than it,” with “better” in the accusative and the pronoun referring to the remembrance. This is perfectly clear to anyone who understands Arabic. We seek refuge in Allah from pedantic excess.

The second answer takes the hadith to mean an assembly better than a gathering in which no prophet is present. The hadith, however, is deliberately general and all-inclusive. How could it be otherwise, when the prophets and the righteous friends of Allah are people of remembrance, and their gatherings are gatherings of mercy? How, then, could they be excluded?

There are, however, several plausible explanations here:

First: “the highest assembly,” among whom Allah mentions those who remember Him, consists of the choicest and finest angels. Moreover, it is Allah who mentions the servant among them. It may be said that the comparison should be drawn with the finest descendants of Adam gathered in the assembly of His Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace. Although he is the finest of humankind, those around him are not the finest of all the other virtuous human beings, for the messengers and prophets are superior to them.

Second: even if an earthly gathering includes a group of prophets among whom the servant remembers his Lord, Allah Most High mentions the servant among groups of angels more numerous than those present. Their being better would thus be due to their overwhelming numbers, against which nothing can compare; for the more numerous a group is, the better it is than a smaller one.

Third: perhaps the highest assembly includes a group of prophets among whom Allah mentions the servant, for their souls are there.