gave them a great advantage over all those who came after them with regard to the interpretation of the Qur’an and the sunnah. No one could know the meaning of the Qur’an and sunnah better than they did.
The companions’ understanding of the revelation and their acting upon it stands as proof against those who claim for themselves a special knowledge of its interpretation, contradictory to the true meaning they have understood.
So when two people disagree about the meaning of a hadith or a verse from the Qur’an, then we go back to the companions’ understanding of the same text. This will close the way to those who interpret the Qur’an and the sunnah without knowledge, but with their false desires.
Abdullah ibn Mas’ud once said, “If you seek consolation, then seek it with the companions of the Prophet . They were the purest of heart of this Nation and the greatest of them in knowledge. They were the least burdened and the most rightly guided of people. Therefore, you should know their merit and follow on their
footsteps. Indeed, they were on the Straight Path.”(20)
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(20) Jamii Bayanil Ilm V. 2 P. 97 by Ibn Abdel Barr. See mishkat No. 193.
