The meaning of the Basmalah, and the ruling on staring with it when one reads Qur’aan

 

What is the meaning of the Basmalah [the Arabic words Bismillaah il-Rahmaan il-Raheem (In the name of Allaah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful)]? 


And what is meant by the words “Iqra’ bismi Rabbika” (Read (or recite) in the name of your Lord – [al-‘Alaq 96:1 – interpretation of the meaning])?

Praise be to Allaah.
 

 

When one says “Bismillaah” when starting to do anything, what
that means is, “I start this action accompanied by the name of Allaah or
seeking help through the name of Allaah, seeking blessing thereby. Allaah is
God, the beloved and worshipped, to Whom hearts turn in love, veneration and
obedience (worship). He is al-Rahmaan (the Most Gracious) Whose attribute is
vast mercy; and al-Raheem (the Most Merciful) Who causes that mercy to reach
His creation. 

It was said that what this means is: I start this action by
mentioning the name of Allaah. Ibn Jareer (may Allaah have mercy on him)
said: “Allaaah, may He be exalted and His name sanctified, taught His
Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) proper
manners by teaching him to mention His most beautiful names before all his
actions. He commanded him to mention these attributes before starting to do
anything, and made what He taught him a way for all people to follow before
starting anything, words to be written at the beginning of their letters and
books. The apparent meaning of these words indicates exactly what is meant
by them, and it does not need to be spelled out.” 

There is something omitted in the phrase “Bismillaah” when it
said before starting to do something, which may be “I begin my action in the
name of Allaah,” such as saying, “In the name of Allaah I read”, “In the
name of Allaah I write”, “In the name of Allaah I ride”, and so on. Or, “My
starting is in the name of Allaah”, “My riding is in the name of Allaah”,
“My reading is in the name of Allaah”, and so on.  It may be that blessing
comes by saying the name of Allaah first, and that also conveys the meaning
of starting only in the name of Allaah and not in the name of anyone else. 

The name of Allaah is the greatest name and is so well known
as to need no explanation; this is a name that belongs exclusively to the
Creator and no one else. The correct view is that it is derived from the
root aliha. He is God (ilaah) which means that He is worshipped and is
divine. 

Al-Rahmaan is one of the names of Allaah that belong
exclusively to Him. It means the One Who possesses vast mercy, because this
form (fa’laan) is indicative of fullness and abundance. It is the most
exclusive name of Allaah after His name Allaah, just as mercy is His most
exclusive attribute. Hence this name (al-Rahmaan) often appears after the
name Allaah, as in the aayah (interpretation of the meaning): 

“Say (O Muhammad): Invoke Allaah or invoke the Most
Gracious [al-Rahmaan] (Allaah)” [al-Isra’ 17:110] 

Al-Raheem is also one of
the names of Allaah, and means the One Who causes His mercy to reach those
whom He wills among His slaves.  

Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:
“Al-Rahmaan refers to an attribute that is connected to Allaah and is part
of His Essence, and al-Raheem refers to a connection with the one to whom
mercy is shown. The former is adjectival (referring to what He is) and the
latter is verbal (referring to what He does). The former indicates that
mercy is His attribute, and the latter indicates that He bestows His mercy
upon His creation. If you want to understand this then ponder the meaning of
these verses (interpretation of the meanings): 

“And He is Ever Most Merciful (Raheem) to the
believers”[al-Ahzaab 33:43]  

“Certainly, He is unto them full of kindness, Most
Merciful (Raheem)” [al-Tawbah 9:117] 

The word al-Rahmaan is
never used in this context. So we know that the word Rahmaan means the One
Whose attribute is mercy (rahmah), and al-Raheem is the One Who bestows His
mercy.” 

(Badaa’i’ al-Fawaa’id, 1/24). 

