1. As you have said, Allah has praised the companions of the Prophet in the Qur'an describing them as keeping a tough attitude toward the disbeliever, treating one another with mutual compassion; you always see them bowing and prostrating themselves before Allah, seeking His grace and pleasure, etc. The Prophet also praised his companions for their dedication and courage in the defense of Islam. He also said that the best generation among his followers is that of his companions followed by their successors and the generation after that. Those three generations will remain better than any subsequent generations of Muslims. The companions of the Prophet were human beings who could make mistakes, errors, in judgment and could commit sins. It is undeniable that they were less liable to do this last thing than other Muslims, but the fact remains that some of them could be tempted to do so. But if you look at the record on every one of them, you will find them firm believers, dedicated to the cause of Islam, ready to defend it, even if its defense meant the loss of their lives. As such, they deserve all praise from us, because they have helped provide an ideal example of what human society will be like when Islam will be implemented.

Criticism of any of the companions of the Prophet is most unbecoming of any believer. To start with, no one can aspire to the position of the companions of the Prophet, because of the great honor which they had of actively supporting the Prophet in his efforts to make the world of Allah triumphant. In every circle or society, criticism of an honorable personality by a lesser person looks particularly odd. When such superiority is dictated by the service given to the cause of Islam, the criticism becomes repugnant.

You know that Khalid ibn Al-Waleed embraced Islam rather late, perhaps in the seventh year of the Prophet's emigration to Madinah. He had a quarrel with one of the companions of the Prophet. The Prophet said to him: "Leave my companions alone. If you were to spend all that the earth contains in gold, you would not make a person reach the standard of anyone of them or even half his standard."

There is a particular incident which led to this statement by the Prophet, peace be upon him. It involved the renowned commander Khalid ibn Al-Waleed, and Abdurrahman ibn Auf — one of the ten companions of the Prophet, peace be upon him, to whom he gave the happiest news of all that they would certainly be admitted into heaven. Apparently Khalid said something unpleasant to Abdurrahman, and the Prophet, peace be upon him, told him to quit that, adding this statement about the rank of his companions. Of course Khalid was one of the Prophet's companions. These are the ones mentioned in the Qur'an as having higher rank. God says: "Not equal are those of you who spent and fought (in God's cause) before the victory (and those who did not do so); they are of a higher degree than those who would spend and fight (only) after it — although God has promised the ultimate good to all. God is aware of all that you do." (57:10)

In relation to the Prophet's companions, the state that separates the two groups is the victory which saw Makkah with its tribe that held the sway in Arabia, and the Quraish’s surrender to Islam. However, verse lays down a principle that applies to the relative merit of believers of all times who strive in God's cause before and/or after success has been achieved. Those who strive hard to help achieve that success are higher in rank than those who join the Islamic community after it has gained mastery. The first group are the ones who put in a real struggle, risking their lives and properly exposing themselves and their families to danger and risks of all kinds. Hence, they are identified more closely with the Islamic call. They are the ones who are ready to sacrifice their all again for their faith, should that be necessary.

Of course Khalid ibn Al-Waleed was among those who accepted Islam before the surrender of Makkah. However, he only did so about a year earlier, while Abdurrahman ibn Auf was among those who accepted Islam in the very early period. He was a young man then, and he showed great determination to support the Islamic cause in all situations. Hence he earned a high rank among the Prophet's companions. Those who are among the pioneers always have an advantage over those who come later.

No special status is accorded to any human being other than Prophet Muhammad, Allah's messenger, peace be upon him, who has conveyed to mankind the last divine message. While members of his household are to be respected and honored if they were true Muslims, they do not have any type of special status. Each one of them is required to observe Islamic duties like every other Muslim. Similarly they are required to refrain from what Allah has forbidden. The Prophet addresses his daughter and his uncle saying: "Fatimah, work for your future life, because I will avail you nothing on the day of judgment. Al-Abbas, you are the uncle of Allah's messenger but work for your future, because I will avail you nothing on the day of judgment." While this Hadith urges members of the Prophet's family to work for their future life, the Prophet has made it clear that no member of his family is exempt from any punishment for a sin he or she may commit.

It so happened at the time of the Prophet that a noble woman of the tribe of Makhzood was guilty of stealing. People tried to intercede with the Prophet in order not to enforce the ordained punishment for stealing on her. The Prophet refused all their entreaties. He said: "By Allah, if Fatimah, the daughter of Muhammad, peace be upon him, would steal I would have her hand chopped off."

Let us begin first by assuming that this hair has actually been taken from the Prophet's beard. What then? It remains a hair which cannot bring any benefit or cause any harm. We have not heard of any companion of the Prophet who has taken anything that has been cut off or fell off the body of the Prophet to preserve it for reverence or to keep it to one's family. When the Prophet offered his pilgrimage, he went to Makkah with his hair long. He shaved his head there in order to release himself from the state of consecration, as pilgrims do. If there were any benefits to be gained from preserving his fallen off hair, his companions would have competed to take his hair or to distribute it among themselves. None of them ever contemplated the idea. Similarly the Prophet clipped his nails regularly, but we have no report that anyone of his wives or companions preserved any of his nail clippings.

We must not forget that the companions of the Prophet had a much keener insight into what is acceptable and what is unacceptable in Islam than any one of us. The Prophet lived among them and they loved him as true Muslims should love the Prophet, demonstrating practically that they were always prepared to sacrifice themselves to defend him against his enemies, so that he might complete his mission and convey Allah's message to mankind. They, however, did not consider the body of the Prophet as an object which should be sanctified. Hence, had this hair been truly taken from the Prophet's beard or head, it should have been buried, as it is recommended to do with any part of a human body which falls off or are cut off or amputated.

Is it not time for people of this day and age who claim to follow Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, and believe in his message to question some of their practices in order to find out whether they are in line with the teachings of the Prophet? These rituals that are done annually in connection with this hair should certainly be questioned. Is it not time that somebody in the community asks: If we do all this with a hair that we claim to have fallen off the beard of the Prophet, why is his body buried? The Prophet's wives, uncles, cousins, and companions would have taken care to preserve his body and keep it for future generations to receive blessings. But they have done nothing of that sort because they knew that such an action would have been un-Islamic.

Moreover, if the body of the Prophet or any part of it should have been an object for preservation and reverence, would Allah have allowed it to be buried? The fact is that Islam does not allow any such practices. Hence, the Prophet was keen to explain to his companions that he should be buried in the same manner as other mortals. Moreover, Prophets are always buried in the same spot where they die. Hence, a grave was dug for the Prophet in the room of his wife, Aisha, may Allah be pleased with her. His body was not kept for any length of time for viewing or blessing or paying homage. His closest companion supervised the preparation of the body for burial, without any delay. Hence, the honorable thing to do with this hair, if it was truly from the Prophet, is to bury it.

It may be argued that there is no harm in people showing their love of the Prophet in this way, even if there is some doubt about the origin of the hair. The question to be asked here is whether this is the right way of showing our love of the Prophet. Throughout the ages Muslim scholars have been unanimous in telling us that the proper way to demonstrate our love of the Prophet is to follow his guidance, implement his Sunnah and advocate his message. You do not need a trace of his body in order to do that. You persevere that you love the Prophet more if you follow his guidance more conscientiously. If you do not implement his teachings, no reverence to this hair, or indeed any part of his body or his person, would be of any use to you on the Day of Judgment, when Allah will question you about your actions and about following the Prophet's guidance.