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Fatwa CenterThe Prophets envying those who love one another for the Sake of Allaah
Question
salam alaik i wanted to know the status of this narration Allah (subhanahu wa ta`ala) said: 'Those who love one another for My glory, will have minbars of light, and the Prophets and martyrs will wish that they had the same." i heard imam tirmizi graded it as hasan saheeh..... how can prophets wish for something when they have an elevated standard than common people. please reply quickly as i have to use it for preparing my notes and i love you for the sake of Allah jazak Allah and salam alaik
Answer
All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammad 
is His slave and Messenger.
First of all, we would like to say to you "may Allaah love you as you loved us for His Sake".
The Hadeeth which you pointed to in the question is a Saheeh [sound] Hadeeth reported by Ahmad and At-Tirmithi, and narrated by Mu’aath Ibn Jabal 
who said: “I heard the Prophet saying: “Allaah said: “Those who love one another for My sake, will have pulpits of light, and the Prophets and martyrs would envy them (i.e. will wish that they have the same)." At-Tirmithi 
said that this Hadeeth is Hasan Saheeh.
As regards how the Prophets would envy them for their position while the Prophets are better than them, then there is no doubt that the Prophets are better than them, so the scholars have clarified this issue with many answers among which are the following:
- What is meant by the Prophets envying those people, is that they are happy to see their position and they consider it as good, because in Arabic the word "Ghibtah" (which is mentioned in the Hadeeth and literally translated into envy) linguistically means being happy and in a good position, so, the meaning of the Hadeeth is that the Prophets and martyrs consider the position of those people as good; thus, the matter has now been clarified.
- It is also said that they do not envy them for their pulpits of light and for their rest; rather, they envy them for their love for the Sake of Allaah, because love for the Sake of Allaah is love for Allaah, and this is a matter for which people should compete; so the envy is for the love of Allaah between those people and not for what Allaah had bestowed upon them.
- It is also said that the Prophets and those in their company do not really envy those who love each other for the Sake of Allaah, but what is meant here is to show the excellence of those people and their high status with their Lord on a confirmed and excellent manner.
There are many other answers which were said in this regard. In any case, the fact that the Prophets envy those people does not necessarily mean that they are better than the Prophets, because a person may envy another person for a good that he has seen with him and which he liked, while he himself has more good than him and is better than him.
Allaah Knows best.
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