ii. Tubba‘
Tubba‘ is mentioned in the Holy Qur’an. Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning), "Are they better or the people of Tubba‘ and those before them? We destroyed them, for indeed, they were criminals." (al-Dukhan 44:37) But was he a prophet who was sent to his people, who rejected him, then Allah destroyed them? Ibn al-Jawzi said, “Tubba‘ became Muslim and was a righteous man, so Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, mentioned him and did not criticize him, but He criticized his people. Abu’l-Husayn ibn al-Munadi said: It is not far-fetched to say that the people of Tubba‘ were named after him, because he was a prophet.”

iii. al-Khadir
Al-Khadir is the righteous slave to whom Musa (peace be upon him) travelled in order to seek knowledge from him. Allah has told us their story in Surat al-Kahf. Ibn al-Jawzi said, “Was al-Khadir a prophet or not? There are two views concerning that, which were mentioned by Abu Bakr ibn al-Anbari, who said: Many scholars are of the view that he was a prophet, but some of them say that he was a righteous slave.” Al-Qurtubi said, “Al-Khadir was a prophet according to the majority of scholars. It was also said that he was a righteous slave and not a prophet, but the verse attests to him being a prophet, because the hidden reasons behind his actions could only have been known through revelation.” Al-Shatibi said, “Al-Khadir’s words And I did it not of my own accord." (al-Kahf 18:82) It clearly indicated that he was a prophet. This was the view of a number of scholars who quoted this verse as evidence.” Ibn Hajar said, “Chapter: what was narrated about al-Khadir being a prophet. Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, tells us in the story about Musa that al-Khadir said, 'And I did it not of my own accord.' (al-Kahf 18:82) This clearly indicates that he did it by Allah’s command, and in principle there should be no intermediary between him and Allah. It is also possible that the divine command was transmitted to him through another prophet who is not mentioned, but this is far-fetched. There is no way that this could have been by way of inspiration, because for anyone other than a prophet, inspiration is not revelation on the basis of which he could do what al-Khadir did of killing someone and exposing people to the danger of drowning. If we say that he was a prophet, then it is possible that the command could have come through inspiration. Moreover, how could someone who was not a prophet be more knowledgeable than a prophet? The Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) stated in the sahih hadith that Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, said to Musa, ‘Rather Our slave Khadir is more knowledgeable than you’ (al-Bukhari) Furthermore, how could a prophet follow someone other than a fellow prophet? Al-Tha‘labi said: He was a prophet according to all scholarly opinions. Some of the leading scholars say that the first knot of heresy can be undone by believing that al-Khadir was a prophet, because the heretics use the idea that he was not a prophet to reach the conclusion that a wali (‘saint’) is superior to a prophet ... Most of the story of al-Khadir with Musa indicates that the view of those who say that he was a prophet is correct.”

The Permanent Committee said, “The correct view is that al-Khadir (peace be upon him) was a prophet, because of what Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, tells us in Surat al-Kahf about his story with Musa (peace be upon him). In that story, he scuttled a boat that belonged to some poor people who worked on the sea, and he killed a boy who had never committed any offence, and he restored the wall that belonged to two orphan boys for no fee in return, in the village whose people had refused to feed them. Musa objected to him doing all of that, and in the end al-Khadir explained the reasons. Then the story ends with his stating that he did all of that because of revelation that he received from Allah, as Allah tells us in the verse (interpretation of the meaning), "And I did it not of my own accord. That is the interpretation of that about which you could not have patience." (al-Kahf 18:82) If it is said that he was not a prophet, according to the less correct view, then we may say that Allah granted him special knowledge that He did not grant to Musa (peace be upon him). However, that does not mean that he was more knowledgeable than Musa or that a wali is more knowledgeable than a prophet, as the heretics and some extreme Sufis claim.

