Our Prophet’s superiority over the angels became apparent on the night of the Ascension, when he reached a level where the scratching of the pens could be heard and rose above the stations of the angels. Through righteous human beings—the prophets and Allah’s devoted servants—Allah Most High has manifested aspects of His immense power and wondrous wisdom the like of which He has not manifested through the angels, for He brought together in them what is dispersed among created beings.

He created the human body from the earth and the human spirit from the highest assembly. Hence it is said: “The human being is the microcosm, a counterpart of the macrocosm.” Muhammad is the master of the children of Adam, the best of creation and the most honoured by Allah. This is why some have said that Allah created the world for his sake, or that, were it not for him, He would not have created any Throne or Footstool, heaven or earth, sun or moon.

But this is not a hadith from the Prophet (may Allah Most High bless him and grant him peace), whether authentic or weak. No scholar of hadith has transmitted it from the Prophet (may Allah Most High bless him and grant him peace), nor is it even known to have come from the Companions. Rather, it is a statement whose author is unknown. It can, however, be interpreted in a sound sense, along the lines of His words:

“He has subjected to you whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth.”

And His words:

“And He has subjected ships to you, sailing through the sea by His command, and has subjected rivers to you. He has subjected the sun and the moon to you, both pursuing their courses, and has subjected the night and the day to you. He has given you of all that you have asked Him. If you were to count Allah’s blessings, you could never enumerate them.”

There are other such verses in which He explains that He created these things for the children of Adam. It is well known that Allah has other great and wise purposes in creating them,