ANSWERING ASSIM AL-HAKEEM'S ASSERTION THAT SHIITES ONLY RESPECT 5-7 COMPANIONS OF THE PROPHET (صلی اللہ علیہ و الہ و سلم)
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| Assim al-Hakeem |
[I need to clarify this sensitive issue in the beginning that I strictly condemn those Shiite Muslims who curse/abuse the Caliphs or the Wives of the Arabian Prophet]
Moreover, he insisted that Shiites insulted all the Ashab (Companions) of the Prophet - peace and blessings be upon him and his progeny - except for 5-7 of them. Then he made further claims regarding the Shiites and ended his response with a declaration that any Shiite who didn't believe in the tahrif (distortion) of Qur'an or make takfir (calling someone an infidel) of Abu Bakr and Umar, was a Muslim. This is a positive gesture from a Saudi-Wahhabi televangelist who has explicitly stated that Shiites are Muslims. It is beyond doubt that anyone who doubts the authenticity of Qur'an is a kafir though there have been personalities who had made takfir of not just Abu Bakr and Umar but also Uthman and Ali but nobody considered them outside the pale of Islam. We can see that Ali and Mu'awiyah were called infidels by the Kharijites to the extent that they pursued to kill both Companions of Prophet Muhammad. But neither the Kharijites were banished from the Muslim community nor the Sunnis ceased accepting the hadiths narrated by those who had declared Ali ibn Abi Talib - the man whose friendship was made compulsory on every believer - as a kafir worthy of murder[1]. It is my personal belief that anyone who makes takfir of any Sahabi is certainly a sinner but not a non-Muslim.
Assim al-Hakeem (b. 1962) is a Jeddah-based Saudi national who is famous for his English-language Internet videos in which he answers the questions of inquisitive minds regarding religious solutions to all kinds of problems.
What I found lacking in his response was a thorough understanding of the Shiites view of the Companions. Shiites do not hate or abuse the Companions. Sunnis consider the Companions beyond criticism. Though Sunnis admit that some of the Companions were sinners and committed terrible crimes after the passing of the Apostle of Allah[2], they consider it improper to condemn the Companions. Thus, Sunnis neither justify/approve the un-Islamic activity of any Companion of the Prophet nor they openly scold them. There were indeed many exceptions to this principles. Busr ibn Abi Artat was explicitly condemned for his war crimes. Mu'awiyah and 'Amr ibn al-'As fought against Ali ibn Abi Talib and Sunnis have always maintained that Ali was the one being wronged; hence, Sunnis have sided with Ali in the famous Ali-Mu'awiyah controversy[3]. Hakm ibn Abi'l-'As was condemned for his disrespect for Muhammad[4]. Similarly, those Companions who were involved in the assassination of Uthman (Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr, Amr ibn Humuq al-Khuza'i, Jahjah etc.) were also criticized for their role in creating sedition and insurgency[5]. But, for most parts, classical Sunni Islam has refrained from either condemning or upholding the wrongdoings of any Companion.
Shiites have a different view. We believe that any wrongdoing of the Companions must be outright rejected and publicly discouraged. This is what we mean by tabarra. Tabarra has long been criticized by our opponents. They accuse Shiites of cursing and abusing the Companions in the name of tabarra. In fact, tabarra just means to state that we have nothing to do with the actions and sayings of a specific person. In other words, when we do tabarra, we actually distance ourselves from the policies of those Companions who were against the policies of Ali ibn Abi Talib. This is just a matter of choice. For example. when Abu Bakr assumed the throne, most Arabs didn't want to pay him zakah (alms). Abu Bakr thought that denial to pay him alms meant apostasy. We Shiites maintain that denial to pay alms to any fallible governor is not apostasy[6]. Umar, on his deathbed, made a committee of six Companions to appoint a Caliph among them. Umar was doubtlessly a great statesman and a clever politician. The way he spread the Islamic Empire in Persia and Byzantine is remarkable. But Shiites maintain that Umar's proposal to nominate six Companions was religiously unacceptable because it wasn't the sunnah of the Prophet[7]. Another example of a clear difference between Umar's and Ali's policies is how they used to distribute the money from the treasury. Umar had divided the Muslims into groups i.e. the participants of Badr and Uhud etc. In the end, there were the tulaqa or those Meccans who were overpowered when Muhammad marched victoriously into Mecca. The Badris were given the largest share from the treasury while these tulaqa received a mininal amount. Ali considered such a division against the spirit of Islam so he abolished it and began to distribute equal share of money. The inequality of Umar's distribution was based on the fact that he wanted to reward those Muslims who had served Islam the most. This is nice of Umar! The equality of Ali's distribution was based on the fact that he believed those who'd served Islam would be rewarded after death and he was against any kind of discrimination based of past services to the nation. This is admirable too! Now, you can see that the policies of the Companions were different. It is our choice which version of Islam we admire the most. Shiites have agreed to side with Ali's policies. Thus, we have disconnected ourselves from the policies of other Companions.
