and the Helpers, and declared that He was pleased with them, just as He praised the believers generally. Thus, a man’s being a believer is a quality by virtue of which he merits (1) praise and reward [from Allah. Likewise, his being one who believed in the Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—and accompanied him is a quality by virtue of which he merits praise and reward] (2).

They nevertheless differ in the degree of their companionship. The one among them who most faithfully fulfilled what Allah and His Messenger commanded concerning companionship is superior to those below him, just as the earliest forerunners are superior to those below them. They are those who spent and fought before the Conquest. Among them were the participants (3) in the Pledge of Ridwān. They numbered more than fourteen hundred, and not one of them will enter the Fire, as is established in an authentic hadith from the Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—(4).

As for kinship itself, He made neither reward nor punishment contingent upon it, nor did He praise [anyone] (5) merely on that basis. This does not contradict what we have stated—that some ethnic groups and tribes are superior to others—for this superiority has the meaning expressed by the Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace:

“People are like mines of gold and silver. The best of them in the Age of Ignorance are the best of them in Islam, provided they gain understanding.”

If a tract of land contains a gold mine and a silver mine, the gold mine is better because it is more likely to contain the better of the two. But if it proves unproductive and yields no gold, then the mine that yields silver is better.

Thus, the Arabs among ethnic groups, Quraysh among the Arabs, and then the line of Hāshim within Quraysh are more likely to possess a greater measure (6) of goodness than is found among others. For this reason, among Banū Hāshim was the Prophet