This is more reasonable about 33:40
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Not really, but I suppose the word "exalted" is more suitable to be use for Allah alone.
Salm.
When I use the word "exalted" before the person it denotes he is declared and honoured by someone else to this elevated position. And I write it after the name of Allah with Capital E, it denotes He is Exalted in own right; in fact the word exalted is too small to portray Allah, but for lack of any appropriate word in English, it suffices.
Some people feel disturbed by the word exalted used for the honourable Messenger, despite the fact that it merely denotes elevated high in rank.
According to dictionary "high in rank" means exalted. Allah the Supreme Sovereign has even adjudged those followers of the exalted Messenger in time line before victory of Mecca as "higher in rank" than others. Read translation of any translator of Ayah 5710.
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Peace,
For me; Muhammad, servant of God, is fine.
Have faith
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Sure.
We just have to get rid of thinking that messengers of Allah are superhumans with superpowers and get rid of idiolizing past messengers, then a lot will clear up for us.
And the messenger is still delivering the messages as we speak.
They're easily recognized by the message.
And based on my personal experience none of them demanding a testimony that they're a messenger of God or being worshiped or ask anyone to die for them.@ Bender & Jafar
Brothers, looks like you two have met with people who you consider to be the messenger/s.
May I know what they say to you? Whether you receive some valuable messages from them?
Perhaps both of you can share to us about the lessons that you know from them.
Salm.
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Peace,
For me; Muhammad, servant of God, is fine.
Have faith
We are all servants of God wether we choose it or not, because God is our Master and we do what He wants us to do, I do not think that saying that anybody is servant of God gives much insight. In fact prophets, are servants of God, but whom they serve with their being servants of God is humanity. That is what God gives them as a task. They are servants of humanity, as the Qur'an says, a mercy to the worlds.
Why is that such a bitter pill to swallow?
Do we not know how to be grateful?
Does it lasts our pride to acknowledge them and their service and God's Mercy?No, prophets, Muhammad are servants of humanity. Thank You, God, Thank You, God, for your mercies and your prophets, and may we all become purified like them to attain to your intimacy.
Salaam
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Peace,
We are all servants of God
Yes and no. If you do not acknowledge the supremacy of God then you are not willfully obedient of God and not really a servant even if we are all from God. You can choose to be a slave or a servant. To be a servant you need to serve someone or something. Do you call those who perform atrocities in the world to be servants of God too?
If you are to be called by the word servant then you also have to serve the one you are called servant of and not be disobedient.
we do what He wants us to do
No. We do not. There are lot of people who run off following their own desires instead of doing The Master's will.
I do not think that saying that anybody is servant of God gives much insight
It says a lot because it is a person who serves the will of his or her Creator.
In fact prophets, are servants of God, but whom they serve with their being servants of God is humanity
Hmm.. ???
No. They serve God by relaying a message. And if they assist in the cause of God to help humanity then they still serve God. No matter how you twist and turn it in the end they serve God.
2128 Abraham ?Our Master, and let us "submit" to You and from our progeny a nation "submitting" to You, and show us our deeds, and forgive us; You are the Forgiver, the Merciful.?
2129 ?Our Master, and send among them a messenger from among themselves, that he may recite to them Your revelations and teach them the decree and the wisdom, and purify them. You are the Noble, the Wise.?Do you really think that the messenger in question is serving mankind here or that he is a servant of God that works with teaching the decree and wisdom to purify them?
2132 And Abraham enjoined his sons and Jacob ?O my sons, God has selected the system for you, so do not die except as ones who have submitted.?
2133 Or were you present when death came to Jacob and he said to his sons ?Who shall you serve from after me?? They said ?Your god, and the god of your fathers Abraham, and Ishmael, and Isaac; One god and to Him we submit.?Why is that such a bitter pill to swallow?
No. It is not a bitter pill to swallow. I recognize Muhammad as a servant of God. It is quite an honor. What do you want me to say? That he is a man of God instead? Both suffice.
Do we not know how to be grateful?
I am grateful to God.
Does it lasts our pride to acknowledge them and their service and God's Mercy?
I praise God for sending messengers in The Master's way. I do not call it that I am proud because I am far below The Master who sent me and them.
No, prophets, Muhammad are servants of humanity
I would not exactly call them servants of humanity. See above.
It is as to serve only what you can see instead of your invisible Creator. A common human fallacy. By doing deeds of righteousness you serve the will of your heavenly Master that you cannot see but can see you. It is as to see electricity unless it sparks.
