Shaykh al-Islām was asked:
“Who is superior: the righteous among the children of Adam or the angels?”

He replied that righteous human beings are superior in terms of their ultimate perfection, whereas the angels are superior in terms of their initial state. The angels are now in the highest company, free from what besets the children of Adam and wholly absorbed in worshipping the Lord. There is no doubt that their present state is more perfect than that of human beings. On the Day of Resurrection, however, after entering Paradise, righteous human beings will attain a more perfect state than that of the angels.

Ibn al-Qayyim said:
“This distinction makes clear the underlying basis of superiority, reconciles the evidence of both sides, and brings them into agreement while acknowledging the truth held by each (*).”