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English translation

Know that the community — may God multiply them — is agreed that the Prophet, upon him be peace, had a group of Companions, may God be pleased with them all, who kept to his mosque, devoted to worship, having renounced the world and turned away from earning a livelihood. And God, mighty and glorious, reproached the Prophet on their behalf, exalted be He who said: 'And do not drive away those who call upon their Lord morning and evening...' the verse (al-An'am 6:52). The Book of God, mighty and glorious, speaks of their virtues, and there are many reports from the Prophet, upon him be peace, concerning their merits that have reached us in mention of them, may God be pleased with them all; and we have said a portion about them in the introduction to this book.

Ibn Abbas, may God be pleased with him, narrates from the Prophet, upon him be peace: 'The Messenger of God, may God bless him and grant him peace, stood over the People of the Suffa and saw their poverty and their striving and the purity of their hearts, and said: Rejoice, O People of the Suffa! For whoever of my community remains upon the state you are in, content with what it contains, he is among my companions in Paradise.'

The meaning of this report is: 'When the Prophet, upon him be peace, passed by them and saw them, he stopped and saw the joy of their hearts in poverty and struggle, and said: Glad tidings to you and to those who come after you in your state and are content in their own poverty — they too are among my companions in Paradise.'

Their number, among them:

1. One is the herald of the Court of the Almighty and the chosen of Muhammad the Elect, Bilal ibn Riyah (Rabah), may God be pleased with him.
2. And another, the friend of the Sovereign Judge and the confidant of the Prophet's states, Abu Abdallah Salman al-Farsi, may God be pleased with him.
3. And another, the commander of the Muhajirun and the Ansar, and turned toward the Forgiving Lord, Abu Ubayda Amir ibn Abdallah al-Jarrah, may God be pleased with him.
4. And another, the chosen of the Companions and the adornment of the masters, Abu'l-Yaqzan Ammar ibn Yasir, may God be pleased with him.
5. And another, the treasure of knowledge and the treasury of forbearance, Abu Mas'ud Abdallah ibn Mas'ud al-Hudhali, may God be pleased with him.
6. And another, clinging to the threshold of reverence and pure from fault and affliction, Utba ibn Mas'ud, brother of Abdallah, may God be pleased with him.
7. And another, the traveler of the path of seclusion and turning away from the bonds of error, al-Miqdad ibn al-Aswad, may God be pleased with him.
8. And another, the keeper of the station of piety and content with affliction and trial, Khabbab ibn al-Aratt, may God be pleased with him.
9. And another, seeker of the court of contentment and desirer of the meeting in subsistence, Suhayb ibn Sinan, may God be pleased with him.
10. And another, the casket of felicity and the sea of contentment, Utba ibn Ghazwan, may God be pleased with him.
11. And another, the brother of al-Faruq and turned away from both worlds and from creation, Zayd ibn al-Khattab, may God be pleased with him.
12. And another, master of struggles in the pursuit of contemplations, Abu Kabsha, the freedman of the Prophet, may God be pleased with him.
13. And another, the dear penitent returning from all to the Truth, Abu'l-Marthad Kannaz ibn al-Husayn al-Ghanawi, may God be pleased with him.
14. And another, the builder of the road of humility and treader of the path of separation, Salim, freedman of Abu Hudhayfa, may God be pleased with him.
15. And another, fearful of punishment and fleeing from opposition, Ukkasha ibn al-Mihsan, may God be pleased with him.
16. And another, the adornment of the Muhajirun and the Ansar and the lord of Bani Qar, Mas'ud ibn Rabi' al-Qari, may God be pleased with him.
17. And another, keeper of the Prophet's breaths and a gate to all good things, Abdallah ibn Umar, may God be pleased with him.
18. And another, in asceticism resembling Jesus and in longing at the rank of Moses, Abu Dharr Jundub ibn Junada al-Ghifari, may God be pleased with him.
19. And another, steadfast in uprightness and servant and companion to the Companions, Safwan ibn Bayda, may God be pleased with him.
20. And another, possessor of high resolve and free of suspicion, Abu'l-Darda Uwaymir ibn Amir, may God be pleased with him.
21. And another, an honor to the alchemy of religion and a shell to the pearl of trust, Abdallah ibn Badr al-Juhani, may God be pleased with him.
22. And another, attached to the court of hope and chosen of the royal Messenger, Abu Lubaba Abdul-Mundhir, may God be pleased with him.

And if I were to mention all of them it would grow long. Shaykh Abu Abd al-Rahman Muhammad ibn Husayn al-Sulami, may God be pleased with him, who was a transmitter of the Path and the words of the masters, composed a separate history for the People of the Suffa and brought forth their merits, virtues, names, and kunyas; but he counted Mistah ibn Uthatha ibn Abbad among them, and in my heart I do not love him, for he was the initiator of the slander (ifk) against the Mother of the Believers, Aisha, may God be pleased with her. But Abu Hurayra, Thawban, Mu'adh ibn al-Harith, Sa'ib ibn Khallad, Thabit ibn al-Wadi'a, Abu Abs, Uwaym ibn Sa'ida, Salim ibn Umayr ibn Thabit, Abu'l-Yasar Ka'b ibn Amr, Suhayb ibn Sayyaf, Abdallah ibn Unays, and Hajjaj ibn Amr al-Aslami, may God be pleased with them all, were among them. From time to time they were attached for some reason; but all were of one rank.

And in truth the generation of the Companions was the best of generations, and in whatever rank they held, in every field, they were the best and most excellent of all creation; after God, glorified and exalted, bestowed upon them the companionship of the Prophet, upon him be peace, and guarded their secrets from all faults. As the Messenger of God, may God bless him and grant him peace, said: 'The best of people is my generation, then those who follow them, then those who follow them.' And God, exalted, said: 'And the foremost, the first of the Muhajirun and the Ansar, and those who followed them in goodness' (al-Tawba 9:100).

Now I shall set down in this book the mention of some of the Successors (Tabi'un), so that the benefit may be more complete and the generations be joined to one another, God the Mighty willing.