Thank You, God, Thank You, God, for your mercies and your prophets, and may we all become purified like them to attain to your intimacy.
That sounds better. But you will not become purified unless you show your good character and do good and build up faith for the unknown. I would not stare myself blind on the prophets and instead focus on God and to please The Master who sent you. You will not help yourself through idolatry and reverence at the cost of developing your own person.
People defend the glory of men and women made out of flesh at every cost while all praise belong to your Creator.
Have faith
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Some people feel disturbed by the word exalted used for the honourable Messenger, despite the fact that it merely denotes elevated high in rank.
According to dictionary "high in rank" means exalted. Allah the Supreme Sovereign has even adjudged those followers of the exalted Messenger in time line before victory of Mecca as "higher in rank" than others. Read translation of any translator of Ayah 5710.
Peace,
How about forgetting about that for a minute and compete on who can reach an honorable or exalted rank today in the 21st century?
That was an era on its own and now there is a new era. How about focusing on this world instead of living in the past?
You will accomplish nothing about talking on and on about how perfect a person Muhammad was over 1000 years ago, just the same as Christians will not accomplish anything about talking how a wonderful person Jesus was about 2000 years ago.
Have faith
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Peace,
How about forgetting about that for a minute and compete on who can reach an honorable or exalted rank today in the 21st century?
That was an era on its own and now there is a new era. How about focusing on this world instead of living in the past?
You will accomplish nothing about talking on and on about how perfect a person Muhammad was over 1000 years ago, just the same as Christians will not accomplish anything about talking how a wonderful person Jesus was about 2000 years ago.
Have faith
It is not remote past, it is just little more than a day, if we believe word of Allah the Exalted. Nothing has changed, salvation principle remains the same
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It is not remote past, it is just little more than a day
Now you are just playing with words. Even if it is just a day it is a new day. Try not to be a "besserwisser".
Nothing has changed, salvation principle remains the same
Yes. So let us race towards good deeds so God is pleased. You do not accomplish anything by sitting here and show awe over the deeds of yesterday.
Salaam
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Peace,
Yes and no. If you do not acknowledge the supremacy of God then you are not willfully obedient of God and not really a servant even if we are all from God. You can choose to be a slave or a servant. To be a servant you need to serve someone or something. Do you call those who perform atrocities in the world to be servants of God too?
If you are to be called by the word servant then you also have to serve the one you are called servant of and not be disobedient.
No. We do not. There are lot of people who run off following their own desires instead of doing The Master's will.
It says a lot because it is a person who serves the will of his or her Creator.
Hmm.. ???
No. They serve God by relaying a message. And if they assist in the cause of God to help humanity then they still serve God. No matter how you twist and turn it in the end they serve God.
2128 Abraham ?Our Master, and let us "submit" to You and from our progeny a nation "submitting" to You, and show us our deeds, and forgive us; You are the Forgiver, the Merciful.?
2129 ?Our Master, and send among them a messenger from among themselves, that he may recite to them Your revelations and teach them the decree and the wisdom, and purify them. You are the Noble, the Wise.?Do you really think that the messenger in question is serving mankind here or that he is a servant of God that works with teaching the decree and wisdom to purify them?
2132 And Abraham enjoined his sons and Jacob ?O my sons, God has selected the system for you, so do not die except as ones who have submitted.?
2133 Or were you present when death came to Jacob and he said to his sons ?Who shall you serve from after me?? They said ?Your god, and the god of your fathers Abraham, and Ishmael, and Isaac; One god and to Him we submit.?No. It is not a bitter pill to swallow. I recognize Muhammad as a servant of God. It is quite an honor. What do you want me to say? That he is a man of God instead? Both suffice.
I am grateful to God.
I praise God for sending messengers in The Master's way. I do not call it that I am proud because I am far below The Master who sent me and them.
I would not exactly call them servants of humanity. See above.
It is as to serve only what you can see instead of your invisible Creator. A common human fallacy. By doing deeds of righteousness you serve the will of your heavenly Master that you cannot see but can see you. It is as to see electricity unless it sparks.
That sounds better. But you will not become purified unless you show your good character and do good and build up faith for the unknown. I would not stare myself blind on the prophets and instead focus on God and to please The Master who sent you. You will not help yourself through idolatry and reverence at the cost of developing your own person.
People defend the glory of men and women made out of flesh at every cost while all praise belong to your Creator.
Have faith
You playing with words words and you contradict yourself. One thing is to serve another thing is to worship and another thing is who is your master and whom you acknowledge as a master.