3. The differences in status between the prophets and messengers (peace be upon them)
3.1. The prophets are the best of humankind
The prophets are the best of all humanity, based on evidence from the Qur’an and Sunnah, scholarly consensus and sound rational thinking.

i. From the Qur’an:
Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, mentions a number of the prophets in a passage in Surat al-An‘am, at the end of which He says (interpretation of the meaning), "Each of them We favored above all other people (of their own times)." (al-An‘am 6:86)

Al-Sa‘di said, “Each of them that is, each of these Prophets and Messengers We favored above all other people (of their own times) because the degrees of virtue are four, as Allah mentions in the verse, "And whoever obeys Allah and the Messenger - those will be with the ones upon whom Allah has bestowed favor of the prophets, the steadfast affirmers of truth, the martyrs and the righteous (an-Nisa’ 4:69) These are the highest ranks.”

ii. From the Sunnah
The Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: when he was asked who among the people is most severely tested: “The prophets, then the next best, then the next best.” (al-Tirmidhi, Ibn Majah, Ahmad. Sahih) This clearly indicates that the prophets are the best of humanity.

iii. Scholarly consensus
Ibn Taymiyah said: “The Prophets are the best of creation according to the consensus of the Muslims.”

3.2. Differences in status among the Messengers
Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning), "Those messengers - some of them We caused to exceed others. Among them were those to whom Allah spoke, and He raised some of them in degree. And We gave ‘Isa, the son of Maryam, clear proofs, and We supported him with the Pure Spirit." (al-Baqarah 2:253)

Ibn ‘Ashur said, “The purpose of this verse is to highlight the superlative status of the messengers (peace be upon them) and to inform the Muslims that even though these good people occupy such a high status, Allah has favored some of them over others, and no one knows the reason for that differentiation except Allah, may He be glorified and exalted.”

The best of the messengers are the messengers of strong resolve among them. Ibn Kathir said, “There is no difference of scholarly opinion regarding the fact that the messengers are superior to all the other prophets, and that the messengers of strong resolve among them are the best of them.”

3.3. The messengers of strong resolve
Introduction
Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, says, instructing His Prophet Muhammad (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) (interpretation of the meaning), "So be patient, as the Messengers of strong resolve were patient." (al-Ahqaf 46:35) Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, praised them for their resolve and singled them out for mention from among His Messengers, and He instructed His Prophet Muhammad (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), whom He favored over all of creation, to follow their example. What is meant by the resolve for which Allah praised them and favored them is determination and patience.

3.3.1. Identifying the messengers of strong resolve
The scholars differed as to precisely who the messengers of strong resolve are. Ibn al-Jawzi said: “There are ten views regarding them:
i. That they are Nuh, Ibrahim, Musa, ‘Isa and Muhammad (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him).
ii. That they are Nuh, Hud, Ibrahim and Muhammad (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him).
iii. That they are those prophets who were not affected by trials and turmoil (fitnah).
iv. That they are the Arabian prophets.
v. That they are Ibrahim, Musa, Dawud, Sulayman, ‘Isa and Muhammad (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him).
vi. That they include Isma‘il, Ya‘qub and Ayyub, and they do not include Adam, Yunus or Sulayman.
vii. That they are those who were commanded to strive in jihad and fight.
viii. That they are all the messengers, for Allah did not send any messenger but he was one of the messengers of strong resolve.
ix. That they are the eighteen prophets mentioned in Surat al-An‘am.
x. That they are all the prophets except Yunus.”

Abu Hatim said, “Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning), "And mention, O Muhammad, when We took from the prophets their covenant." (al-Ahzab 33:7) He mentions the prophets in general terms, then He says: and from you and from Nuh and Ibrahim and Musa and ‘Isa, the son of Maryam. He singled them out for mention by name to highlight their superiority over the other prophets.”

Ibn Taymiyah said, “The best of the close friends of Allah are His prophets; the best of His prophets are the messengers among them; and the best of the messengers are those of strong resolve: Nuh, Ibrahim, Musa, ‘Isa and Muhammad (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him). Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) says (interpretation of the meaning), "He has ordained for you of religion what He enjoined upon Nuh and that which We have revealed to you, O Muhammad, and what We enjoined upon Ibrahim and Musa and ‘Isa - to uphold the religion and not be divided therein." (al-Shura 42:13) "And mention, O Muhammad, when We took from the prophets their covenant and from you and from Nuh and Ibrahim and Musa and ‘Isa, the son of Maryam; and We took from them a solemn covenant."
(al-Ahzab 33:7)

Hafiz al-Hakami said, “Five of them are of strong resolve and are foremost… they are mentioned in Surat al-Ahzab and al-Shura. Five of the messengers are those of strong resolve, meaning determination, earnestness, patience and perfect reasoning. Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, did not send any messenger except these characteristics were combined in him, but these five are the ones who brought the famous systems of law, and these characteristics were more perfect and powerful in them than in others, hence they are singled out for mention in Surat al-Ahzab and are mentioned in particular in Surat al-Shura. … These five are the ones who will show reluctance to intercede for the people on the Day of Resurrection after their father Adam (peace be upon him), until the people finally come to our Prophet Muhammad (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) and he is the one who will be permitted to intercede for them.”

