وَالْأَحْسَنُ أَنْ يُقَالَ: بَعْدَ الْأَنْبِيَاءِ
It is preferable to say: after the prophets.
The phrase “after our Prophet” may convey chronological posteriority. Yet ʿĪsā (Jesus), peace be upon him, retains the rank of prophet even after his return, and no Companion is thereby elevated above him.
Thus the intended comparison concerns the best human beings after the entire rank of prophets. Sound interpretation distinguishes a phrase’s potential range from its intended meaning.
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Precedence after the Prophets and the Rightly Guided Caliphate
وَالْأَحْسَنُ أَنْ يُقَالَ: بَعْدَ الْأَنْبِيَاءِ
It is preferable to say: after the prophets.
The phrase “after our Prophet” may convey chronological posteriority. Yet ʿĪsā (Jesus), peace be upon him, retains the rank of prophet even after his return, and no Companion is thereby elevated above him.
Thus the intended comparison concerns the best human beings after the entire rank of prophets. Sound interpretation distinguishes a phrase’s potential range from its intended meaning.