How can we trust in the justice of all the Companions, especially when there are Qur’anic verses that point to instances of missteps and weakness of faith for some of them, such as the incident of the Ifk (slander), reluctance to participate in jihad, and fleeing from battles, while some of the verses cited do not indicate the rectification of all the Companions?

The consensus among those whose consensus is authoritative is that the Companions were righteous. Allah Himself declared them righteous in the Qur’an, and His Messenger, peace and blessings be upon him, did so in the Sunnah. Slandering them is an aspersion on prophethood, the divine message, and the Qur’an itself. Scholars have considered such an act a sign of heresy (zandaqa). The verses of the Ifk (slander), the reluctance to go forth for jihad, desiring worldly gain at Uhud, the earthquake in Al-Ahzab, and the dispute during battle were trials that were either forgiven or are interpreted in a way that does not undermine their righteousness. As for the verses about hypocrisy, they do not concern the original Companions.