Secondly: 

The ruling on saying the Basmalah before reading Qur’aan
depends on the situation: 

1 – If it is at the beginning of a soorah – apart from Soorat
Baraa’ah (al-Tawbah) – then the majority of imams have stated that “it is
mustahabb to recite the Basmalah at the beginning of each soorah, in prayer
or otherwise. This should be done as a regular practice, and some of them
considered that a reading of the whole Qur’aan is incomplete if the Basmalah
was not recited at the beginning of every soorah apart from Baraa’ah
(al-Tawbah).” When Imam Ahmad (may Allaah have mercy on him) was asked about
reciting it at the beginning of every soorah, he said, “Do not neglect it.” 

2 – If one is starting in the middle of a soorah – which is
the case asked about in the question – then the majority of scholars and
Qur’aan readers say that there is no reason why one should not start with
it. It was said to Imam Ahmad, after he had said that it should not be
omitted at the beginning of the soorah, “What if a person starts reading
partway through a soorah?” He said, “There is nothing wrong [with saying the
Basmalah].” Al-‘Abaadi narrated that al-Shaafa’i (may Allaah have mercy on
him) regarded it as mustahabb (to say the Basmalah, when starting to recite)
partway through a soorah. 

The Qur’aan readers said: It is certain that one should say
the Basmalah if the aayah which will be read after saying it contains a
pronoun that refers to Allaah, such as the verses (interpretation of the
meanings): 

“To Him (Alone) is referred the knowledge of the Hour”

[Fussilat 41:47] 

“And
it is He Who produces gardens”[al-An’aam 6:141] 

because otherwise, if one recites these verses after seeking
refuge with Allaah from the Shaytaan, the pronoun may appear to refer to the
Shaytaan which would convey an abhorrent meaning. 

3 – Reciting the Basmalah at the beginning of Soorat Baraa’ah
(al-Tawbah); there is hardly any dispute among the scholars that doing this
is makrooh (disliked). 

Saalih said concerning some issues that he narrated from his
father Ahmad (may Allaah have mercy on him): “I asked him about Soorat
al-Anfaal and Soorat al-Tawbah, whether it is permissible for a man to
separate them by saying Bismillaah il-Rahmaan il-Raheem. My father said:
‘With regard to the Qur’aan, reference should be made to what the companions
of the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
were agreed on; nothing should be added to or taken away from that.’”  

4 – Reciting it partway through Soorat al-Baraa’ah
(al-Tawbah). The Qur’aan readers differed concerning that, as was narrated
by Ibn Hajar al-Haythami in al-Fataawa al-Fiqhiyyah (1/52), and he
said: “Among the leading Qur’aan readers, al-Sakhaawi said that there is no
dispute that it is Sunnah to start with the Basmalah when one starts reading
partway through this soorah [al-Tawbah], as he differentiated between
starting at the beginning and starting in the middle, but his explanation
was facile and was refuted by al-Ja’bari from among the Qur’aan readers.
This is more likely (i.e., the view that it is makrooh is more likely to be
correct), because the reason why the Basmalah should not be recited at the
beginning (of al-Tawbah) is that it came with the sword (i.e., the command
to fight the kuffaar) and it exposes the hypocrites and their foul deeds in
a manner that is not unlike any other soorah, and this theme is repeated
throughout Soorat al-Tawbah. Therefore it is not prescribed to recite the
Basmalah even if one starts reciting partway through this soorah, just as it
is not prescribed at the beginning, for the reasons we have established.” 

See al-Adaab al-Shar’iyyah by Ibn Muflih, 2/325;
al-Mawsoo’ah al-Fiqhiyyah, 13/253; al-Fataawa al-Fiqhiyyah al-Kubra,
1/52 

Thirdly: 

With regard to the meaning of the words,
“Iqra’ bismi Rabbika” (Read (or recite) in the name of your Lord – [al-‘Alaq
96:1 – interpretation of the meaning]), Imam Ibn Jareer (may Allaah have
mercy on him) said: “The interpretation of the words ‘Iqra’ bismi Rabbika’
is that they were addressed to Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah
be upon him), in other words, Read, O Muhammad, by mentioning the name of
your Lord (Who created).” And Allaah knows best.

The meaning of Verse 33, Al Rahmaan

 

Assalamu'alaikum wbt

Brother,

I would like to seek your assistance in translating the tafsir of surah 55 ayat
33(Since I do not know Arabic):

"33. O ye assembly of Jinns and men! if it be ye can pass beyond the zones of the
heavens and the earth pass ye! not without authority shall ye be able to pass!"

Jazakallahu Khair.

Praise be to Allah;

Verse 33 of Surat al-Rahman, interpretation of the meaning: "O ye assembly of Jinns and men!
If you can pass beyond the zones of the heavens and the earth, pass ye! Not without authority
shall ye be able to pass!"



This challenge from Allaah to all will be on the day of resurrection when all creatures, Jinn and
humans, will be assembled and the heavens split apart. Angels will descend from all of heavens
and encircle the resurrected. Allah will challenge the people assembled to escape if they can.
They will not be able to escape as they will not have the ability or the power to do so with the
angels besieging and encircling them from all sides.



In explanation of this Verse, Ibn Kathir (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: "Meaning that
you cannot escape Allaah’s power and predestination, which are everywhere around you. You
cannot escape Allah’s power or break away from His authority or ruling on you. On the day of
resurrection, wherever you go, you will be surrounded on all sides by seven rows of angels. No
one can pass beyond the zones "without authority" i.e. an order from Allah. Verse 10 of Surat
Al-Qiyamah, or the resurrection, says (interpretation of the meaning): "(10.) That day will man
say: Where is the escape? (11.) By no means! No place of safety! 12. Before thy Lord
(alone), that day will be the dwelling."

Meanings of the word fitnah in the Qur’aan

 

I see the word fitnah repeated often in the Qur’aan in several soorahs and aayahs. Is there a difference in the meanings of this word, and what are its various meanings?

Praise be to Allaah.
 

 

Definition of fitnah: 

1 – The word fitnah from a linguistic point of view: 

Al-Azhari said: “The Arabic word fitnah includes meanings of
testing and trial. The root is taken from the phrase fatantu al-fiddah
wa’l-dhahab (I assayed (tested the quality of) the silver and gold),
meaning I melted the metals to separate the bad from the good. Similarly,
Allaah says in the Qur’aan (interpretation of the meaning):
‘(It will be) a Day when they will be tried [yuftanoona]
(punished, i.e. burnt) over the Fire!’ [al-Dhaariyaat 51:13],
meaning, burning them with fire.” (Tahdheeb al-Lughah, 14/196). 

Ibn Faaris said: “Fa-ta-na
is a sound root which indicates testing or trial.” (Maqaayees al-Lughah,
4/472). This is the basic meaning of the word fitnah in Arabic. 

Ibn al-Atheer said: “Fitnah: trial or test… The word is often
used to describe tests in which something disliked is eliminated. Later it
was also often used in the sense of sin, kufr (disbelief), fighting,
burning, removing and diverting.” (al-Nihaayah, 3/410. Ibn Hajar said
something similar in al-Fath, 13/3). 

Ibn al-A’raabi summed up the meanings of fitnah when he said:
“Fitnah means testing, fitnah means trial, fitnah means wealth, fitnah means
children, fitnah means kufr, fitnah means differences of opinion among
people, fitnah means burning with fire.” (Lisaan al-‘Arab by Ibn
Manzoor). 

2 – Meanings of the word fitnah in the Qur’aan and Sunnah: 

1-    
Testing and trial, as in the
aayah (interpretation of the meaning):

“Do people think
that they will be left alone because they say: ‘We believe, and will not be
tested [la yuftanoon]” [al-‘Ankaboot 29:2]

i.e., that they will not be subjected to trial, as Ibn Jareer
said. 

