According to Shiism, All Companions of the Prophet, Muhammad are disbelievers except a few

Introduction

The status of the Prophet Muḥammad’s companions (in Arabic, al‑Ṣaḥābah) is a core point of theological divergence between Shīʿī and Sunnī Islam. While Sunnī Islam generally holds that all companions who met the Prophet in faith are to be regarded as righteous (ʿadīl) and to be defended from criticism (except where there is extremely strong evidence otherwise), many Shīʿī scholars maintain a more nuanced view. Some strong formulations — often from polemical or extreme sources — may say things like “all companions are disbelievers except a few,” but among mainstream/established Twelver Shīʿī scholarship, the position is more differentiated.

This article explores:

• What the mainstream Shīʿī scholarly positions are regarding the Companions, especially concerning righteousness, disbelief, or apostasy.

• What the textual and historical bases for these views are.

• The divergence of opinion within Shīʿī ranks.

• The common misconceptions or exaggerations.

• The implications of these views, and the controversies they generate.

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Definitions: Who are the Companions

Before discussing what Shīʿīs believe about the companions, one must define who counts as a companion:

• The Sunnī definition generally: anyone who met or saw the Prophet Muḥammad while being a Muslim (believing), even if only for a short time, and died as a Muslim.

• The Shīʿī definition largely overlaps with this. Shīʿī scholars accept that someone who met the Prophet while believing, however briefly, is a Companion (ṣaḥābī). Islam Plus+3Al-Islam.org+3Wikishia+3

• But Shīʿī scholars often emphasize sincerity, consistency in faith (i.e., belief not only nominally but in action and loyalty), and fidelity to certain principles—especially loyalty to the Prophet’s Ahl al‑Bayt (House of the Prophet). Some companions are praised highly; others are criticized or at least judged less favourably. Wikishia+3Al-Islam.org+3Islamic Message+3

So the question “are all companions disbelievers except a few?” depends also on how “disbeliever,” “hypocrite,” “apostate,” or “rejecter” is defined, and which companions are being referred to, and what sources are cited.

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What Mainstream Shīʿī Scholarship States

From reliable Shīʿī sources (especially Twelver), the main positions may be summarized more moderately than the absolutist statement in your prompt.

1. Not All Companions are Disbelievers
   Shīʿī scholars do not universally hold that “all companions except a few are disbelievers.” This is an over‑generalization. What is more accurate is that many Shīʿī scholars assert that among the companions there were:

   • Those who were faithful, sincere, and loyal (to the Prophet and later, especially, to ʿAli and the Ahl al‑Bayt). These are highly honoured in Shīʿī memory and considered righteous. Examples include ʿAli b. Abi Ṭālib, Salman al‑Fārisī, Miqdād ibn al‑Aswad, Abū Dharr al‑Ghifārī, Ammār ibn Yasir, Jabir ibn ʿAbd Allāh al‑Anṣārī, among others. Wikishia+3Al-Islam.org+3ShiaSunni+3

   • Those whose faith is considered weaker, whose actions were possibly inconsistent, or whose loyalty shifted after the death of the Prophet.

2. Critical Stance Toward Some Companions
   Shīʿī literature includes criticism of certain companions, especially the first three caliphs (Abū Bakr, ʿUmar, ʿUthmān) and certain others such as Muʿāwiyah. Some Shīʿī authorities accuse them of political usurpation of Ali’s rights, of opposing the Ahl al‑Bayt, or of other actions seen as unjust. In some accounts, they are described as having contributed to sedition (fitnah), deception, or wrongdoing. Islamic Message+2Valiasr AJ+2

3. Concepts of Justice (ʿAdālah) and Excellence (Islah / Wilāyah)
   In Shīʿī theology, being a companion does not automatically confer ʿadālah (justice / uprightness) or permanent virtue. Shīʿīs hold that only the Imāms from the Ahl al‑Bayt have infallibility (ʿiṣmah) in religious and moral guidance; others—even if companions—may err, commit sins, or have lapses. Being a companion is a virtue, but not proof of perfection. Wikishia+2Al-Islam.org+2

