16
Thus, allowing for the possibility (1) that Moses regained consciousness before him, or was not struck unconscious at all (2), does not prevent us (3) from knowing that Muhammad is superior to Moses.
However, when one person is declared superior in a way that disparages and diminishes the one deemed less excellent, doing so is prohibited—just as the Prophet, in this hadith, forbade people to declare him superior to Moses, and just as he replied to someone who said, “O best of creation!”
“That was Abraham.” (4)
It is also authentically established that he said:
“I am the master of the children of Adam—and this is no boast. Adam and all those beneath him will be under my banner on the Day of Resurrection—and this is no boast.” (5)
(1) N, S, and B read: “so it is possible.”
(2) M reads: “and was not struck unconscious,” which is a corruption.
(3) M reads: “does not prevent.”
(4) S and B read: “That is Abraham.” The hadith is narrated from Anas ibn Mālik, may Allah be pleased with him, in Muslim, 4/1839 (Book of Virtues, chapter on Some of the Virtues of Abraham, Allah’s intimate friend—may Allah bless him and grant him peace). Its wording is: “A man came to the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and said, ‘O best of creation!’ The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, replied, ‘That is Abraham, peace be upon him.’” The hadith also appears in Sunan al-Tirmidhī, 5/116 (Book of Exegesis, Sūrah “Lam Yakun”), and al-Musnad (Halabī ed.), 3/178–184. Al-Nawawī stated in his commentary on Muslim, 15/121–122: “The scholars said: He said this only out of humility and respect for Abraham, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, because of his intimate friendship with Allah and his status as a forefather. Otherwise, our Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, is superior, as he said: ‘I am the master of the children of Adam.’ He did not thereby intend to boast or vaunt himself over those who preceded him. Rather, he said it to make known and convey what he had been commanded to make known and convey. Hence, he said, ‘and this is no boast,’ to dispel what might occur to some shallow minds.”
(5) These words occur in a long hadith concerning intercession, narrated from Ibn Abbās, Abū Saīd al-Khudrī, and Anas ibn Mālik, may Allah be pleased with them, in Sunan al-Tirmidhī, 4/370–371 (Book of Quranic Exegesis, Sūrah al-Isrā). Al-Tirmidhī said: “This is a sound hadith.” Others narrated this hadith in full through Abū Nadra from Ibn Abbās. It also appears in Sunan al-Tirmidhī, 5/247 (Book of Virtues, chapter on Reports Concerning the Excellence of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace), hadith no. 3693; Sunan Ibn Mājah, 2/1440 (Book of Asceticism, chapter on the Intercession); al-Musnad (Maārif ed.), hadiths nos. 2546 and 2692; and al-Musnad (Halabī ed.).
فَتَجْوِيزُ
(١)
أَنْ يَكُونَ سَبَقَهُ فِي الْإِفَاقَةِ أَوْ لَمْ يُصْعَقْ
(٢)
بِحَالٍ - لَا يَمْنَعُنَا
(٣)
أَنْ نَعْلَمَ أَنَّ مُحَمَّدًا أَفْضَلُ مِنْ مُوسَى.
وَلَكِنْ إِذَا كَانَ التَّفْضِيلُ عَلَى وَجْهِ الْغَضِّ مِنَ الْمَفْضُولِ فِي النَّقْصِ لَهُ نُهِيَ عَنْ ذَلِكَ، كَمَا نَهَى فِي هَذَا الْحَدِيثِ عَنْ تَفْضِيلِهِ عَلَى مُوسَى،
وَكَمَا قَالَ لِمَنْ قَالَ:
يَا خَيْرَ الْبَرِيَّةِ.
قَالَ:
"
«ذَاكَ إِبْرَاهِيمُ»
"
(٤)
وَصَحَّ قَوْلُهُ:
"
«أَنَا سَيِّدُ وَلَدِ آدَمَ وَلَا فَخْرَ، آدَمُ فَمَنْ دُونَهُ تَحْتَ لِوَائِي يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ وَلَا فَخْرَ»
"
(٥)
.
