Allah states that the Ummah of Muhammad is the best nation ever,
﴿كُنتُمْ خَيْرَ أُمَّةٍ أُخْرِجَتْ
لِلنَّاسِ﴾
(You are the best of peoples ever raised up for mankind) ﴿3:110﴾.
Al-Bukhari recorded that Abu Hurayrah commented on this Ayah, "(You, Muslims, are)
the best nation of people for the people, you bring them tied in chains on their
necks (capture them in war) and they later embrace Islam.'' Similar was said by
Ibn `Abbas, Mujahid, `Atiyah Al-`Awfi, `Ikrimah, `Ata' and Ar-Rabi` bin Anas that,
﴿كُنتُمْ خَيْرَ أُمَّةٍ أُخْرِجَتْ
لِلنَّاسِ﴾
(You are the best of peoples ever raised up for mankind;) means, the best of peoples
for the people.
The meaning of the Ayah is that the Ummah of Muhammad is the most righteous and
beneficial nation for mankind. Hence Allah's description of them,
﴿تَأْمُرُونَ بِالْمَعْرُوفِ وَتَنْهَوْنَ
عَنِ الْمُنْكَرِ وَتُؤْمِنُونَ بِاللَّهِ﴾
(you enjoin Al-Ma`ruf and forbid Al-Munkar and believe in Allah) ﴿3:110﴾.
Ahmad, At-Tirmidhi, Ibn Majah, and Al-Hakim recorded that Hakim bin Mu`awiyah bin
Haydah narrated that his father said that the Messenger of Allah said,
«أَنْتُمْ تُوَفُّون سَبْعِينَ أُمَّةً،
أَنْتُمْ خَيْرُهَا، وَأَنْتُمْ أَكْرَمُ عَلَى اللهِ عَزَّ وَجَل»
(You are the final of seventy nations, you are the best and most honored among them
to Allah.)
This is a well-known Hadith about which At-Tirmidhi said, "Hasan'', and which is
also narrated from Mu`adh bin Jabal and Abu Sa`id. The Ummah of Muhammad achieved
this virtue because of its Prophet, Muhammad, peace be upon him, the most regarded
of Allah's creation and the most honored Messenger with Allah. Allah sent Muhammad
with the perfect and complete Law that was never given to any Prophet or Messenger
before him. In Muhammad's Law, few deeds take the place of the many deeds that other
nations performed. For instance, Imam Ahmad recorded that `Ali bin Abi Talib said,
"The Messenger of Allah said,
«أُعْطِيتُ مَا لَمْ يُعْطَ أَحَدٌ
مِنَ الْأَنْبِيَاء»
(I was given what no other Prophet before me was given.)
We said, `O Messenger of Allah! What is it' He said,
«نُصِرْتُ بِالرُّعْبِ، وَأُعْطِيتُ
مَفَاتِيحَ الْأَرْضِ، وَسُمِّيتُ أَحْمَدَ، وَجُعِلَ التُّرَابُ لِي طَهُورًا، وَجُعِلَتْ
أُمَّتِي خَيْرَ الْأُمَم»
(I was given victory by fear, I was given the keys of the earth, I was called Ahmad,
the earth was made a clean place for me (to pray and perform Tayammum with it) and
my Ummah was made the best Ummah.).''
The chain of narration for this Hadith is Hasan. There are several Hadiths that
we should mention here.
The Two Sahihs recorded that Az-Zuhri said that, Sa`id bin Al-Musayyib said that
Abu Hurayrah narrated to him, "I heard the Messenger of Allah saying,
«يَدْخُلُ الْجَنَّــةَ مِنْ أُمَّتِي
زُمْرَةٌ وَهُمْ سَبْعُونَ أَلْفًا، تُضِيءُ وُجُوهُهُمْ إِضَاءَةَ الْقَمَرِ لَيْلَةَ
الْبَدْر»
فقال أبو هريرة: فقام عكاشة بن محصن الأسدي يرفع نمرة عليه، فقال: يا رسول الله، ادع
الله أن يجعلني منهم، فقال رسول اللهصلى الله عليه وسلّم:
«اللَّهُمَّ اجْعَلْهُ مِنْهُم»
ثم قام رجل من الأنصار فقال: يا رسول الله ادع الله أن يجعلني منهم، فقال:
«سَبقَكَ بِهَا عُكَّاشَة»
(A group of seventy thousand from my Ummah will enter Paradise, while their faces
are radiating, just like the moon when it is full.'`Ukkashah bin Mihsan Al-Asadi
stood up, saying, `O Messenger of Allah! Supplicate to Allah that I am one of them.'
The Messenger of Allah said, `O Allah! Make him one of them.' A man from the Ansar
also stood and said, `O Messenger of Allah! Supplicate to Allah that I am one of
them.' The Messenger said, `Ukkashah has beaten you to it.')
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