Surah al-Mujādalah (The Pleading Woman)

Shaykh al-Islām—may Allah have mercy on him—said:

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Concerning the words of the Most High:

“Allah will raise those of you who believe and those who have been given knowledge in rank.”

He, glorified be He, singled out those endowed with knowledge and faith for elevation in standing and rank. They are those whose testimony He invoked in His words:

“Allah bears witness that there is no deity worthy of worship except Him, as do the angels and those endowed with knowledge; He upholds justice.”

He also declared that they are the ones who recognize what was revealed to the Messenger as the truth, saying:

“Those who have been given knowledge see that what has been revealed to you from your Lord is the truth.”

This shows that learning the proof and upholding it raises the ranks of those who uphold it, as the Most High said:

“We raise in rank whom We will.”

Zayd ibn Aslam said: “Through knowledge.”

Elevation in rank and standing is thus proportionate to the hearts’ engagement with knowledge and faith. Many a person completes the Quran once or twice a day, another stays awake all night, and another fasts every day, yet others perform fewer acts of worship