The real issue is: Do we Shiites only respect 5-7 Companions of the Prophet when there were some 124 thousand of them at Khumm? The answer is a big no! This is a short list of some Companions below whom we give some sort of respect, excluding the Ahlul-Bayt and it includes more than a dozen men (keeping in mind that we can also name female Companions here as well):
Salman the Persian: He was born in Persia as a Zoroastrian but converted to Christianity after which he was introduced to Islam during his enslavement in Medina. He served as the Governor of Mada'in during Umar's reign and died before Ali could assume the khilafah (Caliphate).
Abu Dharr al-Ghifari: He belonged to a non-Qurayshite tribe of Arabia and came to Mecca when he heard certain rumors about Islam. He was among the first converts and became a harsh critic of the Umayyad tyranny for which he was banished to a place called Rabdhah during Uthman's reign.
Miqdad ibn al-Aswad: He was one of the participants of Badr and a proponent of Ali's right to the Caliphate which he publicly and fervently declared immediately after the selection of Uthman.
Bilal ibn Rabah: He was the first mu'adhdhin of Islam and his love for the Prophet is one of the most beautiful stories in our religion. He left Medina after the demise of Muhammad and only returned a few times to declare adhan at Madinah al-Rasul. He is deeply revered in Shiite Islam.
Qays ibn S'ad: Qays was famous for his generosity. His father was the first Caliph-to-be when Umar persuaded the Ansar to vote for Abu Bakr. Qays was a general in Ali's army and served as the Governor of Egypt for a few years. He was the first person to pay allegeance to Hasan ibn Ali and, after his abdication, became one of the harshest critics of Mu'awiyah, though was forced to respect the Hasan-Mu'awiyah Treaty.
Sulayman ibn Surrad: He belonged to the clan of Khuza'ah and was a resident of Kufah (Iraq) when Husayn revolted against Yazid ibn Mu'awiyah (may Allah curse Yazid!). After the Kufans had failed to assist Husayn and the grandson of the Prophet was brutally executed at Karbala, Sulayman ibn Surrad led the first Shiite group that vouched to avenge the wrongly-spilled blood of the son of Fatimah. The Tawwabin rebelled against Ibn Ziyad under Ibn Surrad's command but were defeated and Sulayman attained martyrdom as a result of his military attempt to overthrow the Umayyad regime.
Hujr ibn 'Adi: Hujr was considered one of the grandest Companions of the Prophet who approached Muhammad along with his tribesmen and converted to Islam. During Mu'awiyah's reign, Hujr protested against the Umayyad custom to curse Ali ibn Abi Talib after Friday sermons so Ibn Ziyad prosecuted him for high treason and sent him to Damascus. The Umayyads asked him to appreciate Uthman and rebuke Ali. Hujr declined and was executed. His murder was condemned unanimously by the Companions.
Ammar ibn Yasir: Ammar was one of the most appreciated Companions of the Prophet. He, along with Miqdad, blatantly declared his support of Ali over Uthman. He fought alongside Ali at the Battle of Siffin and was martyred. The Prophet had foretold that Ammar would be killed by a baghi group while Ammar would be calling them towards jannah and they would be inviting him into hell-fire. Ammar is one of the most revered Companions of Muhammad in Shiite Islam.
Uthman ibn Madh'un: Uthman was the first Muhajir to die at Medina. Traditions record how the Prophet weeped with tears over the dead body of Ibn Madh'un. Ali named one of his children after him.
S'ad ibn Mu'adh: S'ad was a respected leader at Medina when Muslims migrated from Mecca. S'ad converted to Islam and was an avid supporter of Muhammad. He was deeply wounded in the Battle of Trench after which he passed away.
Khuzaymah the One with Two Testimonies: Khuzaymah is famous because the Prophet declared that his testimony was worth that of two able-bodied men. He survived the reigns of the first three Caliphs and waited for Ammar's death to decide which side was on the right path. As soon as Ammar had been killed, Khuzaymah charged on the Syrians and died fighting from the side of Ali.
Abu Tufayl Amir ibn Wathilah: Abu Tufayl was the last Companion to die. He was a Shiite Muslim and was known for his deep adoration of the Ahlul-Bayt. He preferred Ali over Shaykhayn.
Hashim ibn 'Atbah: Hashim converted to Islam at the Conquest of Mecca and became a resident of Kufah. He lost one eye in the Battle of Yarmouk. He led one battalion of the Iraqi army in the Battle of Siffin and was counted among the most trusted generals of Ali ibn Abi Talib.
Hudhayfah: Hudhayfah was known as the person whom the Prophet had told all the names of the hypocrites. Hudhayfah remained mostly aloof from the politics and passed away during Uthman's reign.
