What is the ruling on one who excommunicates the Companions except for nine of them, and claims that the verses about the hypocrites were revealed concerning the Companions?

Whoever declares the majority of the Companions to be disbelievers, disbelieves due to his denial of revelation and his rejection of what is necessarily known from the religion.

Taqi al-Din al-Subki stated that whoever declares the prominent Companions to be disbelievers, is a disbeliever because he denies the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, in his definitive affirmation of their entry into Paradise.

Ibn Taymiyyah said that whoever claims that the Companions apostatized, except for a small number, is a disbeliever because he denies the Qur'an, which explicitly states Allah's satisfaction with them and praises them. The implication of his statement is that the transmitters of the Book and the Sunnah are disbelievers or wicked, and that the best of the Ummah are its worst. The disbelief of such a person is necessarily known from the religion of Islam.

Scholars have mentioned that whoever declares the Companions to be disbelievers is to be executed. Malik said: "Whoever insults any of the Companions of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him — Abu Bakr, or Umar, or Uthman, or Mu'awiyah, or Amr ibn al-As — and says they were misguided and disbelievers, is to be executed."