something supporting either of the two opinions, then what comes from Allah is not contradictory. Otherwise, no one’s opinion can serve as an authority against Allah and His Messenger. There is no authentic, explicit text from the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, concerning these matters. Rather, he said:

“Allah has removed from you the stain of pre-Islamic ignorance and its boasting of ancestry. People are of two kinds: a pious believer or a wretched evildoer.”

In Sahīh Muslim, it is reported that he, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said:

“There are four practices of pre-Islamic ignorance that my community will not abandon: boasting of ancestral standing, disparaging lineages, wailing over the dead, and seeking rain through the stars.”

It is also authentically established that he, may Allah bless him and his family and grant him peace, said:

“Allah chose Kinānah from the descendants of Ishmael, chose Quraysh from Kinānah, chose Banū Hāshim from Quraysh, and chose me from Banū Hāshim. Thus, I am the best of you in person and the best of you in lineage.”

The majority of scholars hold that the Arabs, as a people, are better than others, just as Quraysh, as a people, are better than others, and Banū Hāshim, as a people, are better than others.

It is authentically reported in the Sahīh that he, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said:

“People are like mines of gold and silver. The best of them in pre-Islamic times are the best of them in Islam, provided they acquire understanding of the religion.”

However, the superiority of one group over another as a whole does not entail that every individual in the former is better than every individual in the latter, for among non-Arabs there are many people who are better than most Arabs.