3.3.2. Differences in status between the messengers of strong resolve
Ibn Kathir said, “There is no difference of scholarly opinion regarding the fact that Muhammad (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) is the best of them, then after him comes Ibrahim, then Musa, according to the well-known view.”

Al-Suyuti said, “Allah’s close friend (Khalil) Ibrahim comes next to him in superiority, for he is the best of creation after him. Some of the scholars narrated that there was consensus regarding that. … Then after Ibrahim, Musa, ‘Isa and Nuh are superior to all the other prophets, but there is no report to indicate which of these three is best.”

3.3.3. The unique characteristics of the messengers of strong resolve
i. The unique characteristics of Ibrahim (peace be upon him)
a. He is the close friend of the Most Gracious (Khalil al-Rahman), and no one shares that divine close friendship with him except Muhammad (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him). Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning), "For Allah did take Ibrahim as a close friend khalil." (al-Nisa’ 4:125)

Al-Sam‘ani said, “Close friendship (khullah) is friendship that is pure and free of anything that could undermine it. What is meant is that Allah took him as a beloved one; He chose him and made him close to Him, as a lover would be with his beloved.”

b. Allah restricted prophethood and the scriptures after him to his progeny (peace be upon them).
Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, says regarding Ibrahim (peace be upon him) (interpretation of the meaning), "And We gave to Him Ishaq and Ya‘qub and conferred upon his descendants prophethood and scripture. And We gave him his reward in this world, and indeed, he is in the Hereafter among the righteous." (al-‘Ankabut 29:27)

Al-Sam‘ani said, “It is said that Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, did not send any prophet after Ibrahim who was not from among his progeny.”

Al-Sa‘di said, “This is one of the greatest of honors, that the means of guidance, mercy, happiness and success i.e., the prophets and their teachings are all among his progeny.”

c. He will be the first one to be clothed on the Day of Resurrection
It was narrated that Ibn ‘Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) said, "The Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) stood before us and delivered a khutbah, and said, 'O people, you will be gathered to Allah barefoot, naked and uncircumcised, 'As We began the first creation, We will repeat it. That is a promise binding upon Us. Indeed, We will do it.' (al-Anbiya’ 21:104) The first of creation to be clothed will be Ibrahim (peace be upon him)."

Ibn Hajar said, “It was said that the reason why Ibrahim is singled out for this favor is because he was thrown into the fire naked. It was also said that it is because he was the first one to wear trousers… And it was proven that Ibrahim (peace be upon him) was the first one to do many other things, including: hosting a guest, cutting his moustache, being circumcised, seeing grey hairs, and so on.”

ii. Unique characteristics of Nuh (peace be upon him)
a. He was the first messenger sent to the people of the earth after they differed concerning their religion and the Shaytan misguided them. It was narrated from Anas ibn Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said, “The believers will gather on the Day of Resurrection and will say: ‘Why don’t we seek someone to intercede for us with our Lord?’ So they will go to Adam and will say: ‘You are the father of humanity; Allah created you with His own hand, made His angels prostrate for you, and taught you the names of all things. Intercede for us with your Lord so that He might relieve us of this situation we are in.’ He will say: ‘I am not fit for that,’ and he will mention his sin and feel embarrassed. He will say: ‘Go to Nuh, for he was the first messenger whom Allah sent to the people of the earth.’ So they will go to him…” (al-Bukhari, Muslim)

