Book Name:Ilm e Deen Kay Fazail
there is no virtue greater than the inheritance of prophethood (i.e. religious knowledge).”[1]
The following hadith is mentioned in Jāmiʿ al-Tirmidhī, in which the Companion Abū Umāmah Bāhilī رَضِىَ الـلّٰـهُ عَـنْهُ narrates:
Two people were mentioned before the Messenger of Allah صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم, one of them a worshipper, and the other a scholar. The Messenger of Allah صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم said:
فَضْلُ العَالِمِ عَلَى العَابِدِ كَفَضْلِي عَلَى اَدْنَاكُم
- “The excellence of the scholar over the worshipper, is like my excellence over the least of you.”[2]
Dear Islamic brothers! This is an unmatched virtue belonging to scholars. Now let us think over this. Contemplate how elevated and high the rank of our beloved Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم is. He is the master of the Prophets عَـلَـيْهِمُ السَّلَام and their imam. After Allah, the sacred personality with a higher rank than anyone is none other than my and your master, the Messenger of Allah صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم. He himself has declared the excellence of an Islamic scholar over a worshipper, similar to his own excellence over the lowest ranking member of his ummah.
Who has the lowest rank in the ummah, and how superior is the final Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم compared to him? Although we cannot truly grasp this, scholars have attempted to shed some light on this matter. They say: