Are all the Sahaabah trustworthy?

A sahaabi[1] is whoever met the Prophet (sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam), believed in him and died upon Islam.[2]

Proofs of their trustworthiness

First: Allaah the most High said: “Certainly was Allah pleased with the believers when they pledged allegiance to you, [O Muhammad], under the tree, and He knew what was in their hearts, so He sent down tranquillity upon them and rewarded them with an imminent conquest.”[3]

Allah – blessed and exalted be He – explained in the above ayah that He was pleased with the believers who pledged allegiance to the Prophet (sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam) under the tree. Since He knew what was in their hearts of eemaan and truthfulness, He sent down tranquillity upon them at that time. As such, this is a testimony from Allah – blessed and exalted be He – of the sincere eemaan of those people who pledged allegiance to the Prophet (sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam) under the tree -  bay’ah ar-Ridwaan.

It is established from the Prophet (sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam) that he said: “None among those who gave the allegiance under the tree shall enter Hell fire except the owner of the red camel.”[4] This man was one of the hypocrites who went out with the Prophet (sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam). His name is al-Jidd bin Qays. And the number of those who pledged allegiance to the Prophet (sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam) under the tree were one thousand four hundred. Some scholars said they were one thousand five hundred. Allah testified eemaan for them and affirmed that their hearts conform to their outer appearance. So there was no hypocrite among them except a man whom the Prophet (sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam) informed about, who was among them, but he did not pledge allegiance to the Prophet (sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam).

Second: Allah the most High said: And why do you not spend in the cause of Allah while to Allah belongs the heritage of the heavens and the earth? Not equal among you are those who spent before the conquest [of Makkah] and fought [and those who did so after it]. Those are greater in degree than they who spent afterwards and fought. But to all Allah has promised the best [reward]. And Allah, with what you do, is Acquainted.”[5]

Meaning He promised best reward to those who spent and fought before the conquest and He also promised best reward to those who spent and fought before the conquest. This is corroborated by the saying of Allah the most High: “For them therein is heavy sighing, and they therein will not hear. Indeed, those for whom the best [reward] has preceded from Us - they are from it far removed. They will not hear its sound, while they are, in that which their souls desire, abiding eternally. They will not be grieved by the greatest terror, and the angels will meet them, [saying], "This is your Day which you have been promised.”[6]

This is also an established testimony from Allah – blessed and exalted be He – concerning the generality of the Sahabaah no matter whether among them were those who believed and spent before the conquest of Makkah or those who believed and spent after the conquest of Makkah.

There is Consensus Regarding their Trustworthiness

Aboo ‘Umar ibn ‘Abdul-Barr (may Allah have mercy on him) said: “The people of truth among the Muslims – and they are ahlus-Sunnah wal-Jamaa’ah – unanimously agreed that all of them (the Sahaabah) are trustworthy.”[7]

Ibn Hajr al-Asqalaanee (may Allah have mercy on him) said: “Ahlus-Sunnah unanimously agreed that all of them (that is,  the Sahaabah) are trustworthy and none disagreed with this except some deviants among the innovators.”[8]

Source: See Huqbah min at-Taarikh, pp. 181-184 by Shaykh 'Uthmaan bin Muhammad al-Khamees (may Allah preserve him)

---

[1] The plural is Sahaabah

[2] Al-Isaabah (1/10)

[3] Soorah al-Fath: 18

[4] Recorded by at-Tirmidhee (3863); the origin is in Saheeh Muslim (2496). See Silsilah as-Saheehah under hadeeth (2160)

[5] Soorah al-Hadeed: 10

[6] Soorah al-Anbiyaa: 100-103

[7] Al-Istee’aab (1/8)

[8] Al-Isaabah (1/17)