to the rest of the Arabs, that the Banū Hāshim are the noblest branch of Quraysh, and that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ is the best of Banū Hāshim.
The superiority of the Arabs, followed by Quraysh, then Banū Hāshim, is not due solely to the Prophet ﷺ being one of them; rather, they are intrinsically superior.
Al-Karmānī said: This is the creed of the leading scholars, the ḥadith specialists, and the well-known adherents of the Sunnah. Whoever opposes or disparages this creed is an innovator who has left the community and strayed from the path of the Sunnah and the way of truth upheld by Aḥmad, Isḥāq, al-Humaydī, Saʿīd ibn Manṣūr and others. Therefore, one must acknowledge the rank, merit and precedence of the Arabs. It is enough for them that the ḥadith says, “Love of the Arabs is faith, and hatred of them is hypocrisy.” Though this ḥadith is weak, it is cited in the chapter of virtues.
The reason for this merit—Allah knows best—is the distinctive qualities granted to them in intellect, tongue, character and action. Superiority is achieved either through beneficial knowledge or through righteous deeds, and the Arabs surpass others in understanding, memory, eloquence and clarity of expression; their language is the most complete in articulating and distinguishing meanings.
As for deeds, they were created upon noble traits, innate dispositions within the soul, and their natures are more disposed to good than those of others. They are closer to generosity, forbearance, courage, loyalty and other praiseworthy qualities. Before Islam, however, they were receptive to goodness yet prevented from acting upon it: they had no revelation from heaven, no law inherited from a prophet, nor were they engaged in the purely rational sciences. When Allah sent Muḥammad ﷺ with guidance and they received it from him, the rust was removed from their hearts and they were illuminated by the guidance of the Book He revealed to His servant and Messenger. They embraced this magnificent guidance with that renewed innate disposition, so the perfection implanted within them combined with the perfection Allah sent down to them. Thus the foremost pioneers among the Emigrants and the Helpers became the best of Allah’s creation after the prophets, and the best people after them are those who follow in their footsteps.