How can a Muslim attain the level of faith and tenderness of heart of the Companions?

A Muslim cannot reach the level of faith of the Companions because they saw the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, and his miracles, witnessed the revelation of the Quran, and attended his faith-building gatherings, in which the greatest of educators nurtured them. The Ahl al-Sunnah wal-Jama’ah (mainstream Sunni Muslims) have unanimously agreed that the best generations of this Ummah are the first century, then those who followed them, then those who followed them, and that they are superior to those who came after them in every virtue. A believer should be keen to follow the Companions with excellence and to act as they did, for in that lies salvation from division.