Some scholars cited this hadith as evidence for the superiority of the angels over some of the humans and jinn. Is this evidence valid?

The Shaykh : Some scholars cited this hadith as evidence that the angels are better than humans and jinn, because he said: Is this evidence valid? The answer is no, because specific superiority does not imply absolute superiority. For example, I have a group of people who are upright and religious, and there are people better than them, higher in rank. Are they better than them or not? There is a third group that is higher than the middle group and higher than the second group, and they are better than them. So I say to the second group that they are better than the group I have, but it does not follow that they are better than the group above them. So if the angels who are with Allah in praise and remembrance are better than the group I have, it does not follow that they are better than all of Adam’s descendants, because the group I have are not the best of people. Is that clear, everyone? Now, this issue has taken up a long discussion among the scholars: which is better, the angels or the sons of Adam? There is disagreement among the scholars, and in my view, the disagreement and discussion on this is not of much importance, because the angels are of a different kind, their acts of worship are of a different kind, and the obligations that Allah commanded them to perform are of a different kind. So there is no need for comparison; there is no need for comparison. And the fact that Allah commands the angels to prostrate to our father Adam does not indicate our superiority over them. And the fact that they are made subservient to us, writing our deeds and guarding our souls, also does not indicate that we are better than them. And the fact that they enter upon us in Paradise from every gate—may Allah make us and you among them—saying, “Peace be upon you for what you patiently endured,” does not indicate that we are better than them. Because a single trait from their traits might negate all of this, and that is that they do not consider themselves too proud to worship Me, nor do they feel weary. They glorify night and day without ceasing. Where are we in comparison to that? Nothing. But those who said that humans are better said that humans were created with desire, so their following of the truth is difficult and a struggle. Struggling with something while it is difficult is better than struggling with it while it is easy, because the angels were inspired to glorify Allah, and it became easy for them, and their obedience has no opposing force and no obstacles. But humans were tested, and there are obstacles to realizing worship or continuing in it, so their struggle in worship corresponds to the continuity of the angels, because worship with hardship is better than worship without hardship, due to the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) to Aisha: And I say, if a person were to follow the path of the Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah and say: “The angels are better in terms of the beginning, and humans are better in terms of the end. As for the deeds for which these and those were obligated, these obeyed and those committed disobedience, that is another matter.” If a person were to follow this path, it would be a good path, because the angels, in terms of the beginning, were created from light, and light is better than clay. And in terms of the end, the good news, happiness, and success are for whom? For humans. Even the angels enter upon humans from every gate, saying, “Peace be upon you for what you patiently endured.” So they are better in terms of the end, because Allah prepared for them His abode of honor and His abode of mercy. As for the deeds for which they were obligated, each has what is suitable for them, and Allah the Mighty and Majestic is Wise. And we have no business entering into this. I mentioned that the more arduous the worship, the better it is. Does that mean a person should intentionally seek hardship in worship? No, rather, if he intentionally seeks hardship, he might commit a sin, because Allah loves for His dispensations to be taken, and He wants ease for us. When the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) saw a man standing in the sun and asked about him, they said, “He vowed to stand in the sun.” So he ordered him to stop standing and said a word meaning, “Allah is free from this man torturing himself.” So if someone were to say, “I want to make wudu difficult for myself in the summer by heating the water so I perform wudu with hot water, and in the winter I cool the water so I perform wudu with cold water,” what do we say to him? We say, “You have erred. This is contrary to the guidance of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and contrary to what Allah wants, which is ease.” Now, if he says, “Does heating the water in winter and cooling it in summer for wudu prevent the virtue of wudu?” No, rather, this is part of a person’s good care for himself. And a person’s care for himself without neglecting acts of obedience is undoubtedly required.