(١) ن، س، ب: فَيَجُوزُ.
(٢) م: وَلَمْ صُعِقْ، وَهُوَ تَحْرِيفٌ.
(٣) م: لَا يَمْنَعُ.
(٤) س، ب: ذَلِكَ إِبْرَاهِيمُ، وَالْحَدِيثُ عَنْ أَنَسِ بْنِ مَالِكٍ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ فِي مُسْلِمٍ ٤/١٨٣٩ (كِتَابُ الْفَضَائِلِ بَابٌ مِنْ فَضَائِلِ إِبْرَاهِيمَ الْخَلِيلِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ) وَنَصُّهُ: جَاءَ رَجُلٌ إِلَى رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فَقَالَ: يَا خَيْرَ الْبَرِيَّةِ. فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: " ذَاكَ إِبْرَاهِيمُ عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ ". وَالْحَدِيثُ فِي سُنَنِ التِّرْمِذِيِّ ٥/١١٦ (كِتَابُ التَّفْسِيرِ، سُورَةُ لَمْ يَكُنْ) ، الْمُسْنَدِ (ط. الْحَلَبِيِّ) \ ٣ ١٧٨ - ١٨٤ وَقَالَ النَّوَوِيُّ فِي شَرْحِهِ عَلَى مُسْلِمٍ: ١٥/١٢١ - ١٢٢ " قَالَ الْعُلَمَاءُ: إِنَّمَا قَالَ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ هَذَا تَوَاضُعًا وَاحْتِرَامًا لِإِبْرَاهِيمَ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ لِخُلَّتِهِ وَأُبُوَّتِهِ، وَإِلَّا فَنَبِيُّنَا صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ أَفْضَلُ، كَمَا قَالَ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: أَنَا سَيِّدُ وَلَدِ آدَمَ، وَلَمْ يَقْصِدْ بِهِ الِافْتِخَارَ وَلَا التَّطَاوُلَ عَلَى مَنْ تَقَدَّمَهُ، بَلْ قَالَهُ بَيَانًا لِمَا أُمِرَ بِبَيَانِهِ وَتَبْلِيغِهِ، وَلِهَذَا قَالَ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: وَلَا فَخْرَ. لِيَنْفِيَ مَا قَدْ يَتَطَرَّقُ إِلَى بَعْضِ الْأَفْهَامِ السَّخِيفَةِ.
(٥) هَذِهِ الْعِبَارَاتُ جَاءَتْ فِي حَدِيثٍ طَوِيلٍ مِنْ أَحَادِيثِ الشَّفَاعَةِ وَرُوِيَ عَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ وَأَبِي سَعِيدٍ الْخُدْرِيِّ وَأَنَسِ بْنِ مَالِكٍ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُمْ فِي: سُنَنِ التِّرْمِذِيِّ ٤/٣٧٠ - ٣٧١ (كِتَابُ تَفْسِيرِ الْقُرْآنِ، سُورَةُ الْإِسْرَاءِ) ، وَقَالَ التِّرْمِذِيُّ: (هَذَا حَدِيثٌ حَسَنٌ) وَقَدْ رَوَى بَعْضُهُمْ هَذَا الْحَدِيثَ عَنْ أَبِي نَضْرَةَ عَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ، الْحَدِيثَ بِطُولِهِ "، وَهُوَ أَيْضًا فِي: سُنَنِ التِّرْمِذِيِّ ٥/٢٤٧ (كِتَابُ الْمَنَاقِبِ، بَابُ مَا جَاءَ فِي فَضْلِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ " حَدِيثُ رَقْمِ ٣٦٩٣ سُنَنِ ابْنِ مَاجَهْ ٢/١٤٤٠ (كِتَابُ الزُّهْدِ بَابُ ذِكْرِ الشَّفَاعَةِ) ، الْمُسْنَدِ (ط. الْمَعَارِفِ) حَدِيثُ رَقْمِ ٢٥٤٦، ٢٦٩٢ (ط. الْحَلَبِيِّ)