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Chapter 2

The issue of Tafdil (superiority) in Islamic Belief

Introduction

 

The issue of tafdil has serious implications in beliefs. Sometimes it is related to the issue of faith and disbelief, such as the difference between prophets and non-prophets. The superiority of prophets over others is necessary, proven by mutawatir and definitive texts from the verses of the Qur’an, the Sunnah of the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, and the consensus of the Ummah. Thus, a person who denies it will be regarded as a disbeliever. Ahmed Rida Khan said:

 

تفضيل غير النبي سواء كان ذلك الغير الإمام الحسن والحسين رضي الله تعالى عنهما أو غيرهما على النبي كفر

Declaring superiority for someone other than a Prophet^[1]—whether that person is al Imam al Hasan, al Hussain, radiya Llahu ‘anhuma or someone else—over a Prophet is kufr (disbelief).^[2]

 

Sometimes the issue of tafdil is related to the issue of Sunnah and innovation, such as declaring the superiority of someone other than Sheikhayn over Sheikhayn after the prophets, as will be explained in detail in this book.

Various forms of tafdil between individuals and groups of men have been proven in the Holy Qur’an. Amongst that is the superiority of the Ummah of the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam over all previous nations. The great Indian Muhaddith, Sheikh Muhammad Anwar Shah al Kashmiri, in his commentary of the hadith of al Bukhari:

 

لقد كان فيما كان قبلكم من الأمم محدثون فإن يك في أمتي أحد فإنه عمر

In the nations before you, there were people who were inspired. If there is one in my nation, it is ‘Umar.

 

He states:

 

فيه دليل على كثرة المحدثين في الأمم السالفة وقلتهم في هذه الأمة فن زعم أن لا خير في الأمم السالفة قط حاد عن الصواب بل فيهم أيضا خير نعم في هذه الأمة خير كثير ولذا لقبت بخير الأمم وقد مر أنه كان فيهم من امتشطت امتشاط الحديد دون لحمهم وعظمهم وما ضعفوا وما استكانوا

This is evidence for the large number of inspired people in the previous nations and their scarcity in this nation. Anyone who claims that there is no good at all in the previous nations has deviated from the truth. In fact, there was good in them too. Yes, there is abundance of good in this Ummah, and that is why it was called ‘the best of nations’. It has been mentioned previously that among them were those who were combed with iron combs through their flesh and bones and they did not weaken nor did they give in.^[3]

 

Among them is the superiority of the Muhajirin over the Ansar among the Companions radiya Llahu ‘anhum, and the superiority of the wives of the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam—Ummahat al Mu’minin (the Mothers of the believers)—over the rest of the believing women:

 

وَمَن يَقۡنُتۡ مِنكُنَّ لِلَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِۦ وَتَعۡمَلۡ صَٰلِحٗا نُّؤۡتِهَآ أَجۡرَهَا مَرَّتَيۡنِ وَأَعۡتَدۡنَا لَهَا رِزۡقٗا كَرِيمٗا يَٰنِسَآءَ ٱلنَّبِيِّ لَسۡتُنَّ كَأَحَدٖ مِّنَ ٱلنِّسَآءِ إِنِ ٱتَّقَيۡتُنَّۚ فَلَا تَخۡضَعۡنَ بِٱلۡقَوۡلِ فَيَطۡمَعَ ٱلَّذِي فِي قَلۡبِهِۦ مَرَضٞ وَقُلۡنَ قَوۡلٗا مَّعۡرُوفٗا

And whoever of you devoutly obeys Allah and His Messenger and does good, We will grant her double the reward and We have prepared for her an honourable provision. O wives of the Prophet! You are not like any other women: if you are mindful (of Allah), then do not be overly effeminate in speech (with men) or those with sickness in their hearts may be tempted, but speak in a moderate tone.^[4]

 

Therefore, how can a person say, in the presence of these clear texts, that this issue is futile and that a person is free to choose what he wants to say about it and is not obligated to believe in any specific thing?

Thereafter, the basis of tafdil and virtue is taqwa and closeness to Allah subhanahu wa ta ‘ala, not lineage, money, or anything else. Allah subhanahu wa ta ‘ala says:

 

ﭵ ﭶ ﭷ ﭸ ﭹﭺ ﭻ ﭼ ﭽ ﭾ ﭿ ﮁ ﮂ ﮃ ﮄ ﮅ ﮇ ﮈ ﮉ ﮊ

O humanity! Indeed, We created you from a male and a female, and made you into peoples and tribes so that you may (get to) know one another. Surely the most noble of you in the sight of Allah is the most righteous among you. Allah is truly All Knowing, All Aware.^[5]

 

‏The Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam said:

 

إن الله قد أذهب عنكم عبية^[6] الجاهلية وفخرها بالآباء مؤمن تقي وفاجر شقي أنتم بنو آدم وآدم من تراب

Allah has removed from you the pride of the Jahiliyyah (era of ignorance) and its boasting through fathers. (A person is either) a pious believer or a wretched sinner. You are all the children of Adam ‘alayh al Salam, and Adam ‘alayh al Salam was from sand.^[7]

 

Muslim reported from the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam that he said:

 

من‏ بطأ به عمله لم يسرع به نسبه

Whoever is slowed down by his actions, his lineage will not hasten him.^[8]

‎

The Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam is reported to have said:

 

