Sahabah

The sahabah (الصحابة‎; lit. "companions"; sing. sahabi) were the companions of Prophet Muhammad. According to tradition, an individual must have: seen Muhammad, believed in his prophethood, and died as a believer in order to be considered a sahabi or companion of the Muhammad (and thereby attain the concomitant theological status).^[1][2] These would exclude, for example, Ubayd-Allah b. Jahsh (brother of Zainab b. Jash, the cousin and wife of Muhammad),^[3] who was considered one of the sahabah but later converted to Christianity.^[4] Those that saw Muhammad but held off believing in him until after his death are not considered Sahabah but rather tabi'un (sucessors).^[2] In hadith attributed to Muhammad, he says that the sahabah are among the best generation of Muslims on Earth, along with the tabi‘un and the tabu' al-tabi'een (successors of the successors). These three generations (sahaba, tabi'un, and tabu' al-tabi'een are said to comprise the salaf al-salah, or "pious predecessors".

Upon hearing or saying the name of a companion of Muhammad, Muslims are obliged to say radi Allahu anhu (lit. "Allah is pleased with him") - a practice inspired by a verse in the Qur'an.^[5]