What Made the Companions Generation Special?

Unique Generation of the Companions

There is a historical phenomenon that Islamic callers in every land and every era must reflect upon deeply. This phenomenon has a decisive impact on the method and direction of Islamic Dawah (advocacy).

This call to Islam produced the generation of the Companions, may Allah be pleased with them, a unique generation in the entire history of Islam, and in the history of humanity as a whole. Such generation was never produced again.

Yes, throughout history, there have been individuals who resembled that generation, but never again did such a large number gather in one place, as happened in the first period of this Dawah.

This is a clear and undeniable phenomenon, that carries a profound meaning which must be examined carefully, so that we may be guided to its secret.

Is it the Absence of the Prophet?

The Quran of this Dawah is in our hands today. The Hadith of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him), his practical guidance, and his noble biography are all in our hands today, just as they were in the hands of that first generation.

The only thing absent is the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) himself. Is this the secret then?

If the physical presence of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) was necessary for this Dawah to succeed and bear fruit, then Allah would not have made it a call for all humanity, nor the final message for all time. But Allah – Glorified and Exalted – guaranteed the preservation of the Quran, knowing that this Dawah could continue after the Messenger (peace be upon him) and still bear fruit.

Indeed, Allah chose to take him after twenty-three years of delivering the message, while leaving this religion until the end of time. Therefore, the absence of the Messenger (peace be upon him) himself does not explain this phenomenon.

The Quran as the Only Source

We must then look for another reason. We should examine the source from which that first generation learned, perhaps something changed. And we should examine the method by which they were trained, perhaps it has changed as well.

The first and only source that generation drew from was the Quran. The words of the Messenger (peace be upon him), his Sunnah, and his guidance were themselves reflections of that same source.

When A’ishah, may Allah be pleased with her, was asked about the character of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him), she said: “His character was the Quran.”

Thus, the Quran alone was their source of formation, their guide for thought, and their curriculum of life.

This was not because humanity at that time lacked civilization, knowledge, or culture.

• The Roman civilization existed with its culture, books, and laws, which Europe still lives by till this day.
• The Greek civilization had left behind its philosophy, logic, and arts – which still feed Western thought until today.
• The Persian civilization had its poetry, legends, beliefs, and systems of governance.
• Other civilizations, such as those of India and China, existed and flourished as well.

In fact, the Roman and Persian empires surrounded Arabia from the north and south, while Judaism and Christianity existed within the Arabian Peninsula itself.

So the fact that the early generation restricted themselves to the Book of Allah during their formative stage was not due to lack of other civilizations and cultures, but rather a deliberate and purposeful choice.

This deliberate choice is proven by the anger of the Messenger (peace be upon him) when he saw in the hands of ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab, may Allah be pleased with him, a page from the Torah. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “By the One in Whose hand is my soul, if Musa was alive, he would have no choice but to follow me.”

Thus, the Messenger (peace be upon him) intended for that generation to draw solely from the Quran during its formative stage, so that their souls and their growth would be shaped by it alone. Therefore, he was displeased when he saw ‘Umar drawing from another source.

The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) wanted to create a generation pure in heart, mind, perception, feeling, and formation, untouched by any external influence other than the Divine, represented in the Quran.

That generation drank solely from this source, and for that reason they attained their unique and unmatched status in history.

What Changed in Later Generations?

The sources became impure. The stream that later generations drank from was mixed with Greek philosophy and logic, Persian myths and concepts, Jewish interpretations, Christian theology, and other remnants of civilizations and cultures, all of which was mingled with the study of Quranic interpretation, Islamic theology, as well as jurisprudence and its fundamentals.

Thus, the generations after the Companions were formed upon this mixed source, and never again did that unique generation reappear.

Without doubt, this corruption of the original source was a primary cause of the vast difference between all later generations and that unique first one.

The Method of Receiving the Quran

There was another major factor besides the change in the purity of the source, i.e. the method of receiving the Quran.

In the first generation, they did not approach the Quran seeking culture, intellectual enrichment, or literary enjoyment. They did not study it to accumulate theoretical knowledge, or merely to expand their academic or jurisprudential arsenal.

Instead, they received the Quran as direct commands from Allah concerning their personal lives, their community affairs, and the reality they lived in.

They received the Quran like a soldier receiving “daily orders” on the battlefield, to be acted upon immediately.

Therefore, they did not consume large portions at once. They would often suffice with ten verses, until they had memorized them and acted upon them – as mentioned in the narration of Ibn Masud, may Allah be pleased with him.

This feeling – of receiving revelation for execution, not mere information – opened to them horizons of joy, insight, and knowledge that would not have been opened had they approached it merely as research or study material.

This method also made implementation easier, reduced the burden of obligations, and blended the Quran with their very beings.

It transformed the Quran in their hearts and their lives into a practical methodology and a living culture that did not remain locked in their minds or in the pages of books. Rather, it became actions and events that shaped the course of life itself.

For Further Reading:

•  Will Our Souls Change So Our Reality Changes?
  
• The Art of Debate in the Qur'an
• The Foundations of a Nation's Happiness

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Taken from: “Milestones” book, by Sayyid Qutb.

Read the Article in Arabic