Tarikh (al-Tabari) 33
Creation of the angels and their attributes (peace be upon them)
وَقَدِ اخْتَلَفَ النَّاسُ فِي تَفْضِيلِ الْمَلَائِكَةِ عَلَى الْبَشَرِ عَلَى أَقْوَالٍ: فَأَكْثَرُ مَا تُوجَدُ هَذِهِ الْمَسْأَلَةُ فِي كُتُبِ الْمُتَكَلِّمِينَ، وَالْخِلَافُ فِيهَا مَعَ الْمُعْتَزِلَةِ، وَمَنْ وَافَقَهُمْ. وَأَقْدَمُ كَلَامٍ رَأَيْتُهُ فِي هَذِهِ الْمَسْأَلَةِ مَا ذَكَرَهُ الْحَافِظُ ابْنُ عَسَاكِرَ فِي تَارِيخِهِ فِي تَرْجَمَةِ أُمَيَّةَ بْنِ عَمْرِو بْنِ سَعِيدِ بْنِ الْعَاصِ: أَنَّهُ حَضَرَ مَجْلِسًا لِعُمَرَ بْنِ عَبْدِ الْعَزِيزِ وَعِنْدَهُ جَمَاعَةٌ. فَقَالَ عُمَرُ: مَا أَحَدٌ أَكْرَمُ عَلَى اللَّهِ مِنْ كِرِيمِ بَنِي آدَمَ. وَاسْتَدَلَّ بِقَوْلِهِ تَعَالَى: إِنَّ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ أُولَئِكَ هُمْ خَيْرُ الْبَرِيَّةِ [ الْبَيِّنَةِ: 7 ]. وَوَافَقَهُ عَلَى ذَلِكَ أُمَيَّةُ بْنُ عَمْرِو بْنِ سَعِيدٍ. فَقَالَ عِرَاكُ بْنُ مَالِكٍ: مَا أَحَدٌ أَكْرَمُ عَلَى اللَّهِ مِنْ مَلَائِكَتِهِ هُمْ خَدَمَةُ دَارَيْهِ وَرُسُلُهُ إِلَى أَنْبِيَائِهِ. وَاسْتَدَلَّ بِقَوْلِهِ تَعَالَى: مَا نَهَاكُمَا رَبُّكُمَا عَنْ هَذِهِ الشَّجَرَةِ إِلَّا أَنْ تَكُونَا مَلَكَيْنِ أَوْ تَكُونَا مِنَ الْخَالِدِينَ [ الْأَعْرَافِ: 20 ]. فَقَالَ عُمَرُ بْنُ عَبْدِ الْعَزِيزِ لِمُحَمَّدِ بْنِ كَعْبٍ الْقُرَظِيِّ: مَا تَقُولُ أَنْتَ يَا أَبَا حَمْزَةَ ؟ فَقَالَ: قَدْ أَكْرَمَ اللَّهُ آدَمَ فَخَلَقَهُ بِيَدِهِ، وَنَفَخَ فِيهِ مِنْ رُوحِهِ، وَأَسْجَدَ لَهُ الْمَلَائِكَةَ، وَجَعَلَ مِنْ ذُرِّيَّتِهِ الْأَنْبِيَاءَ وَالرُّسُلَ، وَمَنْ يَزُورُهُ الْمَلَائِكَةُ. فَوَافَقَ عُمَرَ بْنَ عَبْدِ الْعَزِيزِ فِي الْحُكْمِ، وَاسْتَدَلَّ بِغَيْرِ دَلِيلِهِ، وَأَضْعَفَ دَلَالَةَ مَا صَرَّحَ بِهِ مِنَ الْآيَةِ، وَهُوَ قَوْلُهُ: إِنَّ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ. مَضْمُونُهُ أَنَّهَا لَيْسَتْ بِخَاصَّةٍ بِالْبَشَرِ فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ قَدْ وَصَفَ الْمَلَائِكَةَ بِالْإِيمَانِ فِي قَوْلِهِ: وَيُؤْمِنُونَ بِهِ [ غَافِرٍ: 7 ]. وَكَذَلِكَ الْجَانُّ وَأَنَّا لَمَّا سَمِعْنَا الْهُدَى آمَنَّا بِهِ [ الْجِنِّ: 13 ]. وَأَنَّا مِنَّا الْمُسْلِمُونَ [ الْجِنِّ: 14 ]. قُلْتُ: وَأَحْسَنُ مَا يُسْتَدَلُّ بِهِ فِي هَذِهِ الْمَسْأَلَةِ مَا رَوَاهُ عُثْمَانُ بْنُ سَعِيدٍ الدَّارِمِيُّ، عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ عَمْرٍو مَرْفُوعًا، وَهُوَ أَصَحُّ قَالَ: لَمَّا خَلَقَ اللَّهُ الْجَنَّةَ قَالَتِ الْمَلَائِكَةُ: يَا رَبَّنَا اجْعَلْ لَنَا هَذِهِ نَأْكُلُ مِنْهَا وَنَشْرَبُ فَإِنَّكَ خَلَقْتَ الدُّنْيَا لِبَنِي آدَمَ. فَقَالَ اللَّهُ: لَنْ أَجْعَلَ صَالِحَ ذَرِّيَّةِ مَنْ خَلَقْتُ بِيَدِي كَمَنْ قُلْتُ لَهُ: كُنْ. فَكَانَ.
Translation
✧ People have differed concerning the superiority of the angels over human beings according to various statements. Most often this question is found in the books of the theologians, and the disagreement therein is with the Muʿtazilah and those who agree with them. The earliest discussion I have seen on this question is what al-Ḥāfiẓ Ibn ʿAsākir mentioned in his history in the biography of Umayyah b. ʿAmr b. Saʿīd b. al-ʿĀṣ: that he attended a gathering of ʿUmar b. ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz, and with him was a group. ʿUmar said: No one is more honored by Allah than a noble son of Adam. And he cited as evidence the saying of the Exalted: “Indeed, those who believe and do righteous deeds—those are the best of creation” [al-Bayyinah: 7]. Umayyah b. ʿAmr b. Saʿīd agreed with him on that. Then ʿIrāk b. Mālik said: No one is more honored by Allah than His angels; they are the servants of His two abodes and His messengers to His prophets. And he cited as evidence the saying of the Exalted: “Your Lord did not forbid you both from this tree except that you become two angels or become of the immortal” [al-Aʿrāf: 20]. So ʿUmar b. ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz said to Muḥammad b. Kaʿb al-Quraẓī: What do you say, O Abū Ḥamzah? He said: Allah has honored Adam, for He created him with His hand, breathed into him of His spirit, made the angels prostrate to him, and made from his offspring the prophets and messengers, and those whom the angels visit. Thus he agreed with ʿUmar b. ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz in the ruling, and he cited evidence other than his proof, and he weakened the implication of the verse that he explicitly cited, namely His saying: “Indeed, those who believe and do righteous deeds.” Its content is that it is not specific to humans, for Allah has described the angels with faith in His saying: “and they believe in Him” [Ghāfir: 7]. Likewise the jinn: “And when we heard the guidance, we believed in it” [al-Jinn: 13]. And: “And among us are Muslims” [al-Jinn: 14]. I say: The best evidence on this question is what ʿUthmān b. Saʿīd al-Dārimī narrated, from ʿAbd Allāh b. ʿAmr, raised to the Prophet, and it is more sound. He said: When Allah created Paradise, the angels said: O our Lord, make this for us that we may eat from it and drink, for You created the world for the children of Adam. So Allah said: I will not make the righteous offspring of one whom I created with My hand like one to whom I said: Be, and he was.
Grades by grader
No grade is recorded for this wording.