The Holy Prophet...

The Holy Prophet, peace be upon him and his family, said: I will enter the pond of abundance before you; but some of you will be pulled aside and kept away from me, then I say, “O, God! They are of my companions”, and God replies, “You are not aware what they did after you." It has been reported in another tradition as such: Then, I say, “May Allah’s blessings be away from those who distorted the religious commandments after me”.

In some other traditions, the Prophet (S) has been quoted as having said: "They turned back to what they were in the Age of Ignorance." [^4] In another saying the Holy Prophet, peace be upon him and his family, addressed his companions as such: "Do not return to disbelief after me." [^5] In another tradition, he said: "Shirk among you people is more inconspicuous than the pace of an ant."[^6] In addition, the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him and his family, has addressed the companions scornfully on different occasions and in many a number of places both individually and collectively.

These traditions can be found in many Sunni books. Having said that, can it really be said that it was befitting for the Prophet, peace be upon him and his family, to introduce each and every one of his companions as a guiding star? Despicable Acts Committed by Some Many companions of the Holy Prophet, peace be upon him and his family, including the prominent ones have, on various occasions and unexceptionally, admitted their ignorance, deficiency and mistakes in giving fatwa.

That was why, it was very normal and common for the companions to object and reject one another's views and opinions. Based on some historical accounts, the companions' act of refuting and rejecting one another's view crossed the moderate limit and reached an extent where they labeled one another as either ignorant or infidel. If we go through the history, we find out that the companions did not consider themselves as guiding stars.

Therefore, how can we consider for them a status which they themselves did not accept and believe in? Swearing, physical and interpersonal violence and banishment of some companions by some others were common and the relations between them turned so sour that they were even prepared to shed one another's blood.