Are all the 313 companions of Imam e Asr (A.S.) of the same grade and order?

Are the companions of Imam e Asr (A.s.) equal to each other in their grade and authority and possess the same qualities as per their grade? Or is there a difference between their grades on the basis of their spirituality?

Answer: The characteristics and qualities of the companions of Imam Zaman A.S. has been mentioned in various traditions, and in several traditions, there is also an evidence of the difference in their grades which can be proved by stating a few traditions that are related to the arrival of the 313 companions to the city of Makkah.

As per traditions, forty five companions will reach the city of Makkah slightly before the Arrival of Imam Zaman (A.S.) and his life saving call for the world from near the Kabah.

Some will make themselves available in Makkah the night before his Arrival, leaving their houses and beds without anyone’s notice and reaching Makkah by travelling the distance within a negligible period of time (Tayy ul Ardh). And a few others will reach the city of Makkah on the day of Arrival with the help of clouds even before the call is made.

It has been clarified in the traditions that the ones who will make themselves available to Imam Zaman (A.S.) from different parts of the world with the help of clouds are better and of a higher grade than those who will travel the distance in a negligible span of time (Tayy ul Ardh).

Therefore, it cannot be stated that all the companions of Imam e Zaman (A.S.) will be of the same grade and authority.

There are many other traditions in reference to this context that prove this point completely.