2-    
Blocking the way and turning
people away, as in the aayah (interpretation of the meaning):

“but beware of them
lest they turn you [yaftinooka] (O Muhammad) far away from some of that
which Allaah has sent down to you” [al-Maa’idah 5:49]

Al-Qurtubi said: this means blocking your way and turning you
away.         

3-    
Persecution, as in the aayah
(interpretation of the meaning):

“Then, verily, your
Lord
for those who emigrated after they had been put to trials [futinoo] and
thereafter strove hard and fought (for the Cause of Allaah) and were
patient, verily, your Lord afterward is, Oft‑Forgiving, Most Merciful” [al-Nahl
16:110]

Put to trial means persecuted. 

4-    
Shirk and kufr, as in the aayah
(interpretation of the meaning):

“And fight them
until there is no more Fitnah (disbelief and worshipping of others along
with Allaah)” [al-Baqarah 2:193]

Ibn Katheer said: this means shirk (worshipping others
besides Allaah). 

5-    
Falling into sin and hypocrisy,
as in the aayah (interpretation of the meaning):

“(The hypocrites)
will call the believers: “Were we not with you?” The believers will reply:
“Yes! But you led yourselves into temptations [fatantum anfusakum], you
looked forward for our destruction; you doubted (in Faith) and you were
deceived by false desires” [al-Hadeed 57:14]

Al-Baghawi said: i.e., you made yourselves fall into
hypocrisy and you destroyed yourselves by means of sin and whims and
desires. 

6-    
Confusing truth with falsehood,
as in the aayah (interpretation of the meaning):

“And those who
disbelieve are allies of one another, (and) if you (Muslims of the whole
world collectively) do not do so [i.e. become allies, as one united block
under one Khaleefah (a chief Muslim ruler for the whole Muslim world) to
make victorious Allaah’s religion of Islamic Monotheism], there will be
Fitnah (wars, battles, polytheism) and oppression on the earth, and a great
mischief and corruption (appearance of polytheism)”[al-Anfaal 6:73]

What this means is that “unless believers are taken as close
friends instead of disbelievers, even if they are relatives, there will be
fitnah on earth, i.e., truth will be confused with falsehood.” This is how
it is explained in Jaami’ al-Bayaan
by Ibn Jareer. 

7-    
Misguidance, as in the aayah
(interpretation of the meaning):

“And whomsoever
Allaah wants to put in Al‑Fitnah (error, because of his rejecting of Faith),
you can do nothing for him against Allaah” [al-Maa'idah 5:41]

The meaning of fitnah here is misguidance. Al-Bahr
al-Muheet by Abu Hayaan, 4/262. 

8-    
Killing and taking prisoners,
as in the aayah (interpretation of the meaning):

“if you fear that
the disbelievers may put you in trial [yaftinakum] (attack you)”

[al-Nisa’ 4:101]

This refers to the kaafirs attacking the Muslims whilst they
are praying and prostrating, in order to kill them or take them prisoner, as
stated by Ibn Jareer. 

9-    
Difference among people and
lack of agreement, as in the aayah (interpretation of the meaning):

“and they would
have hurried about in your midst (spreading corruption) and sowing sedition
among you [yabghoonakum al-fitnah]” [al-Tawbah 9:47]

i.e., they would have stirred up differences amongst you, as
it says in al-Kashshaaf, 2/277. 

10-Insanity, as in the
aayah (interpretation of the meaning):

“Which of you is
afflicted with madness (maftoon)” [al-Qalam 68:6]
Here it means madness. 