4. Some Strong Statements / Extreme Views
   Some Shīʿī scholars (especially in polemical works or certain historical writings) have made very strong, even shocking statements: for example:

   • The fifth Shīʿī Imam (in Twelver tradition) is reported in sources to have said: “People became apostates after the death of the Prophet, except three: Miqdād, Abū Dharr al‑Ghifārī, and Salman al‑Fārisī.” This is a famous narration among Shīʿī hadith collections. Islamic Message

   • Some sources declare Abū Bakr and ʿUmar as disbelievers or unbelievers in more polemical texts; these are not universally accepted as binding theology across Shīʿī schools. Islamic Message

   But these statements are not necessarily the mainstream or consensus position; rather they represent one end of interpretative and polemical literature.

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Is “All Except a Few” a Fair Characterization?

Given the above, how accurate is the claim that “According to Shīʿīsm, all companions of the Prophet are disbelievers except a few”? It depends on what is meant:

• If taken literally (i.e. almost all companions are unbelievers, only a tiny number are true believers), that is not the position of mainstream, classical Twelver Shīʿī theology.

• If taken more loosely—as in many companions are criticized, some are revered, many are judged less favourably—then yes, that reflects something of the Shīʿī critique of certain companions.

So, one must differentiate:

1. Hard polemical claims vs normative Shīʿī theology.
   Some texts make absolutely strong claims, but many Shīʿī scholars either reject those hard statements or interpret them cautiously (e.g. as hyperbole, metaphor, or specific to certain companions in certain historical contexts).

2. Variation among Shīʿīs (Twelver, Ismaʿīlī, Zaydī, etc.) and among individual scholars. Not all Shīʿīs adopt the same views with equal strength toward every companion.

3. Theological implications: Declaring someone a disbeliever (kafir), apostate (murtad), or hypocrite (munāfiq) has serious implications in Islam. Shīʿī scholars are often cautious, and many do not officially declare certain sunnī‑venerated companions to be unbelievers, even if they strongly criticize them.

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Key Textual and Rational Basis for Shīʿī Views

What are the sources Shīʿī scholars use to justify their position?

• Qurʾānic Verses — e.g. verses criticizing divisions, betrayal after the Prophet’s passing, admonishments concerning hypocrisy, etc. Some Shīʿīs interpret these as applying to companions who turned away or opposed what the “true line” (as they see it) after Muḥammad’s death. Al-Islam.org+2Islam Plus+2

• Hadith literature — both Shīʿī hadiths and sometimes shared hadiths that they interpret differently. For example, reports that the Prophet or Imāms warned of companions turning away. The narration about “except three” companions (Miqdād, Abū Dharr, Salman) is a Shīʿī hadith. Islamic Message

• Historical events — Shīʿī historiography often highlights events of political conflict after the Prophet’s death: the disputes over leadership, the first civil wars (fitan), the opposition of certain companions to ʿAli’s claims, etc. These become morally laden in Shīʿī thought.

• Principle of Imāmah — central to Twelver Shīʿī belief is that leadership of the Muslim community after the Prophet was meant to stay within the Ahl al‑Bayt, particularly through Imāms divinely appointed. From this standpoint, companions who opposed that principle are seen as wrong, possibly sinful or worse.

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Variations and Counter‑Points Within Shīʿī Thought

Not all Shīʿī scholars agree in how “harshly” to judge companions. Some variations:

• Some Shīʿī scholars limit their criticism to specific companions, or to particular actions, accusing them not of full disbelief but of moral or political wrongdoing.

• Others are more cautious, especially in modern times, avoiding statements that might be taken as labelling Sunnī companions as unbelievers, due to concerns of Muslim unity, politeness, or inter‑Muslim conflict.