Abdullah ibn 'Amr ibn al-'As: Abdullah was one of the first writers of hadiths. Abu Hurayrah, the most prolific of all hadith-narrators, admits the grandeur of Abdullah. He was the person whom the Quraysh criticized for being an author of the Mohammedan words. He was a critic of the policies of Mu'awiyah and 'Amr (and the former used to dislike him) but believed that the Prophet had commissioned him to always be with his father.
Abu Sa'id al-Khudri: He is considered one of the closest friends of the Ahlul-Bayt. The famous Hadith of the Kisa has multiple narrators. Abu Sa'd is one of them.
Abu Ayub al-Ansari: He was the person whose guest the Prophet became after he'd moved to Medina. Abu Ayub was a pious Muslim. He had passion for jihad which led him participate in the Siege of Jerusalem during Mu'awiyah's reign. He died in Turkey where there still lies his tomb.
Umar ibn Abi Salimah: He was the step-son of the Prophet when Muhammad married his mother Um Salimah. He was a supporter of Ali ibn Abi Talib during his reign on the orders of his mother who had always remained a friend of the Ahlul-Bayt.
'Imran ibn Husayn: Imran was one of the critics of the series of bid'ah that had overwhelmed the Islamic Empire after the passing of the Prophet. He rejected Umar's ban on mut'ah. Bukhari narrates an incident when Imran offered prayers behind Ali (during later's reign) and said: "You have reminded me of the prayers of the Prophet."
'Amr ibn Humuq al-Khuza'i: He is one of the lesser-known Companions of the Prophet. He was one of those people who broke into Uthman's house and murdered the Caliph. Shiites have always maintained Ali's policy (as recorded by al-Tabari) over Uthman's assassination i.e. "He was neither killed justly or wrongfully." 'Amr was tracked down by Mu'awiyah and killed the same way he was reported to assassinate the poor Umayyad ruler.
Abbas ibn Abd al-Muttalib: He was the uncle of the Prophet and one of his closest advisors. He converted to Islam after Badr and he performed espionage for Muslims until the Conquest of Mecca. After the Prophet died, Abbas tried to persuade Ali into declaring his khilafah but Ali denied the offer of his uncle. Abbas also chided Ali when Uthman was preferred over him. Abbas died during Uthman's reign.
Hamzah ibn Abdul-Muttalib: Doubtlessly, one of the deeply adored Companions in all versions of Islam. Hamzah, the Lion of Allah, converted to Islam at Mecca. He moved to Medina with all Muslims and then died at Uhud. His death was always mourned by his family members and the Righly-Guided Caliphs.
'Ubaydah ibn Harith: He was one of the earliest converts to Islam. He participated in Badr and was seriously injured. He died soon afterwards.
Ja'far (al-Tayyar) ibn Abi Talib: He was famous for his generous nature. He was the brother of Ali ibn Abi Talib, led the Muslim delegation in the court of the Negro King of the Christian Abyssinia. He fought in the Battle of Mu'tah and attained martyrdom. The Prophet declared that God had granted Ja'far two wings to fly in the heavens.
'Aqil ibn Abi Talib: He was the brotehr of Ali ibn Abi Talib. He is revered by Shiite Muslims although he'd joined the forces of Mu'awiyah. History records that 'Aqil went to Mu'awiyah for financial support. He always declined Mu'awiyah's demand to rebuke his brother. His son Muslim was the commissioner of Husayn at Kufah.
Zayd ibn Harithah: He was the freed slave and adopted son of Prophet Muhammad. He is the only person who has been named in the Qur'an. His son Usamah was a protigee of the Prophet. Zayd was killed alongside Ja'far and Ibn Rawahah in the Battle of Mu'tah.
Mus'ab (al-Khayr) ibn 'Umayr: He shared facial features with Prophet Muhammad. The Prophet sent him to Medina before the Migration to educate the Medinians about Islam. Mus'ab was killed in Uhud and people used his death to spread false rumors regarding the death of Muhammad.
Abdullah ibn Abbas: He was the son of Abdullah ibn Abbas. He studied under the Prophet and then was taught by Ali ibn Abi Talib. He is believed to have been one of the greatest jurists among the Companions. Shiite Muslims deeply revere Ibn Abbas and quote his sayings to discredit the opponents of the Ahlul-Bayt's maslak.
Fadl ibn Abbas: He was the brother of Ibn Abbas and the person who assisted Ali ibn Abi Talib in bathing and burying Prophet Muhammad.
Yasir ibn 'Amir al-Qahtani: He was the father of Ammar. He and his wife Sumaiyah were tortured by the Meccan polytheists and ultimately murdered. Whenever the Prophet saw his faithful supporters being beaten, he would say, "Patience, O the Household of Yasir, paradise is your final abode."
Here I have named thirty (30) Sahabah (Companions) of the Islamic Prophet (صلی اللہ علیہ و الہ و سلم) who are revered by us Shiite Muslims. Will Assim al-Hakeem still insist that Shiites only respect 5-7 of the Companions when there are even unnamed female Ashab and those who died long before the rise of Islam to the level of a national power? Indeed, the Companions play a very important role in the formation of the early Shiite Islam. Early Shiites of Ali ibn Abi Talib were the faithful Companions of Muhammad ibn 'Abdillah[8].
