How do we reconcile the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): “In the last of time, when trials are abundant, the deed of a man will be like the deed of fifty of the Companions,” with the hadith:

The questioner : Your Eminence, how do we reconcile the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): .

The Shaykh : Fifty, fifty.

The questioner :. And the hadith: ?

The Shaykh : Yes. We must know that excellence is of two types: absolute excellence, in which no one can match any of the Companions; and relative excellence, in which a person may be superior to others even if he is below them in overall virtue. In times of patience, when a person is a stranger, finding no one to help or support him, and perhaps even finding those who mock him, ridicule him, restrict him, and harm him, his reward is multiplied because of this suffering. As for absolute excellence, it belongs to the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them). The analogy is that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) might single out some Companions for something, while other Companions were superior to them. When he said at Khaybar: . He called for 'Ali ibn Abi Talib. It was said to him that he was complaining about his eyes. So he was brought, and the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) spat in his eyes, and he was cured as if he had never had any pain. Then he gave him the banner. It is well known that the love of Allah and His Messenger for Abu Bakr is greater than for 'Ali (may Allah be pleased with him). For the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) was asked: . A student of knowledge should be aware of this: absolute excellence and relative excellence. Absolute excellence belongs to the Companions, and no one equals them in it. Relative excellence depends on the circumstances. Yes.