The Superiority of Believers Over Angels in Islam

Understanding the Status of Believers: A Comparative Analysis with Angels

THE STATUS OF THE BELIEVERS IS BETTER THAN THAT OF THE ANGELS

ALLĀH says,

إِنَّ الَّذِينَ امَنُوا وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ 

Verily, those who believe and do righteous good deeds, 

HE says that they are the best of creation.

أُوْلَيِكَ هُمْ خَيْرُ الْبَرِيَّةِ 

they are the best of creatures.

Abu Hurayrah (may ALLĀH be pleased with him) and a group of the scholars have used this Ayah as a proof that the believers have a status among the creatures that is better than the angels. This is because ALLĀH says,

أُوْلَـيِكَ هُمْ خَيْرُ الْبَرِيَّةِ 

(They are the best of creatures).

{Tafsi‌r Ibn Kathīr}

Ibn al-Qayyim (may ALLĀH have mercy on him) said: “The righteous among mankind are superior to the angels, because the worship of the angels is free from any contamination of the whims and desires of the human nafs (soul); it is done by beings that have nothing to prevent, undermine or resist it. It is like breathing for the living. As for the acts of worship of human beings, they are done despite the inclinations of their hearts and by suppressing their whims and desires and going against their natural urges. So they are more perfect. Hence most of the scholars have said that humans were superior to the angels for this reason and others.” {Tareeq al-Hijratayn || Page 349-350}