by faith and righteous deeds—that is, by piety. As Allah Most High says:
“Indeed, the noblest of you in the sight of Allah is the most pious of you.”
And [it is established] in the Sahīh “that the Prophet (1)—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—was asked, ‘Who is the noblest of people?’ He replied, ‘Those with the most piety.’ They said, ‘That is not what we are asking you about.’ He said, ‘Then it is Joseph, the prophet of Allah, son of Jacob, the prophet of Allah, son of Isaac, the prophet of Allah, son of Abraham, Allah’s intimate friend.’ They said, ‘That is not what we are asking you about.’ He said, ‘Are you asking me, then, about Arab lineages? The best of them in the Age of Ignorance are the best of them in Islam, provided they gain understanding.’” (2)
And [it is established from him] in the Sahīh (3) that he said, “Whoever is held back by his deeds will not be advanced by his lineage.” Muslim narrated this (4).
For this reason, in the Quran Allah praised [the earliest forerunners among] the Emigrants (5)
(1) MSS N and M read: “And in the *Sahīh*, from the Prophet…”
(2) Part of this hadith appeared earlier in this volume. It is narrated in this wording from Abū Hurayra—may Allah be pleased with him—in al-Bukhārī, 4:140 (Book of the Prophets, chapter on the saying of Allah Most High, “And Allah took Abraham as an intimate friend”), and 4:149 (Book of the Prophets, chapter on the saying of Allah Most High, “There were certainly signs in Joseph and his brothers for those who inquire”).
(3) MSS N and M read: “And in the *Sahīh*.”
(4) The hadith is narrated from Abū Hurayra—may Allah be pleased with him—in Muslim, 4:2074 (Book of Remembrance and Supplication, chapter on the merit of gathering to recite the Quran and remember Allah). It begins: “Whoever relieves a believer of one of the hardships of this world…” and concludes: “Whoever is held back by his deeds will not be advanced by his lineage.” The complete hadith also appears in *Sunan al-Tirmidhī*, 4:265 (Book of the Quran, chapter 3), and *Sunan Ibn Mājah*, 1:82 (Introduction, chapter on the merit of scholars and encouragement to seek knowledge). An abridged version containing the statement cited by Ibn Taymiyya appears in *Sunan Abī Dāwūd*, 3:433 (Book of Knowledge, chapter on encouragement to seek knowledge); *Sunan al-Dārimī*, 1:99 (Introduction, chapter on the merit of knowledge and the scholar); and *al-Musnad* (al-Maʿārif ed.), 13:161 and 18:49–50.
(5) MSS N, M, and R read: “the Emigrants.”