More (10+) male names are: Ubaydullah ibn Abbas, Jabir ibn Abdallah, Quthum ibn Abbas, Sahl ibn Hunayf, Uthman ibn Hunayf, 'Adi ibn Hatim, Hashim ibn Tayyihan, Khabbab ibn al-Arat, Malik ibn Nuwayrah and Abd al-Rahman ibn Budayl. Those Companions [12] deserve to be mentioned too whom Ali ibn Abi Talib had asked to testify in favor of the Hadith of Ghadir (al-Khumm ["Whose mawla I am, Ali is his mawla."]). There names are as follows:
ابو ایوب الانصاری، ابو عمرۃ عمرو بن محصن، ابو زینب، سہل ابن حنیف، خزیمہ ابن ثابت، عبداللہ ابن ثابت الانصاری، حبشی ابن جنادہ سلولی، عبید ابن عازب الانصاری، نعمان ابن عجلان الانصاری، ثابت ابن ودیعہ الانصاری، ابو فضالہ الانصاری، عبدالرحمٰن ابن عبد رب الانصاری۔
Then there were those Companions such as Nayyar and Jahjah who were involved in strict criticism of Caliph Uthman (رضی اللہ تعالیٰ عنہ). There were those children who were born during he final earthly years of the life of Master Muhammad ibn Abdillah (صلو علی الحبیب صلی اللہ تعالیٰ علی محمد و علیٰ اٰل محمد) such as Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr and Muhammad ibn Abi Hudhaydah. How can we forget those thousands of Arab Muslims who refused to accept the legitimacy of the khilafah of Abi Bakr al-Siddiq and revolted against him; because of their rebellion, political opposition to the Caliphate and, most importantly, refusal to pay alms to the Government, they were deemed apostates and fought against by the Muslims of Medina. We Shiites support their cause and consider them martyrs. Just like Sunni Muslims criticize us for insulting the Companions of Muhammad, we also criticize Sunni Muslims for murdering the Companions of Muhammad. Just like they accuse us Shiite Muslims of blaming Companions of apostasy, we Shiite Muslims also accuse them of blaming Companions of apostasy. The score is 50/50, ladies and gentlemen!
I think I have named more than 50 Companions in total whom we Shiite Muslims have strong reason to respect. Can we stop here? Of course, not! There were hundreds of Companions who had participated in the Battle of Badr and the Bayah of al-Ridwan before fighting alongside Ali ibn Abi Talib in the Battle of Siffin. Though some Sunni Muslims doubt it (as they believe that the Ridwanids had perished before the murder of Uthman) but it doesn't stop us Shiite Muslims from adoring all those hundreds of Sahabah who boldly supported the Hashimites and fought in the cause of Ahlul-Bayt.
In the end, I would like to repeat the independant verdicts of the two esteemed scholars of the modern-day Shiite world i.e. Ayatollah Ali Husayni al-Sistani and Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei who have stated in clear-cut wordings and unambiguous terms that it is haram for any Shiite Muslim to curse or abuse the Companions or the Wives of Prophet Muhammad. We believe in a friendly and respectful relationship with fellow Muslims.
May God help all Muslims against their mutual enemies!
References:
[1] There are several Kharijite narrators in the Sunni hadith literature. Thawr ibn Yazid, Ikramah (Ibn Abbas' student), Imran ibn Hattan etc. One can read about them in rijal books such as Lisan al-Mizan, Taqrib al-Tahdhib, Siyar A'lam al-Nubala etc.
[2] Taftazani (the author of Sharh Maqasid) writes: "The battles occurring among the Companions prove that somen of them had turned dhalim and fasiq by deviating from the sirat-e-mustaqim as jealousy, hypocrisy and the desire for power had overshadowed them because all Companions were not 'adil and every person who has seen the Prophet was not good." The famous anti-Shiite Indian author Shah Abd al-Aziz Muhaddith of Delhi (the author of Tuhfah Ithna Ashriyah) writes in his Fatawa that Mu'awiyah's actions were motivated by his personal desires.
[3] Taftazani (the author of Sharh Maqasid) and Shahristani (the author of Milal wa'l-Nahal) refer to Ali's Syrian opponents as rebels (baghat). Shawkani (the author of Nayl al-Awtar) has also condemned Mu'awiyah and his supporters as the wrongdoers. In the recently-passed Indian history, there have been escellent Sunni scholars such as Wahid al-Zaman and Lal Shah of Bukhara who have proclaimed a stauncher proposition about Mu'awiyah.
[4] Ibn Athir (the author of al-Kamil) writes down in Usd al-Ghabah how Hakm was banished from Medina by the Prophet who was annoyed with Hakm making constant fun of him and trying to peek into his privacy. A'ishah narrates that the Prophet cursed Hakm and his son Marwan when the latter hadn't even been born yet.
