From
Mu’tamar bin Sulayman رحمه
الله who said:
‘I visited my
father while I was heartbroken and he said: ‘What is wrong?’
I said: ‘My
friend has died.’
He asked: ‘Did
he die upon the Sunnah?’
I answered: ‘Yes.’
He said: ‘Then
do not worry about him.’
[Al-Laalkaa'iee
1/67/61]
Imam
Malik ibn Anas رحمه
الله (d. 179 A.H.) said:
‘If a person
meets Allaah with the equivalent of the earth in sins, but meets[1] Allaah
while upon the Sunnah, then he will be in Paradise with the Prophets, the
truthful, the martyrs, the righteous and how excellent are these companions.’
[Dhum al-Kalam wa
Ahlihi 5/76-77]
Imam
Ahmad رحمه
الله (d. 241 A.H.) said:
‘Whoever died upon
Islaam and the Sunnah then he has died upon all goodness.’
[Seer Alaam
an-Nubala (11/296)]
Yahya
bin Jafar رحمه
الله said:
‘If I had the
capability to increase the age of Muhammad bin Ismaeel -i.e. al-Bukhari- taken
from my age I would have done so, since indeed my death is the death of one
man, but his death was the going away of knowledge.’
[Tareekh al-Baghdad
2/24]
Hasan
Basri رحمه
الله who said:
‘O Ahl-ul-
Sunnah be gentle may, Allaah have mercy on you since indeed you are from the
fewest in number.’
[Al-Laalkaa'iee
1/57/19]