the children of Adam over the angels. He then referred, for an explanation of the disagreement on this matter, to Surat al-Baqarah (1/289). There he discussed the issue in some detail and cited the evidence of those who hold this view, as well as that of those who maintain that the angels are superior. Among his remarks was:

“In al-Bukhari, it is reported: ‘Allah the Exalted says: Whoever remembers Me in an assembly, I remember him in an assembly better than it.’ This is an explicit text.” (1)

He then said:

“Some scholars have said: There is no way to state decisively that the prophets are superior to the angels, nor to state decisively that the angels are superior to them, for the basis for determining this would be a report from Allah the Exalted, a report from His Messenger, or the consensus of the Ummah; and there is nothing of that here.”

I later found that the eminent Hanafi scholar Ibn Abi al-‘Izz discussed the evidence of both sides at great length, critically examining it and clarifying its strengths and weaknesses, in his Commentary on al-Tahawiyyah Creed (301–311). Al-Hafiz Ibn Hajar followed him in Fath al-Bari (13/384–388). He related from Abu Hanifah, may Allah have mercy on him, that he did not give a definitive answer on the matter, and said:

“This is the truth. What is obligatory upon us is to have faith in the angels and the prophets; we are not required to believe which of the two groups is superior. Had this been obligatory, an explicit text would have clarified it for us. What has prompted me to elaborate here is that some ignorant people show poor manners by saying, ‘The angel was a servant of the prophet, peace and blessings be upon him!’ or, ‘Some angels are servants of the children of Adam!’ By this they mean the angels appointed over human beings, and similar expressions that contravene the Law and violate proper etiquette.”