understand. Had Allah known any good in them, He would have made them hear. Yet even if He had made them hear, they would still have turned away in aversion” [al-Anfāl: 22–23]. These disbelievers among the Jews, Christians, and polytheists are therefore the worst of creation in the sight of Allah—Mighty and Majestic is He. Since they are the worst of creation, we can expect nothing from them but every kind of evil, for evil proceeds from an evil person, and we can never think well of them. We may trust those among them who are truthful, just as the Prophet—may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him—trusted the polytheist Abd Allah ibn Urayqit when he hired him to guide him along the route of the Hijrah (1).
However, most of them—the great majority—cannot be trusted, because they are evil. After Allah mentioned the judgment concerning these disbelievers among the Jews, Christians, and polytheists, He mentioned the judgment concerning the believers, saying:
“Indeed, those who believe and do righteous deeds—it is they who are the best of creation.”
The Noble Quran presents its themes in recurring pairs: a theme is set alongside its counterpart. It mentions the people of the Fire and the people of Paradise, and it contains verses of warning and verses of encouragement, and so forth. This enables a person to journey toward Allah—Mighty and Majestic is He—between fear and hope, and keeps him from growing weary. Varying the styles and subjects undoubtedly gives the soul strength and impetus. By contrast, if the discourse followed a single, unvarying pattern, a person might grow weary and his soul would remain unmoved.
“Indeed, those who believe and do righteous deeds—it is they who are the best of creation.”
Thus, the best of Allah’s creation—Mighty and Majestic is He—are those who believe and perform righteous deeds. They comprise four ranks, which Allah identified in His words:
“Whoever obeys Allah and the Messenger will be with those whom Allah has blessed: the prophets, the steadfast affirmers of truth, the martyrs, and the righteous” [al-Nisā: 69].
These four are the ranks of the believers. The highest is the rank of prophethood, and the highest rank within prophethood is messengership. After prophethood comes the rank of the steadfast affirmers of truth, foremost among whom is Abu Bakr—may Allah be pleased with him.