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Sheikh Muhammad Amān Al-Jāmi rahimahullah wrote:

17 May 2024 • 1.38K views
«وأما المسلمون؛ فقد كانوا مجتمعين ومتفقين غير متفرقين في أصول دينهم، وقد مضى عصر الصحابة وهم على ذلك، لا يعرفون للاختلاف في العقيدة وأصول الدين معنى أبداً، بل كانوا أمة واحدة». "As for the Muslims, they were united and in agreement, not divided in the fundamentals of their religion. The era of the Companions passed with them maintaining this unity, without any notion of disagreement in creed and the fundamentals of the religion; rather, they were one unified community." [Al-Aqeedah Al-Islamiyyah wa Taarikhu] The Lajnah Ad-Dā'imah was asked: Is it permissible to say that the Companions, may Allah be pleased with them, differed in matters of creed, such as the Prophet's, peace be upon him, seeing his Lord on the night of the Ascension? Or whether the dead can hear or not? And to assert that these are matters of creed? They responded: "Islamic creed, praise be to Allah, does not contain any differences among the Companions or those who came after them from Ahlus-Sunnah wal Jamā'ah; for they believe in what is indicated by the Book and the Sunnah and do not introduce anything from themselves or based on their opinions. This is the source of their unity and agreement on one creed and one methodology, in accordance with the words of Allah (translated meaning): "And hold firmly to the rope of Allah all together and do not become divided." Among these matters is the issue of the believers seeing their Lord on the Day of Resurrection, about which they are unanimously agreed upon based on the mutwatir evidences from the Book and the Sunnah, and they did not differ in this regard. As for the difference regarding whether the Prophet, peace be upon him, saw his Lord with his eyes on the night of Ascension, this it is a difference concerning a specific incident in this world, not a difference concerning seeing Allah on the Day of Resurrection." Sheikh Abdurahman Al-Barrāk said: "The Companions did not differ regarding matters of creed, nor did they differ regarding the Attributes of Allah. Similarly, they did not differ regarding pre-decree, the actions of individuals and the ruling on the perpetrators of major sins. This consensus does not preclude differences in some particulars, such as the issue of the Prophet ﷺ seeing his Lord on the Night of Ascension. They also differed in the interpretation of some Āyāt, whether they pertain to attributes, like the Āyah (interpreted meaning): "To Allah belongs the east and the west. So wherever you turn, there is the وجه الله" [Quran, 2:115]. The majority said the term "الوجه" (in this Āyah) refers to direction, specifically the Qiblah, hence وجه الله is the Qiblah of Allah, as explained by Mujahid. Some scholars of Ahlus-Sunnah said "وجه الله" refers to His essence, which is His attribute, exalted is He. However, this does not signify disagreement in affirming the Face of Allah, exalted is He, as it is established by texts that are unequivocal, such as His statement (interpreted meaning): "And there will remain the Face of your Lord, Owner of Majesty and Honor" [Quran, 55:27]. CONCLUSION: The Companions did not disagree on creedal matters. However, the examples of disagreements cited by some only relate to some fine details where there is no explicit textual evidence or where the evidence is not unequivocal. In reality, such differing is not regarded as disagreement in creed. Sheikh Abdulmuhsin Al-Abbad hafidahullah wrote: ومثل اختلاف عائشة وابن عباس رضي الله عنهما في رؤية النبي ﷺ ربه ليلة المعراج لا يعد خلافا في العقيدة. اهـ. "Similarly, the difference of opinion between Aisha and Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) regarding the Prophet ﷺ seeing of His Lord on the Night of Ascension is not considered a disagreement in creed." [Al-Intisar lis-Sahabatil Khiyar]