One person may excel in knowledge, another in courage and a third in generosity. Superiority in a particular virtue does not automatically establish overall precedence. A broader assessment considers multiple virtues, the meaning of transmitted evidence, and scholarly reception.
The titles and recognized merits of ʿUthmān and ʿAlī illustrate the distinction. Acknowledging a striking individual merit is sound; using it alone to decide every comparison risks an invalid inference.
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Precedence after the Prophets and the Rightly Guided Caliphate
One person may excel in knowledge, another in courage and a third in generosity. Superiority in a particular virtue does not automatically establish overall precedence. A broader assessment considers multiple virtues, the meaning of transmitted evidence, and scholarly reception.
The titles and recognized merits of ʿUthmān and ʿAlī illustrate the distinction. Acknowledging a striking individual merit is sound; using it alone to decide every comparison risks an invalid inference.