The answer is that what is mentioned first is often not the best. Rather, something may be mentioned first for various reasons, as in the words of Allah Most High:

“And when We took from the prophets their covenant, and from you, and from Noah and Abraham.”

This does not indicate that Noah is superior to Abraham, while the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, is superior. Likewise, His words:

“Indeed, the Muslim men and Muslim women, the believing men and believing women”

do not indicate that a Muslim is superior to a believer. Perhaps—and Allah knows best—He mentioned the angels first because they preceded humankind in creation and in being sent as messengers, for they were sent to both jinn and humankind. Thus, He mentioned them in their successive order of creation and mission, according to the order in which they came into existence.

Allah Most High also says:

“He grants daughters to whom He wills, and grants sons to whom He wills.”

Yet males are superior to females. He also says:

“By the fig and the olive,”

and:

“By the sun and its brightness,”

and the verses that follow; and:

“In both are fruit, date palms, and pomegranates,”

among other examples. In none of these passages does being mentioned first indicate the superiority of what is mentioned first. It is therefore clear that precedence in mention does not necessarily imply superiority.

(The fifth argument: His words, Most High:

“When they saw him, they were astounded by him and cut their hands, and said, ‘Allah forbid! This is no human being; this is none other than a noble angel.’”

This indicates that an angel is superior to a human being. They only intended to identify a condition greater than that of human beings.

Two answers have been given to this argument. The first is that they did not believe that angels were more beautiful than all the prophets, even though they had not seen them, on the word of an informant