Ibn Battal said, “Adam was not a messenger, because sending a messenger dictates that there should be people to whom he is sent at the time when he is sent, but Adam was sent down to earth when there was no one there. If it is said: When he produced children, should he not have been a messenger to them? The answer is that when he (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) was sent down to earth, Allah had taught him his religion and what was required of him in terms of obedience to his Lord, then when his children came after that, he taught them his religion and the teachings and laws he had learned from his Lord, just as any one of us, if he has children, will teach his children his religion and show them the path he follows, but that does not mean that he deserves to be called a messenger. Rather Nuh is only called a messenger because he was sent to disbelieving people, to call them to faith.”

b. Nuh remained among his people for one thousand years less fifty, doing his utmost to call them to Allah and bearing with patience the persecution of his people. Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning), "We sent Nuh to his people and he remained among them for a thousand years less fifty. Then the Flood overtook them in the midst of their evildoing. But We saved him and those who were on board the ark, and We made it the ark a sign for all people." (al-‘Ankabut 29:14-15)

Ibn Kathir said, “Here Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, offers consolation and comfort to His slave and Messenger Muhammad (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), telling him about Nuh (peace be upon him) and how he remained among his people for this long period of time, calling them to Allah night and day, secretly and openly, yet despite that it only made them more averse to the truth and more stubborn in turning away from it and disbelieving it, and no one believed with him except a few people.”

iii. The unique characteristics of Musa (peace be upon him)
a. He was the one to whom Allah spoke directly. Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning), "And Allah spoke directly to Musa." (al-Nisa’ 4:164)

Al-Sam‘ani said, “Allah spoke to him Himself, directly, with no intermediary or revelation… This is the view of Ahl al-Sunnah, that Musa heard the words of Allah in a real sense, without discussing how. Wa’il ibn Dawud said: Another meaning of the words Wa kallama Allahu Musa takliman translated above as “and Allah spoke directly to Musa” is that this happened several times, time after time.” And Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning), "Allah said: ‘O Musa, I have chosen you above others, by giving you My messages and speaking to you. Hold fast to what I have given you, and be among those who are grateful." (al-A‘raf 7:144)

Al-Sa‘di said, "O Musa, I have chosen you above others that is, I have chosen you, selected you and favored you, and I have singled you out for great blessings and virtues by giving you My messages which I bestow upon, and single out for, none but the best of people. And speaking to you without any intermediary. These are the virtues for which Musa al-Kalim (the one to whom Allah spoke directly) was singled out and for which he is known among his fellow Messengers.”

iv. The unique characteristics of ‘Isa (peace be upon him)
a. He was chosen from among all of humankind to be born to a mother without a father; Jibril blew into Maryam’s (garment) and she became pregnant with ‘Isa (peace be upon him). Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning), "And mention the one who guarded her chastity, so We blew into her garment through Our angel Gabriel, and We made her and her son a sign for the worlds." (al-Anbiya’ 21:91)

Al-Sa‘di said, “Allah blessed her with a son without a father, for Jibril blew into her (garment) and she conceived by Allah’s leave. and We made her and her son a sign for the worlds, as she conceived him and gave birth to him without anyone touching her; and he spoke in the cradle, declaring her innocent of that of which people accused her, and he spoke of himself in that situation. Allah caused extraordinary events and miracles to occur at his hands, as is well-known. Thus she and her son were a sign for all people, as generation after generation of those who pay heed have spoken of her and learned lessons from her.”

b. He spoke in the cradle. Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning), "So she pointed to him. They said, 'How can we speak to one who is in the cradle, a child?' Jesus said, 'Indeed, I am the slave of Allah. He has given me the Scripture and made me a prophet. And He has made me blessed wherever I am and has enjoined upon me prayer and zakah as long as I live. And made me dutiful to my mother, and He has not made me a wretched tyrant. And peace be upon me the day I was born and the day I will die and the day I am raised up to life again.'" (Maryam 19:29-33)

Al-Sa‘di said, "Isa said, when he was an infant in the cradle: Indeed, I am the slave of Allah. He has given me the Scripture and made me a prophet. He addressed them, referring to himself as a slave of Allah and stating that he possessed no attributes for which he might deserve to be taken as a god or as the son of God; exalted be Allah far above what the Christians, who claim to be followers of ‘Isa but drifted away from his path, say concerning him, which is contrary to what ‘Isa himself said: Indeed, I am the slave of Allah.'" This is a great miracle and dazzling proof that he is indeed a messenger of Allah and a slave of Allah.”

c. Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, took him up to Him and he is alive in the second heaven, as is mentioned in the hadiths about the Isra’ (Prophet’s night journey). Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning): declaring the Jews to be lying in their claim that they killed him (peace be upon him) (interpretation of the meaning), "And they did not kill him, nor did they crucify him; but another was made to resemble him to them. And indeed, those who differ concerning that are in doubt about it. They have no knowledge of it except the following of conjecture. And they did not kill him for certain. Rather Allah took him up to Him." (al-Nisa’ 4:157-158)

Ibn Kathir said, “Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, – Who is the most truthful of speakers and the Lord of the World, Who sees what is in people’s hearts and knows what is hidden in the heavens and on earth, Who knows what was and what will be, what did not happen and how it would happen if it were to happen – says (interpretation of the meaning): And they did not kill him, nor did they crucify him; but another was made to resemble him to them that is, they saw someone who resembled him, so they thought that it was him. And they did not kill him for certain that is, they did not kill him knowing for certain that it was indeed him; rather they were uncertain and did not really know what they were doing. Rather Allah took him up to Him.”

d. He (peace be upon him) will come down again at the end of time, as is indicated by the Qur’an, the Sunnah and scholarly consensus. Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning), "And there is none among the People of the Scripture but he will surely believe in him before his death. And on the Day of Resurrection he will be against them a witness." (al-Nisa’ 4:159) Al-Baghawi said, “That is, there is no one among the People of the Book except he will believe in ‘Isa (peace be upon him). This is the view of most of the commentators and scholars.” There are mutawatir reports from the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) which speak of the descent of ‘Isa (peace be upon him), as he says, “By the One in Whose hand is my soul, soon the Son of Maryam (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) will descend among you as a just ruler.” The ummah is unanimously agreed that ‘Isa (peace be upon him) will descend at the end of time. Ibn ‘Atiyyah said: “The ummah is unanimously agreed on what the mutawatir hadiths say, that ‘Isa (peace be upon him) is alive in heaven, and that he will descend at the end of time.” Al-Safarini said, “The ummah is unanimously agreed that he will descend, and not one of the scholars of Islam differed concerning that.”

3.4. The superiority of our Prophet Muhammad (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him)
Muhammad (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) is the best of all the prophets. Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning), "Those messengers - some of them We caused to exceed others. Among them were those to whom Allah spoke, and He raised some of them in degree." (al-Baqarah 2:253) It was said that what is meant by the words and He raised some of them in degree is Muhammad (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him). This was narrated from Ibn ‘Abbas, al-Sha‘bi, Mujahid and others.

The scholars quoted as evidence for the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) being the best of the Prophets the verse in which Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning), "Let their guidance be an example to follow." (al-An‘am 6:90) because all the virtues that were scattered among the prophets were combined in him (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him).

Al-Khazin said, “The scholars quoted this verse as evidence to prove that the Messenger of Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, is the best of all the prophets (peace be upon them), the reason being that all the attributes of perfection and noble characteristics which were scattered among them were combined in him. Nuh was a man of forbearance who bore his people’s persecution with patience. Ibrahim was very generous and strove hard for the sake of Allah, may He be glorified and exalted. Ishaq and Ya‘qub showed patience in the face of calamity and trials. Dawud (peace be upon him) and Sulayman showed gratitude for the blessings of Allah, and Allah said concerning them (interpretation of the meaning), "Strive in doing righteous deeds, O family of Dawud, in gratitude." (Saba’ 34:13) Ayyub bore calamity with patience; Allah said of him (interpretation of the meaning), "Truly We found him to be patient and steadfast, a good and faithful slave who constantly turned to Us." (Sad 38:44) Yusuf combined both patience and gratitude. Musa was the one who brought the famous system of laws and dazzling miracles. Zakariyya, Yahya and Ilyas were ascetics who showed little interest in worldly glamour. Isma‘il was a man of sincerity and Yunus was a man who beseeched Allah and turned to Him in humility. So Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, instructed His Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) to follow their example, and He combined in him all the praiseworthy characteristics that were scattered among them. Thus it is established through the discussion above that the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) was the best of the prophets, because all these characteristics that had been scattered among them all were all combined in him. And Allah knows best.”