Because according to you the prohets do not serve you, you do not benefit from them, and you say that you can choose not to serve God, so the prophets could have chosen not to serve you or God, right? So since by carrying out their mission of their own will you have been served, they have served and you owe tghem gratitude. Do not bouble talk. And also how do you know they did not want to serve humanity, only God? You, yourself do not want, never, to serve anybody. And please, stick to the English meaning of serve, do not come now and make worship, because playing with words you may win an argument (apparently) but I guess that not everybody will think very highly of that win. So if you have been served and they know they were going to serve you and did not say they did not want to serve, only God, then they did serve you.
Are you unable to be grateful to your mother? Are you unable to be grateful to people who may have done you a favour out of good will? Don't spit to me that nonsense about thankful to God. That I take for granted we owe everything to God, but even God can be grateful to men and you can't?
You see a lady with a baby carriage that is attempting to go down a staircase, you pull to help her, are thinking ?Oh, I am serving God, because of that I will help this lady to go down the stairs with the baby carriage, or you just do not think anything, you see the woman in need and you pull? You are nto serving God, who does not need to pull a baby carriage downstairs, you are serving the woman and the baby. Then, when you have pulled the carriage down the lady gives you thanks. So you think to yourself she is an idolater, it is God who has helped her, not any human? Is that what you do? I am sure it is not. I am sure that you give her a full smile and assure her that it was a pleasure or something to that effect.
Does it seem to you like worship to be grateful to anybody?
I am sure you are a grateful person, but I am afraid that in this silly race on showing off who is more "independent", or would I say disdainful, to prophets and particularly the transmitter of the Qur'an, we seem to be loosing foot on common sense and common humanity.
And worship, root 3-b-d may have as many Arabic words and words in many languages a semantic field that does not match that in other languages and you seem to think that you can play with that. No, you can't. You may win an argument from your point of view and to your contentment but you will only convince those that are already determined that they will stick to what your "position" might be no matter what. To those who are really interested in getting nearer justice and truth or attempting to more purity it will be idle talk.
Salaam
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Peace,
You playing with words words and you contradict yourself. One thing is to serve another thing is to worship and another thing is who is your master and whom you acknowledge as a master.
Because according to you the prohets do not serve you, you do not benefit from them, and you say that you can choose not to serve God, so the prophets could have chosen not to serve you or God, right? So since by carrying out their mission of their own will you have been served, they have served and you owe tghem gratitude. Do not bouble talk. And also how do you know they did not want to serve humanity, only God? You, yourself do not want, never, to serve anybody. And please, stick to the English meaning of serve, do not come now and make worship, because playing with words you may win an argument (apparently) but I guess that not everybody will think very highly of that win. So if you have been served and they know they were going to serve you and did not say they did not want to serve, only God, then they did serve you.
No I actually try not to play with words. I just want you and everyone else to tone down on the importance of showing excessive gratitude to people who served God in the past, but not entirely forgetting them of course.
You, yourself do not want, never, to serve anybody.
Okay. I have realized a conflicting issue with the English word 'serve'. In a regard I help people, but in service to God. This is an issue of an appropriate expression that separates helping/serving people and ambition to serve God.
We have our deeds and the unity, but all that we do we do it for God. You can work helping mankind in various ways and that kind of "service" does not go under the restriction of serving only God alone because you serve God alone when you help mankind.
I am sure you are a grateful person, but I am afraid that in this silly race on showing off who is more "independent", or would I say disdainful, to prophets and particularly the transmitter of the Qur'an, we seem to be loosing foot on common sense and common humanity.
I am grateful to my mother and I am grateful to Muhammad and a bunch of other people, but I am not excessively so and I know all good is from God.
But you must also realize that there are people who do not serve God or mankind and they are thus not servants of God or mankind. So a summary is that all people are not servants of God because the criterion to be a servant is that you serve (assist).
The attacks from me is because people treat both the book called Qur'an and the prophet called Muhammad as idols and exalting their importance when the decree of God and all there is to know has been known to man for thousands of years. Despite a good guide it is just a book, just a piece of paper with text on it, not magical.
And one said I was doomed to Hell if I said something that according to him was against Muhammad. Is that even his decision to make?
