and righteousness among the Sufis and the poor. This view is attributed to al-Junayd and others. The second view is favoured by a group among them, including Abū al-ʿAbbās ibn ʿAtāʾ and others. Some people have even claimed consensus on this matter, but that is mistaken.

There is a third view on this question, which is the correct one: neither is unconditionally better than the other; rather, the better of the two is the more pious. As Allah Most High says:

“Indeed, the most noble of you in the sight of Allah is the most righteous of you.”

ʿUmar ibn al-Khattāb said: “Wealth and poverty are two mounts; I do not mind which of them I ride.”

Allah Most High also says:

“Whether one is rich or poor, Allah can best protect both.”

This view was chosen by a group of scholars, including Shaykh Ibn Hafs al-Suhrawardī. One condition may be better for certain people and in certain circumstances, while the other may be better for other people and in other circumstances. If the two are equal in what earns them honour, they are equal in rank; if one surpasses the other in that respect, he takes precedence. This is the general rule.

Poverty and wealth are two conditions that befall a servant, sometimes by his own choice and sometimes without it, like staying in one place and travelling, health and illness, holding authority and obeying authority, or leading and following in prayer. Neither condition in any of these pairs may be declared unconditionally superior to the other. Rather, one may be better in one situation and the other in another, while in some situations they may be equal. This is illustrated by the hadith traced back to the Prophet in al-Baghawī’s Explanation of the Sunnah, narrated by Anas from the Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—who relates from his Lord Most High:

“And indeed, among My servants is one who