There are many hadiths which speak of the superiority of our Prophet Muhammad (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) over all the other prophets, including the following:
i. It was narrated from Jabir ibn ‘Abdillah (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said, "I have been given five things that were not given to any of the prophets before me: I have been supported with fear for the distance of one month; the earth has been made a place of prostration and a means of purification for me, so wherever a man of my ummah is when the time for prayer comes, let him pray; war booty has been made permissible for me; every Prophet was sent only to his own people, but I have been sent to all of humankind; and I have been granted intercession.” (al-Bukhari, Muslim)

Al-Baghawi said, "The words ‘I have been supported with fear for the distance of one month’ mean the enemy will fear me when there is the distance of one month’s travel between me and them, and that was because of Allah’s support for him.  The words ‘the earth has been made a place of prostration… for me’ mean that the People of the Book were only permitted to pray in their synagogues and churches, but Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, has permitted this ummah to pray wherever they are, so as to make it easier for them. But graveyards, bathhouses and places where there are impurities were excluded from that, and it is prohibited to pray in those places. The phrase ‘and a means of purification’ refers to dust, as is explained in the hadith of Hudhayfah, ‘The entire earth has been made a place of prostration for us, and its dust has been made a means of purification for us.' Regarding the words ‘War booty has been made permissible for me,’ what is meant is that some of the previous nations were not permitted to fight against the disbelievers in jihad, so they had no war booty. Others were permitted to fight in jihad, but the war booty was not permissible for them, so any booty they acquired would be piled up, then a fire would come and burn it. But Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, has permitted it to this ummah. ‘and I have been granted intercession’ – this is the greatest virtue which he will share with no one else on the Day of Resurrection, and because of it he is the leader of all humankind, to the extent that he said, ‘I will be the leader of the sons of Adam on the Day of Resurrection.’ (Muslim) This is the praiseworthy station that Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, has granted to him.”

ii. Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said, “I will be the Prophet with the greatest number of followers.” (Muslim) Al-Muzhiri said, “What is meant is: my followers will be greater in number than the followers of the other prophets. In other words: my ummah will be greater in number than the nations of all the other prophets (peace be upon them).”

iii. It was narrated from Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said, “I will be the leader of the sons of Adam on the Day of Resurrection, the first one for whom the grave is opened, the first one to intercede and the first one whose intercession will be accepted.” (Muslim) 

Al-Nawawi said, “Al-Harawi said: The leader (sayyid) is the one who surpassed his people in generosity and virtue. Another scholar said: He is the one to whom people turn at times of calamity and hardship, so he takes care of them and takes it upon himself to deal with their troubles and ward them off from them. Regarding the phrase ‘on the Day of Resurrection,’ even though he is their leader both in this world and the hereafter, the reason for specifying the Day of Resurrection here is that on that day, his leadership will become apparent to everyone, and there will no longer be anyone to dispute with him for this position, in contrast to this world, in which the rulers of the disbelievers and the leaders of the polytheists disputed his claim to leadership… The scholars said, the Prophet’s words ‘I will be the leader of the sons of Adam’ were not said by way of boasting.' In fact, the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) stated clearly that his intention was not to boast, in the famous hadith narrated by scholars other than Imam Muslim, ‘I will be the leader of the sons of Adam and no boast.’ (al-Tirmidhi, Ahmad. Sahih). He only said it for two reasons: firstly, in obedience to Allah’s command (interpretation of the meaning), 'And as for the blessing of your Lord, proclaim it.' (al-Duha 93:11) Secondly, it was among the teachings that he was obliged to convey to his ummah, so that they would know his status, believe in him, act in accordance with his teachings and venerate him in a manner appropriate to his status, as Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, commanded them to do. This hadith clearly indicates that the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) is superior to all of creation.”

Ibn Baz said, “Allah singled out His Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) for great and unique virtues, and bestowed upon him noble characteristics. Thus He sent him to all people; made him a mercy for the worlds; took him as a close friend (khalil) as He took Ibrahim as a close friend; raised his station in Paradise to the loftiest station, which is al-wasilah; made him the leader of all the sons of Adam; granted him the praiseworthy station (al-maqam al-mahmud) and the greatest intercession on the Day of Resurrection; supported him with fear for the distance of one month’s travel; granted him reassurance; forgave him his sins; relieved him of his burden; and exalted his renown, so that Allah’s name is not mentioned but it is followed with his name, as in khutbahs, the tashahhud, the iqamah, and the adhan. His unique characteristics and noble attributes are very many.”

The nation unanimously agreed that the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) is the best of the prophets, the noblest of humanity, the greatest of creation and the highest of them in status before Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, 

‘Iyad said, “It is established on the basis of evidence from the Qur’an, the sahih Sunnah and the scholarly consensus of the ummah that he is the noblest of humanity and the best of the prophets.”

Ibn Taymiyah said, “The Muslims are unanimously agreed that the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) is the highest of creation in status before Allah.” He also said, “The prophets are the best of creation according to the consensus of the Muslims.”

Some comments of the scholars regarding that:
i. Al-Shafa‘i said, “The people are slaves of Allah, and the one who is most entitled to be foremost among them is the one who is closest to Allah, because Allah chose him to be His Messenger, to be entrusted with His message, the last of the prophets, the best of the creation of the Lord of the worlds, namely Muhammad (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him).”
ii. ‘Abd al-Ghani al-Maqdisi said, “We believe that Muhammad, the chosen one, is the best of all creation, the noblest and dearest of them to Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him).”
iii. Ibn Kathir said, “He is superior to all of creation, the leader of the sons of Adam in this world and the hereafter, blessings and peace of Allah be upon him and upon his fellow prophets and messengers.”
iv. Al-Suyuti said, “We believe that the best of all creation is the beloved of Allah, the Chosen Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him).”

It should be noted that although Allah singled out some of the prophets for particular virtues, that does not mean that that prophet is superior to the one to whom Allah has granted the praiseworthy station (al-maqam al-mahmud) for which the first and the last will envy him (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him). For the one who is of lower status may have some unique virtue that is not found in the one of higher status, without that making him superior to him because of that unique characteristic.

3.5. How to understand the prohibition on differentiating between the prophets (peace be upon them)
It was narrated that Abu Sa‘id al-Khudri (may Allah be pleased with him) said, "The Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said, “Do not regard one prophet as superior to another, for the people will swoon on the Day of Resurrection, and I will be the first one for whom the earth is split, then I will see Musa holding onto one of the pillars of the Throne, and I will not know whether he was among those who swooned or whether the first swooning was sufficient for him.” (al-Bukhari, Muslim). According to another report, “Do not differentiate between the prophets of Allah.” (al-Bukhari, Muslim). And according to a third report, “Do not regard me as superior to Musa.” (al-Bukhari, Muslim) According to another hadith, the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said, “No one should say that I am superior to Yunus ibn Matta.” (al-Bukhari, Muslim)

The prohibition in this hadith may be understood in two ways:
a. That what is meant by the word “I” is the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) himself.
b. That rather what he (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) meant by saying, “No one should” is someone other than himself. In other words: it is not appropriate for anyone to say such a thing.

The point is that in these two hadiths, the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) forbade differentiating between the prophets and preferring him over Musa and Yunus in particular – if we interpret the hadith which mentions Yunus as referring to the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) himself, when he is superior to both of them and to all the other prophets. In this case there is a clear and obvious problem (as to how the hadith is to be understood). The scholars have come up with various interpretations for this prohibition in an attempt to resolve the problem. There are many views, the strongest of which include the following:
i. That what is meant by this prohibition is that we should not differentiate with regard to the issue of prophethood, which is a characteristic in which there is no differentiation, hence all the prophets are equal in that regard, and the difference between them has to do with unique virtues and characteristics, what they faced of tests and trials, and so on.
ii. That what is meant by this prohibition is not to differentiate between them on the basis of what we think, because only Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, can differentiate between them.
iii. That what is meant by this prohibition is to prevent the type of differentiation between them that could lead to arguments and fighting.
iv. That what is meant by this prohibition is to prevent differentiation that could lead some people to think less of the one who is deemed to be of lower status, or to think that it implies criticism of him or looking down on him.