• There are also Shīʿī scholars who outright reject the more extreme claims (like “all companions except three are apostates”) or consider them weak in chain of transmission (ḥadīth criticism).

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Criticisms and Sunni Responses

Among Sunnī Muslims, the Shīʿī view (especially its stronger formulations about certain companions) is often challenged on several grounds:

1. Accusation of unjust generalization — Sunnīs say that many companions are clearly praised in the Qurʾān, in hadith, and in early Muslim practice; for Shīʿīs to reject them wholesale is unfair.

2. Questioning sources or authenticity — Sunnīs often challenge the chain (isnād) or content (matn) of hadiths that Shīʿīs use to justify extreme statements.

3. Theological and scriptural arguments — Sunnīs argue that many verses of the Qurʾān refer generally to “all those who believed among the Companions” in a positive way, e.g. “Allah is pleased with them and they are pleased with Him …” (Qurʾān 9:100) and others. They argue these verses contradict sweeping claims of widespread apostasy or disbelief.

4. Avoidance of declaring large groups disbelievers — Sunnīs see characterizing large numbers of companions as unbelievers as problematic, both in terms of scriptural evidence and for community unity.

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Why the Idea of “All Companions Except a Few” Persists

Several reasons why this strong formula appears in discourse:

• Polemical literature playing to sectarian identities often sharpens statements for effect. Writers may use hyperbole or strong renditions to signal allegiance to the Ahl al‑Bayt and critique perceived injustice.

• Simplification by followers / laypeople — complex theological positions get simplified, sometimes exaggerated, in popular belief or internet content, turning “many companions criticised” into “all except few are disbelievers.”

• Certain hadiths / narrations in Shīʿī sources being cited out of context or without the commonist scholarly caveats (regarding reliability, chain strength, context, etc.)

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What the Strongest Shīʿī Statements Are, & How They Are Interpreted

Some of the strongest statements are:

• The narration that “everyone became an apostate after the Prophet except three (Miqdād, Abū Dharr, Salman).” This is widely quoted among Shīʿīs. But scholars debate its chain reliability, what “apostate” means here, and whether it refers to literal disbelief or metaphorical opposition. Islamic Message

• Accusations against Abū Bakr, ʿUmar, etc., in Shīʿī polemical works: they are sometimes described as kāfir (disbeliever) or nāṣir of injustice. But many Twelver Shīʿī scholars stop short of declaring them unbelievers in dogmatic rulings, especially in more recent times.

Interpretive options used by Shīʿī scholars to contain or understand these claims:

• Distinguishing legal apostasy from moral fault / political opposition / sin. Not all wrong actions equal disbelief in Shīʿī jurisprudence.

• Using metaphorical, allegorical, or conditional readings: some statements may be commentary, or may refer to “in the sight of Allah” or in some future judgment, not legal verdicts in this life.

• Emphasizing selective acceptance: only hadiths or narrations with strong authenticity are used; weaker ones are set aside.

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Conclusion

• The claim “According to Shīʿīsm, all companions of the Prophet are disbelievers except a few” is too strong and misrepresents mainstream Twelver Shīʿī theology.

• Mainstream Shīʿī belief holds that there are three broad categories of companions:

  1. Those who were faithful, loyal, sincere, and among the “best companions”

  2. Those who accepted Islam and were companions, but were not especially strong or consistent

  3. Those who are criticized for hypocrisy, opposition, or betrayal (especially after the Prophet’s death)

• Some companions are honoured, some are criticized; the Shīʿī position is selective, not wholesale condemnation.

• But certain Shīʿī texts, especially older or more polemical ones, contain statements that seem to come very close to saying almost all companions outside of a small group are disbelievers or apostates. These are often debated, with dispute about whether they are to be understood literally or metaphorically, and whether they are weak or strong hadiths.

• Because of the sensitivity of the topic — many Muslims (both Shīʿī and Sunnī) believe respect for the companions is important — views on this are frequently debated, sometimes heatedly, and sometimes simplified in ways that distort nuance.