[5] Ibn Hazm writes down in his al-Muhalla that the assassin of Ali ibn Abi Talib was a mujtahid but not those of Uthman ibn Affan. Sunni Muslims have been critical of Uthman's assassins from the beginning.
[6] Tabari mentions the actual viewpoint of these Muslims who have been incorrectly described as being apostates from Islam and the Caliphate's political struggle to subjugate these orthodox believers has been falsely acclaimed as the Riddah (Apostacy) Wars. These so-called apostates have only rejected the authority of Abu Bakr, not that of Islam. They maintained that they hadn't been taken into confidence in the Saqifah elections so they were not obliged to obey the Caliphate. Some of them had even supported the Hashimites as the legitimate successors to Prophet Muhammad. Thus, history has been distorted to discredit political opponents of the khilafah as apostates and the rising of a vast majority of Muslims has been maligned and incorrectly exaggerated as if the entire Arabia had reverted from Islam just after the death of the Apostle of Allah, when, in real, only a few tribes had reverted and most Arabs kept their loyalty with God and His Messenger (صلی اللہ علیہ و الہ و سلم). Did the Prophet made this submit to Islam with sword that they left this faith as soon as its founder breathed his last?
[7] Umar ibn al-Khattab states himself (as recorded by various Sunni hadith books): "If I don't nominate anyone, the one better than me (the Prophet) didn't nominate anyone. If I do nominate someone, the one better than me (Abu Bakr) did nominate someone." Furthermore, Umar had legislated that if 4 members of the committee agree upon one candidate while the other 2 oppose, those 2 must be murdered. Shiite Muslims have grave reservations with this strange instruction. Moreover, Umar instituted that if 3 members support one candidate and other 3 agree upon someone else, Abd al-Rahman ibn 'Auf would be the judge. Hence, the ultimate decision fell into the hands of one single person i.e. Ibn 'Auf the king-maker. Thus, when Ali and Abbas first heard of the committee and Umar's regulations, they cried out: "The Caliphate has been seized from our hands." They had sensed that Uthman would be preferred over Ali.
[8] The names of some Shiite Companions are: Ammar, Miqdad, Ibn Abbas, Abu Tufayl, Hujr ibn Adi etc. These people have been quoted by the Sunni authors to support the cause of the Hashimites. They were the early Shiites. Also, Zubayr is counted among the Shiites who initially supported Ali against Abu Bakr but then changed their loyalties. It's a historical fact (supported by sahih hadiths) that a minority of the Ashab (Companions) considered Ali ibn Abi Talib as the legitimate immediate successor to the Prophet.
May Allah allow Muslims generate more understanding of their own religion. Amen!
Salman the Persian: He was born in Persia as a Zoroastrian but converted to Christianity after which he was introduced to Islam during his enslavement in Medina. He served as the Governor of Mada'in during Umar's reign and died before Ali could assume the khilafah (Caliphate).
Abu Dharr al-Ghifari: He belonged to a non-Qurayshite tribe of Arabia and came to Mecca when he heard certain rumors about Islam. He was among the first converts and became a harsh critic of the Umayyad tyranny for which he was banished to a place called Rabdhah during Uthman's reign.
Miqdad ibn al-Aswad: He was one of the participants of Badr and a proponent of Ali's right to the Caliphate which he publicly and fervently declared immediately after the selection of Uthman.
Bilal ibn Rabah: He was the first mu'adhdhin of Islam and his love for the Prophet is one of the most beautiful stories in our religion. He left Medina after the demise of Muhammad and only returned a few times to declare adhan at Madinah al-Rasul. He is deeply revered in Shiite Islam.
Qays ibn S'ad: Qays was famous for his generosity. His father was the first Caliph-to-be when Umar persuaded the Ansar to vote for Abu Bakr. Qays was a general in Ali's army and served as the Governor of Egypt for a few years. He was the first person to pay allegeance to Hasan ibn Ali and, after his abdication, became one of the harshest critics of Mu'awiyah, though was forced to respect the Hasan-Mu'awiyah Treaty.
Sulayman ibn Surrad: He belonged to the clan of Khuza'ah and was a resident of Kufah (Iraq) when Husayn revolted against Yazid ibn Mu'awiyah (may Allah curse Yazid!). After the Kufans had failed to assist Husayn and the grandson of the Prophet was brutally executed at Karbala, Sulayman ibn Surrad led the first Shiite group that vouched to avenge the wrongly-spilled blood of the son of Fatimah. The Tawwabin rebelled against Ibn Ziyad under Ibn Surrad's command but were defeated and Sulayman attained martyrdom as a result of his military attempt to overthrow the Umayyad regime.
Hujr ibn 'Adi: Hujr was considered one of the grandest Companions of the Prophet who approached Muhammad along with his tribesmen and converted to Islam. During Mu'awiyah's reign, Hujr protested against the Umayyad custom to curse Ali ibn Abi Talib after Friday sermons so Ibn Ziyad prosecuted him for high treason and sent him to Damascus. The Umayyads asked him to appreciate Uthman and rebuke Ali. Hujr declined and was executed. His murder was condemned unanimously by the Companions.
