Peace be upon you, and the mercy of Allah and His blessings
I would like to ask about verse 100 of Surat al-Tawba, for it glorifies the Companions who were with the Messenger of Allah (s), and some say that it gives them the good news of Paradise. The verse is:
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“The early vanguard of the Emigrants and the Helpers and those who followed them in virtue—Allah is pleased with them and they are pleased with Him, and He has prepared for them gardens with streams running in them, to remain in them forever. That is the great success.” (Qurʾan 9:100)
Answer
In the Name of Allah, the All-beneficent, the All-merciful
And upon you be peace, and the mercy of Allah and His blessings
What has come in Surat al-Tawba, from verse 100 and the verses that follow it, does not glorify all the Companions, nor does it give the good news of Paradise except to those who followed the Messenger (s) and traced his footsteps and his path. The verse speaks of the sincere types among the Emigrants and the Helpers, and with them those who followed them on the same path—which is the noble prophetic path that the Commander of the Faithful (a) and the sincere ones with him walked. That is why the verse says: “Allah is pleased with them and they are pleased with Him, and He has prepared for them gardens with streams running in them, to remain in them forever. That is the great success.” (Qurʾan 9:100)..
What is meant is not all the Emigrants and Helpers; rather, what is meant is (the early vanguard)—that is, those who were foremost in obedience and in true faith in the Prophet (s), such as Khadija, Imam ʿAli, Salman and others.. and whoever walked this path was likewise, from among the Emigrants and the Helpers, and those who followed them in virtue—that is, the sincere following that springs from a spirit of giving, not following out of fear or a pretense for ends in one's own self.
So that some would not understand that what is meant is all of them, as some schools have understood it, the verses after that came with their insights to speak about other types existing in the Islamic society, namely (the hypocrites), who were with the Muslims as a physical presence and outwardly claimed that they were with the Messenger of Allah (s) and believed in him, but in reality were not so, and they will receive the punishment of Allah, as He said in verse 101: “There are hypocrites among the Bedouins around you and among the townspeople of Madinah, steeped in hypocrisy. You do not know them; We know them, and We will punish them twice, then they shall be consigned to a great punishment.” (Qurʾan 9:101).
Then the Holy Qurʾan also mentions another type of people in the Islamic society, in the verse that follows it, number 102: they are among those who believe in the Message, but because of a weakness of self or of faith they committed some errors; then they did not persist in them but wanted to rectify them by repenting to Allah the Exalted. These erred, confessed their sins and repented—those who mixed righteous deeds and evil deeds. Allah forgives this type of people upon their confessing the sin and repenting with a sincere repentance.
Our Lord, Almighty, says in it: “[There are] others who have confessed to their sins, having mixed up righteous conduct with other that was evil. Maybe Allah will accept their repentance. Indeed Allah is all-forgiving, all-merciful.” (Qurʾan 9:102).
From here we know that the aforementioned verses have mentioned several types of people who were with the Messenger of Allah (s): among them were the sincere forerunners, among them were the hypocrites, and among them were those who committed evil deeds and then corrected their course through repentance.
This Qurʾanic insight leads us to the conclusion that there is no sanctity for everyone who was with the Messenger (s), and there is no distinction for one who saw the Messenger of Allah (s) and was his contemporary merely because he was together with him in one time. Contrary to what some claim—that it gives the Companions the good news of Paradise—the verse in fact establishes that many of the Companions were hypocrites, with whom Allah and His Messenger were not pleased, and who were not pleased with Him and never submitted to Him.
Merit and distinction belong to those who followed the Prophet (s) and walked on his path; whoever follows him is of him. This refutes, with complete clarity, the theory of the probity of the Companions (ʿadālat al-ṣaḥāba), which some have tried to promote falsely and slanderously, for no reason other than to diminish the merit of the Household of Prophethood and the locus of the Message, and to elevate persons who deserve no station and have no merit. But Allah the Exalted establishes the truth and refutes falsehood through the insights of the Holy Qurʾan, which rescue those who follow them from misleading trials, the deviation of ideas, and the crookedness of paths.