11-Burning with fire,
as in the aayah (interpretation of the meaning):

“Verily, those who
put into trial [fatanoo] the believing men and believing women (by torturing
them and burning them)”[al-Burooj 85:10]

Ibn Hajar said: the meaning may be understood from the
context. (al-Fath 11/176) 

Note: 

Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: With
regard to the “fitnah” which Allaah attributes to Himself or which His
Messenger attributes to Him, as in the aayah (interpretation of the
meaning), ‘Thus We have tried [fatannaa] some of
them with others’ [al-An’aam 6:53] and the words
of Moosa, ‘It is only Your trial [fitnatuka] by
which You lead astray whom You will’ [al-A’raaf 7:155 – interpretation of
the meaning], that carries a different meaning,
which is a test or trial from Allaah to His slaves by means of good things
and bad, blessings and calamities. This is one thing; the fitnah of the
mushrikeen is another thing; the fitnah or trial of the believer by means of
his wealth, children and neighbour is another thing; the fitnah
(tribulation, differences) that happen amongst the Muslims, like the fitnah
that happened between the supporters of ‘Ali and Mu’awiyah, and between him
and the people of the camel, and between Muslims when they fight one another
or boycott one another, is another thing. (Zaad al-Ma’aad, vol. 3, p.
170).

What are the things that Allaah taught to Adam?

 

What are the things that Allaah taught
to Adam?

Praise be to Allaah.

Imaam Ibn Katheer (may Allaah have mercy on him) said in
his Tafseer (1/256, ed. by Abu Ishaaq al-Juwayni), commenting on the aayah
(interpretation of the meaning): “And He taught Adam all the names (of
everything)…” [al-Baqarah 2:31]

“The correct view is that He taught him the names of all things,
what they are, and their qualities, right down to the noiseless fart, i.e., the names and
qualities of all things, great and small. Thus al-Bukhaari said in his commentary on this
aayah in Kitaab al-Tafseer in his Saheeh, and Ibn Katheer mentioned
al-Bukhaari’s isnaad from Anas, that the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him) said: ‘The believers will assemble on the Day of Resurrection and will say,
‘Let us ask somebody to intercede for us with our Lord.’ So they will go to Adam
and say, ‘You are the father of all the people. Allaah created you with His own
Hands, and ordered the angels to prostrate to you, and taught you the names of all
things…’” This indicates that Allaah taught him the names of all created
things, which is why He then said (interpretation of the meaning): “… then He
showed them to the angels” [al-Baqarah 2:31] – i.e., the objects whose names
He had taught to Adam.”

Al-Haafiz ibn Hajar listed various opinions on this topic in al-Fath
(8/10), where he said, “There was some dispute as to the meaning of the
‘names.’ It was suggested that this referred to the names of his offspring, or
the names of the angels, or the names of the different species – without going into
details, or the names of everything on earth, or the names of all things, even a
platter.”

Imaam al-Shawkaani said in Fath al-Qadeer (1/64): “The
‘names’ are phrases or expressions, and what is meant is the names of the
objects whose names Allaah taught him. This is the opinion of the majority of scholars,
and this is the true meaning of the word ism (name). This is confirmed by the word all
(all the names), which indicates that He taught him all the names and did not omit
anything, no matter what it was.”

And Allaah knows best.

Tafseer of the aayah (interpretation of the meaning)And Allaah will never lead a people astray …” [al-Tawbah 9:115]

 

I hope that you can explain to us the meaning of the aayah (interpretation
of the meaning)And Allaah will never lead a people astray after He has guided them until He makes clear to them as to what they should avoid. Verily, Allaah is the All-Knower of everything” [al-Tawbah 9:115]

Praise be to Allaah. 

Allaah says, describing
His noble Self and His just Wisdom, that He does not lead people astray
except after His Message has reached them, and proof has been established
against them, as He says (interpretation of the meaning):

“And
as for Thamood, We showed and made clear to them the Path of Truth (Islamic
Monotheism) through Our Messenger (i.e. showed them the way of success),
but they preferred blindness to guidance” [Fussilat 41:17]

 According
to another view on the interpretation of this aayah, Mujaahid said concerning
the aayah (interpretation of the
meaning):

“And
Allaah will never lead a people astray after He has guided them” [al-Tawbah
9:115] . This aayah
refers to the issue of believers praying for forgiveness for the mushrikeen
in particular. Allaah has made clear the ruling on this matter, it becomes
a sin, so it is their choice whether they do it or not.

