How to reconcile Allah’s saying: “Indeed, the most noble of you in the sight of Allah is the most righteous of you,” with what has been reported regarding the virtue of the Arabs over the non-Arabs and the virtue of Quraysh over the rest of the Arabs?
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The questioner : In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
Your Eminence, how do you reconcile the saying of Allah (Mighty and Majestic):[Al-Hujurat 49:13] with what is established that the Arab race is superior to the non-Arab race, and likewise the superiority of Quraysh over the rest of the Arabs? How do we reconcile this? And may Allah reward you with good.
The Shaykh : There is no difference. I say: there is no contradiction. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:Mishkat al-Masabih 201 and he (peace and blessings be upon him) informed that Based on this, the most noble of the people from Quraysh is the one among them most righteous to Allah, and the most noble of the people from Tamim is the one among them most righteous to Allah, and so on. As for the race, the race is a different matter. The Arab race is undoubtedly superior to the non-Arab race, as the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Sahih Ibn Hibban 62:197 Here, “the best” refers to the people among these groups. But in the sight of Allah, the most noble of them is the one most righteous to Allah, even if he is from the preferred race.
The questioner : I mean, in this world, Quraysh has superiority over the other Arabs, but in the sight of Allah...
The Shaykh : In the sight of Allah, the most noble of them in His sight is the one most righteous to them. But in this world, their best in Islam are their best in the pre-Islamic age of ignorance. Yes.
The questioner : Your Eminence, the Shaykh.
Your Eminence, how do you reconcile the saying of Allah (Mighty and Majestic):
Indeed, the most noble of you in the sight of Allah is the most righteous of you
إِنَّ أَكْرَمَكُمْ عِنْدَ اللَّهِ أَتْقَاكُمْThe Shaykh : There is no difference. I say: there is no contradiction. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
Men are of different origins just as gold and silver are
الناس معادن كمعادن الذهب والفضةThe best of people in Islam are the best of them in the pre-Islamic age of ignorance.
خيار الناس في الإسلام خيارهم في الجاهليةIndeed, Allah chose Kinanah from the descendants of Isma'il, and He chose Quraysh from Kinanah, and He chose the Banu Hashim from Quraysh, and He chose me from the Banu Hashim.
إن الله اصطفى من بني إسماعيل كنانة واصطفى من كنانة قريشا واصطفى من قريش بني هاشم واصطفاني من بني هاشمThe questioner : I mean, in this world, Quraysh has superiority over the other Arabs, but in the sight of Allah...
The Shaykh : In the sight of Allah, the most noble of them in His sight is the one most righteous to them. But in this world, their best in Islam are their best in the pre-Islamic age of ignorance. Yes.
The questioner : Your Eminence, the Shaykh.