صحابہ کرام رضی اللہ عنہم کے آثار و فتاویٰ کی جمع و تدوین کا تجزیاتی مطالعہ

Abstract

The Qur'an and the Hadiths of the Prophet (ﷺ) are the basis of the teachings of Islam, but it is also a fact that the most important and authentic source of understanding of the Qur'an and Sunnah is the fatwas of the Companions (رضی اللہ عنہم). Especially in jurisprudential matters, the sayings, deeds and ijtihad of the Companions are of extraordinary importance, as they were directly trained by the Prophet (ﷺ).

The works of the Companions (رضی اللہ عنہم) are of two main types:

• The first type is the evidence which is inconsequential, which is undoubtedly a hadith and if it is proven with a valid chain of narration, then accepting them and acting upon them is tantamount to following the Qur'an and Sunnah.
• The second type is those which are derivative, and while there is a possibility that the Companions may have heard the Holy Prophet (ﷺ) from the blessed language of the Prophet (ﷺ), the possibility that they derived these issues from the Qur'an and Hadith on the basis of their own knowledge and ijtihad, cannot be ruled out.

If this second type of fatwas reaches us in an authoritative manner, then their status is undoubtedly superior to that of later jurisprudential Ijtihads, and it is better to follow them than to act on conjecture.

The scholarly and jurisprudential status of the Companions (رضی اللہ عنہم) has always been confirmed. For this reason, the scholars of hadith have arranged to compile the hadiths as well as the works of the Companions in their books. There is a vast collection of the works of the Companions in the authentic books of Sunan, Masnad and Musannafat. However, there is a curiosity about the research and interpretation of these works and fatwas.

Moreover, since the time of the ancients, there has been no systematic writing on the subject of the sayings and practices of the Companions (رضی اللہ عنہم) in the same way as the writings on the subjects of Tafsir, Hadith and Fiqh. Therefore, the following article provides a brief overview of the efforts of the Muslim Ummah in compiling the works of the Companions (رضی اللہ عنہم) keeping in view the importance and usefulness of the works of the Companions (رضی اللہ عنہم).

In the early, middle and last periods, the scholars have paid some attention to the fatwas of the Companions of the Prophet (ﷺ) and the scholars have been compiling the works of the Companions in the context of hadiths under various topics. In the recent and contemporary past, however, some work has been done on the works of the Companions to some extent, and the  some scholars have done some research on the works of the Companions under different topics. Also, the research on the authenticity of the work of the Companions and their authoritative status and jurisprudential debates is a subject that is now being addressed to some extent.