 Ibn
Jareer said: Allaah is saying that He would not decree misguidance for
them as a result of their seeking forgiveness for their dead mushrik
relatives, after He had guided them and given them faith in Him and
His Messenger, until He had told them of the prohibition so that they
would desist. But before He explained that this is not allowed, if you
did that, He would not decree that you would be led astray because of
that. For obedience and disobedience have to do with commands and prohibitions,
but with regard to matters that have not been commanded or prohibited,
no one can be considered to be obedient or disobedient.

Delay in saying In sha Allaah

 

Is it permissible for a person, if he forgot to say “In sha Allaah” to say it after a long time has elapsed?

Praise
be to Allaah.
 

 

Al-Shanqeeti (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: 

Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): 

“And remember your Lord when you forget”[al-Kahf 18:24] 

There are two well-known scholarly views concerning this
aayah: 

One of which is that
this aayah is connected to that which comes before it, and it means that if
you say, “Tomorrow I will do such and such” but you forget to say “in sha
Allaah”, then after that you remember, you should say “in sha Allah”. In
other words, remember your Lord, connecting everything with His will
concerning what you want to do tomorrow, when you remember after having
forgotten. This is the apparent meaning, because it is what is indicated by
the preceding aayah (interpretation of the meaning): 

“And never say of anything, ‘I shall do such and such
thing tomorrow’” [al-Kahf 18:23] 

This is the view of the majority, and among those who
expressed this view were Ibn ‘Abbaas, al-Hasan al-Basri, Abu’l-‘Aaliyah and
others. 

His friend is a follower of innovation and feels some hatred towards the Sahaabah – what should he do?

 

I had a friend from one of the misguided sects and he used to tell me some of the stories of things that happened among the Sahaabah (may Allaah be pleased with them), and he used to disparage some of the Sahaabah in these stories in an indirect manner. I used to listen to him out of politeness, but in my heart I knew that he was lying. But as time went by, when I heard the names of some of the Sahaabah I would feel some resentment towards them in my heart that I did not feel before I listened to this misguided person. My question is: is there any advice that will help me regain my respect for the Sahaabah and not feel any doubts about them in my heart?.

Praise be to Allaah.

What you mention about feeling some resentment towards some
of the companions of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) is one of the effects of keeping company with this follower of
innovation. It indicates that the salaf were wise in warning against sitting
with followers of innovation and their strictness with regard to that.  

Abu Qilaabah (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: Do not sit
with those who follow their whims and desires and do not debate with them,
for I cannot be sure that they will not tempt you into misguidance or
confuse you about the religion as they are confused. 

Abu Ishaaq al-Hamadaani said:  The one who shows respect to
the follower of innovation has helped to destroy Islam. 

Two men who were among the followers of whims and desires
entered upon Muhammad ibn Sireen and said: O Abu Bakr, let us talk with you.
He said: No. They said: Let us recite to you a verse from the Book of
Allaah. He said: No; either you get up and leave me or I will get up and
leave you. So the two men got up and left. 

Al-Fudayl ibn ‘Iyaad said: Do not sit with a follower of
innovation, for I fear that the curse may descend upon you. 

Muhammad ibn al-Nadr al-Haarithi said: The one who lends his
ear to a follower of bid’ah when he knows he is a follower of bid’ah will be
cast out from divine protection and entrusted to his own care. 

‘Abd al-Razzaaq al-San’aani said: Ibraaheem ibn Abi Yahya
said to me: I see that the Mu’talizah frequent you a great deal. I said:
Yes, and they say that you are one of them. He said: Why don’t you come with
me to this store with me so we may speak together. I said: No. He said: Why
not? I said: Because the heart is weak. 

See these reports in al-Sharee’ah by al-Aajirri and
Usool I’tiqaad Ahl al-Sunnah by al-Laalkaa’i.

