Good point, but the idea is whilst they have reached further along that road of piety, their stories should help point that road out to us and encourage us on the way. Saeed (R.A) may not have been at that level initially, but the stories that we read about are the culmination of many years of hard endeavour and struggle against the self.

Maybe we dont need to eat out as much, or get that expensive latte from the coffee shop

Jazak Allah khayr, your point about sincerity is well taken and is right on. That is exactly the conclusion I was coming too as well. I was thinking of the sahabi who called Bilal (RA) “son of a black woman”, and when the Prophet (pbuh) heard about it and chastised him, the put his head on the ground and said he would not lift it until Bilal stepped on it. So yes, they made mistakes, but had such utter sincerity in confronting their own behavior and repenting for it.

As salamu alaykum,

There are people out there maybe at our side that are following these paths being example for all of us, but I believe many times we are so blind that we cannot see it (their shine blind us). And the ones that do it in a full conscious way don´t expect for any kind of reward for themselves they do it because they know that what they are doing may be reflected in less wars, family armony, less natural dissasters,….. and so on.
Then I believe that the way that we relate to that degree of humility is a choice that we do following God´s Will, because only with Him guiding us, we will be able to follow this High Behaviours.

Beslama

@ Wael

Assalaamu alaikum, Brother.

The way I look at this is that each Sahaabi was a person, with strengths and weaknesses, just like us. Indeed, they were overall, the greatest of people, and Allaah chose them to be the companions of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), but they were still human. When you read more about their lives and compare them together, you will see a wide array of personalities, strengths, and weaknesses.. just like in us. Some of us might be more like Sa’eed, giving up worldly comfort in order to help others to a higher degree than most. Other people may find themselves to have an element of character like ‘Umar, who trained himself to use his passionate nature in a way pleasing to Allaah instead of in other ways… etc. The more you study about the Sahabah, may Allaah be pleased with them, the more you will see that they were not perfect, and they did not always agree with one another (neither are their mistakes going to be advertised, btw) BUT when you read about these great people, you see a couple things that are the same in all of them: 1) apparent sincerity that just shines through their words and actions and 2) trying one’s hardest to be the best that he/she can be. In this, they are wonderful examples. Their various stories have different situations which may remind us of things we are going through. Their unique personalities offer us a lot to relate to at a very personal level and learn from effectively. That’s what’s so awesome about knowing so much about so many great people, in my opinion.

jazaki Allahu khayran Naiyerah. After reading this, AlhamdulilLah I felt I had more khoshoo` in my salah.

I have a question. Actually it’s a question that was recently posed by a sister. She said that the character of the Sahabah sometimes seems so extreme in its piety and selflessness that it becomes unattainable for us and even alienating because we know we can never reach that point. In her words, “it leaves one cold.”

At the time I pointed out to her that the Sahabah set an example for us to aspire to, even if we do not actually reach it. But I’d like to hear what others have to say.

Who is going to live like Saeed? Who is going to stay at home with no light, or have only one set of clothing which is washed once per month? How do we relate to that degree of humility and translate it into something useful for our lives?

JazakAllahu Khairan. I have read this biography before, but it moves me every time I read it.

I think that our sisters can also learn from Sa`id ibn `Amir’s wife, who supported her husband in his worship and taqwa, rather than insisting on a comfortable worldly life.