On the authority of Anas (may Allah be pleased with him): some people once said, “Messenger of Allah! O best of us and son of the best of us, our master and son of our master.” He replied, “People, speak with your ordinary words and let not Satan beguile you. I am Muhammad, the servant of Allah and His messenger. I do not wish you to exalt me above the station in which Allah has placed me.” (1) Reported by al-Nasaʾi with a sound chain.

“best of us”: that is, the most excellent among us.

“let not Satan beguile you”: meaning, let him not embellish your desires or rob you of sound judgment.

Overall meaning of the hadith: The Prophet ﷺ disliked being praised with such expressions, fearing they might open the door to excess and flattery. Since Allah perfected for him the station of servitude, he found it distasteful to be praised in a way that compromised that rank. Out of concern for the community and in protection of pure monotheism, he guided them to restrict themselves to two descriptions—the highest a servant can attain and the very ones Allah used for him in several places: “the servant of Allah and His messenger.” He did not want them to elevate him beyond the position Allah assigned him.

Relevance of the hadith to this chapter: the Prophet ﷺ forbade being praised with descriptions other than those Allah Himself has given him;