المسلمون‏ إخوة لا فضل لأحد على أحد إلا بالتقوى

Muslims are brothers; no one has superiority over another except through taqwa.^[9]

 

This meaning was emphasised by the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam in his famous sermon, during the Farewell Hajj—according to another narration, it was among the sermons that he delivered on the Day of the Conquest of Makkah—when he said:

 

يا‏ أيها الناس ألا إن ربكم واحد وإن أباكم واحد ألا لا فضل لعربي على عجمي‏ ولا لعجمي على عربي ولا لأسود على أحمر ولا لأحمر على أسود إلا بالتقوى

O people, your Lord is one and your father is one. There is no superiority for an Arab over a non-Arab^[10] or for a non-Arab over an Arab or for a black person over a red person or for a red person over a black person, except by taqwa.^[11]

 

There is no place in Islam to boast about lineages and other affiliations that the people of ignorance would boast about. All pride is in being affiliated to Islam alone and virtue by Allah is only through taqwa. Thus, whoever aspires to attain the highest status should adhere to it. The poet said:

أبوهم آدم والأم حواء

الناس في عالم التمثيل أكفاء

In the world of comparisons, people are equals. Their father is Adam and mother is Hawwa’.

 

The reason for prohibiting boasting about lineage and race is obvious, as all people are equal in these matters; since they all join up to their first father Adam ‘alayh al Salam, and he was created from sand, as stated in the noble hadith. Moreover, these matters are not something that man has earned and chosen where he can choose the best and avoid the worst. Rather, people are compelled and subjugated to it, whether they like it or not. Then what is the meaning of some of them boasting over others about what they share and about what they do not have any choice? In fact, this is absurd and a kind of madness.

It has become clear that pride and virtue in that which distinguishes some of them from others is in selecting the better of two matters and there is no doubt that the better here is what Allah called people to, which is Islam and iman, and the evil is that which He warned them against, which is disbelief and disobedience. Although pride and virtue are established through this, we should not boast, because even though it was by our praiseworthy choice; however, Allah subhanahu wa ta ‘ala is the one who guided us to this choice by His sheer grace, not by our entitlement. This is our, the people of truth, the Ahlus Sunnah’s belief. O Allah, keep us steadfast and do not let us deviate.

Yes, if boasting is for the sake of truth, religious interest, gratitude for a blessing, expressing Allah’s blessing, and to show sturdiness to the enemies of Islam, then it is permissible. If it is out of arrogance and egoism, then it is reprehensible.^[12]

 

NEXT⇒ 1. The meaning of tafdil, its basis, and its source

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^[1]  I.e. from man and jinn. As for the angels, the Mu’tazilah’s contradiction regarding them is well-known and the Ahlus Sunnah did not make takfir due to that. In fact, they did not make takfir of al Zamakhshari, who deviated and declared the superiority of Jibril ‘alayh al Salam over the master of all creation, the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, even though they found that to be very obscene from him and accused him of perpetrating a violation against consensus.

^[2]  Ahmed Rida Khan: A’ali al Ifadah fi Ta’ziyat al Hind wa Bayan al Shahadah, pg. 58. This is because it is a denial of what is definitively known to be from din, as I have indicated. As for the belief in the infallibility of anyone other than the Prophet, al Ghazali said:

إنه ليس كفرا وإن كان يحكم عليه بالحماقة

It is not kufr (disbelief), even though it is considered foolishness. (Al Ghazali: Fada’ih al Batiniyyah, pg. 104.)

^[3]  Al Kashmiri: Fayd al Bari, ‎4/475.

^[4]  Surah al Ahzab: 31-32.

^[5]  Surah al Hujurat: 13.

^[6]  عبية – with a dammah or kasrah on the ‘ayn, tashdid and kasrah on the ba’, then tashdid on the ya’ which means pride and boasting.

^[7]  Sunan Abi Dawood, book on etiquettes, chapter on boasting of lineages, 5/404, Hadith: 5075; Sunan al Tirmidhi, the commentary of Surah al Hujurat, 5/389, the book on merits, chapter on the virtues of Greater Syria and Yemen, 5/734, Hadith: 3955.

^[8]  Sahih Muslim, book on remembrance, supplication, repentance and seeking forgiveness, chapter on the virtue of gathering to recite the Qur’an and remember Allah, ‎17/21, Hadith: 2699.‏

^[9]  Al Tabarani: Al Mujam al Kabir, 4/25, Hadith: 3547.

^[10]  It does not mean denying the virtue of the Arab over the non-Arab in all aspects. Rather, an Arab is undoubtedly preferred over a non-Arab in other matters. Our scholars have stated that its meaning is that if the non-Arab has more taqwa than the Arab does, then the non-Arab is preferred due to his taqwa. However, if all people are equal—the Arab and the non-Arab—in taqwa, then the Arab is definitely preferred. Refer to al Ghazali: Husn al Tanabbuh li ma warad fi al Tashabbuh, ‎8/365; our book Rad’ al Awghad, pg. 259; al Taftazani: Sharh al Maqasid, 2/302–303. I will quote it in due course.

^[11]  Al Tabarani: Al Mujam al Awsat, 5/86, Hadith: 4749; Abu Nuaim: Hilyat al Auliya’, 3/100.

^[12]  Al ‘Allamah al Saharanpuri: Badhl al Majhud, 13/510.