Ponder This Hadith

In this statement, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ establishes a foundational creedal principle: that he is the most knowledgeable of Allah and the most God-fearing among all people.

This affirmation carries profound theological implications.

First, if the Prophet ﷺ is the most knowledgeable of Allah and the highest in spiritual rank, then he has already attained the fullest realization of inward truth (haqiqah). Yet despite this unparalleled station, he ﷺ continued to pray every salah, fast the month of Ramadan, perform Hajj, and adhere meticulously to the commands and limits set by Allah, both outwardly and inwardly, until his final breath.

This raises an important question: if the one who possessed the greatest knowledge of Allah and the highest spiritual rank was never exempt from worship or divine law, how can any later individual claim that reaching a state of haqiqah releases them from these obligations?

Second, this hadith affirms a clear creedal hierarchy. The Prophet ﷺ explicitly states that he surpasses all others in both knowledge of Allah and God-consciousness. This necessarily establishes his superiority over every other human being in virtue, rank, and authority, including the most noble of his companions.

This directly contradicts the Ismaili belief that there was a conspiracy by Hazrat Ali to make the Prophet ﷺ into a prophet, a claim documented in Ismaili theological sources and can be seen explained by Khalil Andani here.