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For other views of Sahaba and a short description, see sahaba .
While Sunni s accept the testimony of all Sahaba as an authenticated part of the chain of narrators in a hadith , without scrutinizing it, Shias accept only the testimonies of people who they regard as as reliable.
Shias consider each Sahaba on his or her own merit and, on that basis, prefer some to others. The Shia view of the Sahaba is mostly influenced by what the Sahaba did during their lifetime. For example, a Sahaba who engaged in open warfare against the Ahl al-Bayt is not trusted by Shias. In fact, under the Branches of Religion , it is obligatory for a Shia to hate such a person.
Shias consider that any hadith where Muhammad is claimed to have, in one way or another, absolved all Sahaba from sin or elevated their trustworthiness is false. Shias claim that, in most cases, such hadiths have been reported by those who opposed the Ahl al-Bayt .
Shias acknowledge no merit per se for having either seen Muhammad or having been related to him in any way. In other words, it is up to the individual to decide how much he or she is prepared to benefit from Muhammad's companionship. Therefore, Shias have different views on each Sahabi, depending on what he or she accomplished. In the Shia view, some Sahaba lived lives contrary to Islamic teaching. Shias support their arguments using verses from the Qur'an , in particular, in relation to Muhammad's wives:
Shias also support their view by citing the following verses addressing Muhammad's wives:
In other words, Shias view a sahabi who "commits an open indecency" as being twice as blameworthy, because he or she was in the presence of God's best creation, Muhammad, and thus should have been inspired to act justly. Also, a sahabi who "is obedient to God and His Messenger and does good" is considered twice as admirable, because he or she received Muhammad's direct guidance and aided him and his Ahl al-Bayt.
A further verse that is cited by Shias is: