Sūrat al-Baqarah
Section 43 of 59 · Surah Studies · Mufti Abdul Rahman Mangera
A Hierarchy Among the Messengers
Sūrat al-Baqarah has thus far contained a great many legislative rulings, being mostly a Madanī sūrah, a Medinan one. But it also treats of the Prophet (peace be upon him) and of the other prophets. Here, then, it begins with the various messengers:
۞ تِلْكَ ٱلرُّسُلُ فَضَّلْنَا بَعْضَهُمْ عَلَىٰ بَعْضٍ ۘ مِّنْهُم مَّن كَلَّمَ ٱللَّهُ ۖ وَرَفَعَ بَعْضَهُمْ دَرَجَـٰتٍ ۚ وَءَاتَيْنَا عِيسَى ٱبْنَ مَرْيَمَ ٱلْبَيِّنَـٰتِ وَأَيَّدْنَـٰهُ بِرُوحِ ٱلْقُدُسِ ۗ وَلَوْ شَآءَ ٱللَّهُ مَا ٱقْتَتَلَ ٱلَّذِينَ مِنۢ بَعْدِهِم مِّنۢ بَعْدِ مَا جَآءَتْهُمُ ٱلْبَيِّنَـٰتُ وَلَـٰكِنِ ٱخْتَلَفُوا۟ فَمِنْهُم مَّنْ ءَامَنَ وَمِنْهُم مَّن كَفَرَ ۚ وَلَوْ شَآءَ ٱللَّهُ مَا ٱقْتَتَلُوا۟ وَلَـٰكِنَّ ٱللَّهَ يَفْعَلُ مَا يُرِيدُ
“Those are the messengers some of whom We have given excellence over some others. Among them there are ones to whom Allah spoke (directly) and He raised some of them steps higher (in other respects), and We gave clear signs to ‘Īsā (Jesus), the son of Maryam (Mary) and supported him with the Holy Spirit. If Allah so willed, those succeeding him would have not fought against each other after clear signs had come to them.But they disagreed among themselves. So, there were some who believed and there were some who disbelieved, and if Allah so willed, they would have not fought against each other. But Allah does what He intends” (2:253)
The sense of this is that, while we denigrate and put down no messenger, there is between the messengers a certain hierarchy. Some are superior to others; some have certain virtues over others. Of that there is no doubt. Allah gives a few examples, saying that some of them Allah spoke to directly: one is Kalīmullāh, Mūsā (peace be upon him). Others He has raised above some of the rest in their degree. ʿĪsā (peace be upon him) is then spoken of in general terms; later he is spoken of at great length.
From this it is understood that the prophets differed, and the messengers differed, and that this contributed also to the differing of their ummahs, their communities. And so the community of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), the final and most excellent of the messengers, the highest of them. Such is the lesson to be drawn.