34 - الإنسان‏

34. MAN

208 - كَرامةُ بَني آدَمَ‏

208. The Dignity of Man

(وَلَقَدْ كَرَّمْنا بَنِي آدَمَ وَحَمَلْناهُمْ فِي الْبَرِّ وَالْبَحْرِ وَرَزَقْناهُمْ مِنَ الطَّيِّباتِ وَفَضَّلْناهُمْ عَلى‏ كَثِيرٍ مِمَّنْ خَلَقْنا تَفْضِيلاً) .¹

"Certainly We have honoured the Children of Adam, and carried them over land and sea, and provided them with all the good things, and given them an advantage over many of those We have created with a complete preference." ²

637.رسولِ اللَّهِ صلى اللَّه عليه وآله : ما شَي‏ءٌ أكرمُ علَى اللَّهِ مِن ابنِ آدمَ . قيلَ : يا رسولَ اللَّهِ ، ولا الملائكةُ؟! قالَ : الملائكةُ مَجْبورونَ ، بمنزلةِ الشّمسِ والقمرِ .³

637.The Prophet (SAWA) said, 'Nothing is more honoured by Allah than the son of Adam.' He was asked, 'Not even the angels, O Messenger of Allah?' He said, 'The angels are compelled [by predestination] like the sun and the moon.' ⁴

638.رسولُ اللَّهِ صلى اللَّه عليه وآله : لَيس شَي‏ءٌ خَيراً مِن ألْفٍ مِثلِهِ إلّا الإنسانَ .⁵

638.The Prophet (SAWA) said, 'Nothing is better than a thousand of its like, except for man.' ⁶

639.الإمامُ الصّادقُ عليه السلام - وقد سألَهُ عبدُ اللَّهِ بنُ سِنانٍ : الملائكةُ أفضلُ أمْ بَنو آدمَ ؟ - : قالَ أميرُ المؤمنينَ عليُّ بنُ أبي طالبٍ عليه السلام : إنّ اللَّهَ عزّ وجلّ ركّبَ في الملائكةِ عقلاً بلا شَهوةٍ ، وركّبَ في البهائمِ شَهوةً بلا عقلٍ ، وركّبَ في بني آدمَ كِلْتَيْهما ، فمَنْ غلَبَ عقلُهُ شهوتَهُ فَهُو خيرٌ مِن الملائكةِ ، ومَن غلَبتْ شَهوتُهُ عقلَهُ فهُو شَرٌّ مِن البهائمِ .⁷

639. Imam al-Sadiq (AS), when Abdullah b. Sinan asked him, 'Is man better or the angels?', replied, 'The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said, 'Allah, the Exalted, gave the angels intellect without desire, He gave the beasts desire without intellect, and He gave both to the sons of Adam. So a man whose intellect prevails over his desire is better than the angels whilst a man whose desire prevails over his intellect is worse that the beasts.' ⁸