Hāshim, by virtue of the command that blessings be invoked upon him in conjunction with the Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—is superior to someone upon whom no such blessings are invoked. Do you not see that Allah Most High said to His Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—:

“Take charity from their wealth, thereby purifying and cleansing them, and invoke blessings upon them. Indeed, your prayer is a source of reassurance for them.”

[Surah al-Tawbah: 103]

In the two Sahih collections, Ibn Abī Awfā related:

“Whenever people brought the Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—their charity, he would invoke blessings upon them. My father brought him his charity, whereupon he said, ‘O Allah, bless the family of Abū Awfā.’” (1)

This establishes a particular merit for those who brought the Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—their charity and upon whom he invoked blessings. However, it does not follow that everyone who, because of poverty, did not bring him charity (2) is inferior to someone who brought him charity (3) and upon whom he invoked blessings. Indeed, among the poor Emigrants who had no charity to bring him, there may have been some who were superior to many of those who brought him charity and upon whom he invoked blessings. Some who receive charity may be superior to some who give it, while among those who give it there may be some superior to some who receive it—even though the upper hand is better than the lower hand.

Possessing one particular kind of merit does not necessarily make a person superior in an absolute sense. For this reason, among the wealthy were some who were superior to the majority of the poor, and among the poor were some who were superior to