Al-Aajirri (may Allaah have mercy on him) said in his book
al-Sharee’ah: Chapter on shunning the followers of innovation and whims
and desires: everyone who adheres to what we have outlined in this book of
ours, which is Kitaab al-Sharee’ah, must shun all of those who follow
whims and desires, whether they are Khaarijis, Qadaris, Murji’is or Jahamis,
all those who claim to belong to the Mu’tazilah, all of the Raafidis, all of
the Naasibis, and all of those whom the Muslim scholars have determined and
proven to be followers of innovation and misguidance. He should not speak to
them, greet them with salaam, sit with them, pray behind them, marry from
them or give a female relative of his to them in marriage, enter into
partnerships with them, deal with them, or debate with them. Rather he
should ignore them. If you meet them in the street, take another route if
you can. If he says: Why shouldn’t I debate with them or respond to what
they say? The answer is If you debate with them or listen to what they say,
you cannot be certain that they will not affect you or deceive you with
their falsehood, which the shaytaan makes attractive, then you will be
doomed. Unless you are compelled to debate with him or establish proof
against him in the presence of the ruler etc. But apart from that, do not do
it. What I have mentioned to you is based on the views of earlier Muslim
scholars, and is in accordance with the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). End quote. 

Al-Dhahabi (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: Most of the
imams of the salaf warned against (mixing or dealing with these people), and
they thought that hearts were weak and susceptible to doubts. End quote from
Siyar A’laam al-Nubala’ (7/261). 

What has happened to you is because of your negligence and
carelessness in sitting with this follower of innovation, until your heart
was poisoned against the best of creation after the Prophets. They are the
people whom Allaah chose to accompany His Prophet and support His religion,
and when the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) died
he was pleased with them, so no one would cast aspersions upon them except
one who is doomed and deprived of mercy. 

Al-Tabaraani narrated from Ibn ‘Abbaas (may Allaah be pleased
with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
said: “Whoever reviles my companions, upon him be the curse of Allaah, the
angels and all the people.” Classed as hasan by al-Albaani in Silsilat
al-Ahaadeeth al-Saheehah (2340). 

As for the way to reform your heart, it is by repenting to
Allaah and by turning to the Qur’aan and Sunnah and books of seerah, where
you will see how Allaah praised the companions of His Prophet (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and you will learn how they sacrificed
themselves and their wealth so that this great religion could reach us. 

Perhaps if you turn to Kitaab Fadaa’il al-Sahaabah
(the Book of the Virtues of the Sahaabah) in Saheeh Muslim or other
books of Sunnah, your love and respect for the companions of your Messenger
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) will increase.  

Among the brief and comprehensive books that we advise you to
read is al-Saheeh al-Musnad min Fadaa’il al-Sahaabah by Shaykh
Mustafa al-‘Adawi, and Suwar min Hayaat al-Sahaabah by Prof. ‘Abd
al-Rahmaan Ra’fat al-Basha. 

You should understand that most of what the people of
innovation say about the Sahaabah is lies and fabrications, that result from
their loathsome fanaticism, blind hatred and sick hearts, which caused them
to think that the Sahaabah were people who fought one another for worldly
gain, for which they plotted and schemed and conspired. But as it was said
long ago, everyone sees through the lens of his own nature. Their hearts
were filled with hatred and desire for worldly gains, so they thought that
the Sahaabah were like them, but in fact the Sahaabah were a unique
generation and an elite, because they were the product of a great “school”
and excellent education, the blessed company of the Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him), as they acquired knowledge and morals at
the hand of the noblest of creation (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him). 

You should note that any attack against these Sahaabah is an
attack against their Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) who chose them, brought them close to him, and was related to some of
them by marriage. Indeed, it is an attack against Allaah, may He be exalted,
Who chose these people to be the companions of His Prophet, the bearers of
His religion, and the scribes of His Revelation. 

We ask Allaah to open your heart, purify your heart, and fill
it with love for His religion, His Book, His Prophet and his companions. 

And Allaah knows best.