Ammar ibn Yasir: Ammar was one of the most appreciated Companions of the Prophet. He, along with Miqdad, blatantly declared his support of Ali over Uthman. He fought alongside Ali at the Battle of Siffin and was martyred. The Prophet had foretold that Ammar would be killed by a baghi group while Ammar would be calling them towards jannah and they would be inviting him into hell-fire. Ammar is one of the most revered Companions of Muhammad in Shiite Islam.
Uthman ibn Madh'un: Uthman was the first Muhajir to die at Medina. Traditions record how the Prophet weeped with tears over the dead body of Ibn Madh'un. Ali named one of his children after him.
S'ad ibn Mu'adh: S'ad was a respected leader at Medina when Muslims migrated from Mecca. S'ad converted to Islam and was an avid supporter of Muhammad. He was deeply wounded in the Battle of Trench after which he passed away.
Khuzaymah the One with Two Testimonies: Khuzaymah is famous because the Prophet declared that his testimony was worth that of two able-bodied men. He survived the reigns of the first three Caliphs and waited for Ammar's death to decide which side was on the right path. As soon as Ammar had been killed, Khuzaymah charged on the Syrians and died fighting from the side of Ali.
Abu Tufayl Amir ibn Wathilah: Abu Tufayl was the last Companion to die. He was a Shiite Muslim and was known for his deep adoration of the Ahlul-Bayt. He preferred Ali over Shaykhayn.
Hashim ibn 'Atbah: Hashim converted to Islam at the Conquest of Mecca and became a resident of Kufah. He lost one eye in the Battle of Yarmouk. He led one battalion of the Iraqi army in the Battle of Siffin and was counted among the most trusted generals of Ali ibn Abi Talib.
Hudhayfah: Hudhayfah was known as the person whom the Prophet had told all the names of the hypocrites. Hudhayfah remained mostly aloof from the politics and passed away during Uthman's reign.
Abdullah ibn 'Amr ibn al-'As: Abdullah was one of the first writers of hadiths. Abu Hurayrah, the most prolific of all hadith-narrators, admits the grandeur of Abdullah. He was the person whom the Quraysh criticized for being an author of the Mohammedan words. He was a critic of the policies of Mu'awiyah and 'Amr (and the former used to dislike him) but believed that the Prophet had commissioned him to always be with his father.
Abu Sa'id al-Khudri: He is considered one of the closest friends of the Ahlul-Bayt. The famous Hadith of the Kisa has multiple narrators. Abu Sa'd is one of them.
Abu Ayub al-Ansari: He was the person whose guest the Prophet became after he'd moved to Medina. Abu Ayub was a pious Muslim. He had passion for jihad which led him participate in the Siege of Jerusalem during Mu'awiyah's reign. He died in Turkey where there still lies his tomb.
Umar ibn Abi Salimah: He was the step-son of the Prophet when Muhammad married his mother Um Salimah. He was a supporter of Ali ibn Abi Talib during his reign on the orders of his mother who had always remained a friend of the Ahlul-Bayt.
'Imran ibn Husayn: Imran was one of the critics of the series of bid'ah that had overwhelmed the Islamic Empire after the passing of the Prophet. He rejected Umar's ban on mut'ah. Bukhari narrates an incident when Imran offered prayers behind Ali (during later's reign) and said: "You have reminded me of the prayers of the Prophet."
'Amr ibn Humuq al-Khuza'i: He is one of the lesser-known Companions of the Prophet. He was one of those people who broke into Uthman's house and murdered the Caliph. Shiites have always maintained Ali's policy (as recorded by al-Tabari) over Uthman's assassination i.e. "He was neither killed justly or wrongfully." 'Amr was tracked down by Mu'awiyah and killed the same way he was reported to assassinate the poor Umayyad ruler.
Abbas ibn Abd al-Muttalib: He was the uncle of the Prophet and one of his closest advisors. He converted to Islam after Badr and he performed espionage for Muslims until the Conquest of Mecca. After the Prophet died, Abbas tried to persuade Ali into declaring his khilafah but Ali denied the offer of his uncle. Abbas also chided Ali when Uthman was preferred over him. Abbas died during Uthman's reign.
Hamzah ibn Abdul-Muttalib: Doubtlessly, one of the deeply adored Companions in all versions of Islam. Hamzah, the Lion of Allah, converted to Islam at Mecca. He moved to Medina with all Muslims and then died at Uhud. His death was always mourned by his family members and the Righly-Guided Caliphs.
'Ubaydah ibn Harith: He was one of the earliest converts to Islam. He participated in Badr and was seriously injured. He died soon afterwards.
