Please give me information on the kind of persons Abu Bakr, ‘Uthmaan and other Companions, may Allaah be pleased with them, of the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, were like, with references from the Quran. When I tried to describe them to some people based upon Hadeeth (narrations) they refused it.

All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger.

There is no mention of Abu Bakr and ‘Uthmaan in the Quran by their names. But there are some verses of the Quran that talk about them.

The verses that prove the merits of Abu Bakr are as follows:

Allaah Says (what mean):

·        {If you do not aid him [i.e. the Prophet () — Allaah has already aided him when those who disbelieved had driven him out [of Makkah] as one of two, when they were in the cave and he [i.e. Muhammad ()] said to his companion, ‘Do not grieve; indeed Allaah is with us.’}[Quran 9:40]

·        {And let not those of virtue among you and wealth swear not to give [aid] to their relatives and the needy and the emigrants for the cause of Allaah, and let them pardon and overlook. Would you not like that Allaah should forgive you? And Allaah is Forgiving and Merciful.} [Quran 24:22]

·        {But the righteous one will avoid it —[He] who gives [from] his wealth to purify himself And not [giving] for anyone who has [done him] a favor to be rewarded. But only seeking the countenance of his Lord, Most High. And he is going to be satisfied.} [Quran 92:17-21]

As for the verses that mention the merits of ‘Uthmaan they are as follows: Allaah Says (what means):

·        {Those who spend their wealth in the way of Allaah and then do not follow up what they have spent with remainders [of it] or [other] injury will have their reward with their Lord, and there will be no fear concerning them, nor will they grieve.}[Quran 2:262] Al-Qurtubi said: "That this verse was revealed about ‘Uthmaan ."

·        {“O reassured soul. Return to your Lord, well-pleased and pleasing [to Him]} [Quran 89:27-28]

Al-Qurtubi reported from Ath-Thahhaak that it was revealed about 'Uthmaan when the latter gave the Ruma well as endowment for the Muslims.

·        {But those who have avoided taghut, lest they worship it, and turned back to Allaah — for them are good tidings. So give good tidings to My Servants].}[Quran 39:17]

Imaam Al-Qurtubi said that it was reported that this verse was revealed about ‘Uthmaan, Ibn 'Awf, Sa'eed, Sa'd, Talhah, and Az-Zubayr .

As for the merits of other Companions in general, there are many verses that prove their high merits. Among those verses are the following; Allaah Says (what means):

·       {And the first forerunners [in the faith] among the Muhajireen and the Ansar and those who followed them with good conduct — Allaah is pleased with them and they are pleased with Him, ...}[Quran 9:100]

·       {Certainly was Allaah pleased with the believers when they pledged allegiance to you, [O Muhammad ], under the tree, …} [Quran 48:18]

·        {Allaah has already forgiven the Prophet and the Muhajireen and the Ansar who followed him in the hour of difficulty…} [Quran 9:117]

Finally, it should be noted that you should warn those people whom you mentioned in the question that believing in the Sunnah (Prophetic tradition) is similar to believing in the Quran, and therefore, no Islam is valid without believing in the Sunnah. No doubt, some Ahaadeeth are weak but a Muslim who is not knowledgeable should ask the scholars so that they would clarify to him which Ahadeeth are authentic and which ones are weak.

Allaah Knows best.