Ja'far (al-Tayyar) ibn Abi Talib: He was famous for his generous nature. He was the brother of Ali ibn Abi Talib, led the Muslim delegation in the court of the Negro King of the Christian Abyssinia. He fought in the Battle of Mu'tah and attained martyrdom. The Prophet declared that God had granted Ja'far two wings to fly in the heavens.
'Aqil ibn Abi Talib: He was the brotehr of Ali ibn Abi Talib. He is revered by Shiite Muslims although he'd joined the forces of Mu'awiyah. History records that 'Aqil went to Mu'awiyah for financial support. He always declined Mu'awiyah's demand to rebuke his brother. His son Muslim was the commissioner of Husayn at Kufah.
Zayd ibn Harithah: He was the freed slave and adopted son of Prophet Muhammad. He is the only person who has been named in the Qur'an. His son Usamah was a protigee of the Prophet. Zayd was killed alongside Ja'far and Ibn Rawahah in the Battle of Mu'tah.
Mus'ab (al-Khayr) ibn 'Umayr: He shared facial features with Prophet Muhammad. The Prophet sent him to Medina before the Migration to educate the Medinians about Islam. Mus'ab was killed in Uhud and people used his death to spread false rumors regarding the death of Muhammad.
Abdullah ibn Abbas: He was the son of Abdullah ibn Abbas. He studied under the Prophet and then was taught by Ali ibn Abi Talib. He is believed to have been one of the greatest jurists among the Companions. Shiite Muslims deeply revere Ibn Abbas and quote his sayings to discredit the opponents of the Ahlul-Bayt's maslak.
Fadl ibn Abbas: He was the brother of Ibn Abbas and the person who assisted Ali ibn Abi Talib in bathing and burying Prophet Muhammad.
Yasir ibn 'Amir al-Qahtani: He was the father of Ammar. He and his wife Sumaiyah were tortured by the Meccan polytheists and ultimately murdered. Whenever the Prophet saw his faithful supporters being beaten, he would say, "Patience, O the Household of Yasir, paradise is your final abode."
Here I have named thirty (30) Sahabah (Companions) of the Islamic Prophet (صلی اللہ علیہ و الہ و سلم) who are revered by us Shiite Muslims. Will Assim al-Hakeem still insist that Shiites only respect 5-7 of the Companions when there are even unnamed female Ashab and those who died long before the rise of Islam to the level of a national power? Indeed, the Companions play a very important role in the formation of the early Shiite Islam. Early Shiites of Ali ibn Abi Talib were the faithful Companions of Muhammad ibn 'Abdillah[8].
More (10+) male names are: Ubaydullah ibn Abbas, Jabir ibn Abdallah, Quthum ibn Abbas, Sahl ibn Hunayf, Uthman ibn Hunayf, 'Adi ibn Hatim, Hashim ibn Tayyihan, Khabbab ibn al-Arat, Malik ibn Nuwayrah and Abd al-Rahman ibn Budayl. Those Companions [12] deserve to be mentioned too whom Ali ibn Abi Talib had asked to testify in favor of the Hadith of Ghadir (al-Khumm ["Whose mawla I am, Ali is his mawla."]). There names are as follows:
ابو ایوب الانصاری، ابو عمرۃ عمرو بن محصن، ابو زینب، سہل ابن حنیف، خزیمہ ابن ثابت، عبداللہ ابن ثابت الانصاری، حبشی ابن جنادہ سلولی، عبید ابن عازب الانصاری، نعمان ابن عجلان الانصاری، ثابت ابن ودیعہ الانصاری، ابو فضالہ الانصاری، عبدالرحمٰن ابن عبد رب الانصاری۔
Then there were those Companions such as Nayyar and Jahjah who were involved in strict criticism of Caliph Uthman (رضی اللہ تعالیٰ عنہ). There were those children who were born during he final earthly years of the life of Master Muhammad ibn Abdillah (صلو علی الحبیب صلی اللہ تعالیٰ علی محمد و علیٰ اٰل محمد) such as Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr and Muhammad ibn Abi Hudhaydah. How can we forget those thousands of Arab Muslims who refused to accept the legitimacy of the khilafah of Abi Bakr al-Siddiq and revolted against him; because of their rebellion, political opposition to the Caliphate and, most importantly, refusal to pay alms to the Government, they were deemed apostates and fought against by the Muslims of Medina. We Shiites support their cause and consider them martyrs. Just like Sunni Muslims criticize us for insulting the Companions of Muhammad, we also criticize Sunni Muslims for murdering the Companions of Muhammad. Just like they accuse us Shiite Muslims of blaming Companions of apostasy, we Shiite Muslims also accuse them of blaming Companions of apostasy. The score is 50/50, ladies and gentlemen!
I think I have named more than 50 Companions in total whom we Shiite Muslims have strong reason to respect. Can we stop here? Of course, not! There were hundreds of Companions who had participated in the Battle of Badr and the Bayah of al-Ridwan before fighting alongside Ali ibn Abi Talib in the Battle of Siffin. Though some Sunni Muslims doubt it (as they believe that the Ridwanids had perished before the murder of Uthman) but it doesn't stop us Shiite Muslims from adoring all those hundreds of Sahabah who boldly supported the Hashimites and fought in the cause of Ahlul-Bayt.
In the end, I would like to repeat the independant verdicts of the two esteemed scholars of the modern-day Shiite world i.e. Ayatollah Ali Husayni al-Sistani and Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei who have stated in clear-cut wordings and unambiguous terms that it is haram for any Shiite Muslim to curse or abuse the Companions or the Wives of Prophet Muhammad. We believe in a friendly and respectful relationship with fellow Muslims.
May God help all Muslims against their mutual enemies!
References:
[1] There are several Kharijite narrators in the Sunni hadith literature. Thawr ibn Yazid, Ikramah (Ibn Abbas' student), Imran ibn Hattan etc. One can read about them in rijal books such as Lisan al-Mizan, Taqrib al-Tahdhib, Siyar A'lam al-Nubala etc.
[2] Taftazani (the author of Sharh Maqasid) writes: "The battles occurring among the Companions prove that somen of them had turned dhalim and fasiq by deviating from the sirat-e-mustaqim as jealousy, hypocrisy and the desire for power had overshadowed them because all Companions were not 'adil and every person who has seen the Prophet was not good." The famous anti-Shiite Indian author Shah Abd al-Aziz Muhaddith of Delhi (the author of Tuhfah Ithna Ashriyah) writes in his Fatawa that Mu'awiyah's actions were motivated by his personal desires.
[3] Taftazani (the author of Sharh Maqasid) and Shahristani (the author of Milal wa'l-Nahal) refer to Ali's Syrian opponents as rebels (baghat). Shawkani (the author of Nayl al-Awtar) has also condemned Mu'awiyah and his supporters as the wrongdoers. In the recently-passed Indian history, there have been escellent Sunni scholars such as Wahid al-Zaman and Lal Shah of Bukhara who have proclaimed a stauncher proposition about Mu'awiyah.
[4] Ibn Athir (the author of al-Kamil) writes down in Usd al-Ghabah how Hakm was banished from Medina by the Prophet who was annoyed with Hakm making constant fun of him and trying to peek into his privacy. A'ishah narrates that the Prophet cursed Hakm and his son Marwan when the latter hadn't even been born yet.
[5] Ibn Hazm writes down in his al-Muhalla that the assassin of Ali ibn Abi Talib was a mujtahid but not those of Uthman ibn Affan. Sunni Muslims have been critical of Uthman's assassins from the beginning.
[6] Tabari mentions the actual viewpoint of these Muslims who have been incorrectly described as being apostates from Islam and the Caliphate's political struggle to subjugate these orthodox believers has been falsely acclaimed as the Riddah (Apostacy) Wars. These so-called apostates have only rejected the authority of Abu Bakr, not that of Islam. They maintained that they hadn't been taken into confidence in the Saqifah elections so they were not obliged to obey the Caliphate. Some of them had even supported the Hashimites as the legitimate successors to Prophet Muhammad. Thus, history has been distorted to discredit political opponents of the khilafah as apostates and the rising of a vast majority of Muslims has been maligned and incorrectly exaggerated as if the entire Arabia had reverted from Islam just after the death of the Apostle of Allah, when, in real, only a few tribes had reverted and most Arabs kept their loyalty with God and His Messenger (صلی اللہ علیہ و الہ و سلم). Did the Prophet made this submit to Islam with sword that they left this faith as soon as its founder breathed his last?
[7] Umar ibn al-Khattab states himself (as recorded by various Sunni hadith books): "If I don't nominate anyone, the one better than me (the Prophet) didn't nominate anyone. If I do nominate someone, the one better than me (Abu Bakr) did nominate someone." Furthermore, Umar had legislated that if 4 members of the committee agree upon one candidate while the other 2 oppose, those 2 must be murdered. Shiite Muslims have grave reservations with this strange instruction. Moreover, Umar instituted that if 3 members support one candidate and other 3 agree upon someone else, Abd al-Rahman ibn 'Auf would be the judge. Hence, the ultimate decision fell into the hands of one single person i.e. Ibn 'Auf the king-maker. Thus, when Ali and Abbas first heard of the committee and Umar's regulations, they cried out: "The Caliphate has been seized from our hands." They had sensed that Uthman would be preferred over Ali.
[8] The names of some Shiite Companions are: Ammar, Miqdad, Ibn Abbas, Abu Tufayl, Hujr ibn Adi etc. These people have been quoted by the Sunni authors to support the cause of the Hashimites. They were the early Shiites. Also, Zubayr is counted among the Shiites who initially supported Ali against Abu Bakr but then changed their loyalties. It's a historical fact (supported by sahih hadiths) that a minority of the Ashab (Companions) considered Ali ibn Abi Talib as the legitimate immediate successor to the Prophet.
May Allah allow Muslims generate more understanding of their own religion. Amen!
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