You see a lady with a baby carriage that is attempting to go down a staircase, you pull to help her, are thinking ?Oh, I am serving God, because of that I will help this lady to go down the stairs with the baby carriage, or you just do not think anything, you see the woman in need and you pull? You are nto serving God, who does not need to pull a baby carriage downstairs, you are serving the woman and the baby. Then, when you have pulled the carriage down the lady gives you thanks. So you think to yourself she is an idolater, it is God who has helped her, not any human? Is that what you do? I am sure it is not. I am sure that you give her a full smile and assure her that it was a pleasure or something to that effect.
Now that is an exaggeration of my stance and it is extremism. We are supposed to live normal lives and God told us to be kind and helpful to others and verily if someone is kind to you then thank him/her because if you do that you also indirectly say thanks to God. And the reply of "thank you" shows appreciation of the good because indirectly if good is bestowed on you then God was involved. And saying thanks to the woman also encourages unity which is an essence of the faith.
What you shall know is that you can never idolize God too much but the more the merrier. Regard for God even goes above the regard for your own parents preferably.
And worship, root 3-b-d may have as many Arabic words and words in many languages a semantic field that does not match that in other languages and you seem to think that you can play with that. No, you can't. You may win an argument from your point of view and to your contentment but you will only convince those that are already determined that they will stick to what your "position" might be no matter what. To those who are really interested in getting nearer justice and truth or attempting to more purity it will be idle talk.
Perhaps there was a mistake by those of the 'Monotheist translation' to translate abud as serve instead of worship. For all your should know is that I am not an extremist and I sure know the decree and judgment and all about that justice shall be served. The thought was good, but it causes a conflict with such as the argument that we have here.
So in the light of the discussion we have here it is okay to serve humanity if it connotes on being helpful and of assistance while not if it talks about the worship of gods.
You may win an argument from your point of view
This is not a matter of "winning" an argument but rather proclaiming the truth. No matter what people say there is always just one truth, not several, but you can have multiple ways to getting to that truth. We can always discuss the things here and come to a friendly outcome of things. The first criteria is to understand each other and what we think.
An important input is that the prophets and/or messengers were "employed" by God to do their duty in proclaiming the message they carried, so they served God (by work) to help humanity, but mostly due to that God is so fantastically merciful that even if the true decree has been there for thousands of years The Master keeps sending emissaries.
I hope you can calm down because I saw some anger in you and you are my sister in faith.
Have faith
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Nothing has changed, salvation principle remains the same
Yes.So let us race towards good deeds so God is pleased. You do not accomplish anything by sitting here and show awe over the deeds of yesterday.
Salaam
What is the point in racing unnecessarily at the cost of the pleasures of this life? It is an exercise in futility since Paradise is exclusively the abode for
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Believe in Allah alone, Love and Revere Allah alone; Keep considering Allah alone is the Exalted; but by the end of the day there is no Paradise for such a person.
Allah the Exalted says Paradise is made only and exclusively for those who believe not in Allah alone but also all the Messengers of Him. Thus if one accepts the Exalted position of Allah the Exalted you have to accept that Allah has exalted His Messengers.
You love not, revere not, honour not the Messenger---------there is no Paradise; this is the verdict of Allah the Exalted. -
Peace,
Where are you man? Countless passages saying have faith and do good and many elaborations on what to do and you ask me that question?
Pleasures of this life. It sounds like someone who does not have faith according to the recited text. How about reading what the scripture says instead of lens-reading it for a reason to idolize Muhammad.
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Where are you man? Countless passages saying have faith and do good and many elaborations on what to do and you ask me that question?
Pleasures of this life. It sounds like someone who does not have faith according to the recited text. How about reading what the scripture says instead of lens-reading it for a reason to idolize Muhammad.
Your and mine actions will never be parrallel and earn us a rank equal to those Believers who were in the corporeal company of the elevated Messenger of Allah the Exalted.
Those who had spent before the event of the Conquest of Mecca and confronted war do not and will never equate in timeline with any one amongst you people.
They are the people who are comparatively great.
Their greatness is with regard to their elevated rank-ascension in contrast to all the people who did the same act of spending and confronting war in time and space in time-line after the Conquest.
Classification of the Believers
What remains the worth of all the belief and good deeds if the protocol of respect of the Messenger is even sligtly compromised
O those/you who proclaim to have accepted-become believers, listen;
You should not raise your voices over and above the voice of the Elevated, Distinct and Chosen Allegiant Muhammad ;
And you should not be plain/frank for him in addressing him by name like ordinary manner of frankness of some of you for some others
This advice is given as caution lest your deeds become voided, weightless froth, destructive,
While you people are not even aware of this upshot.We always mention respectfully and honourably even the political dignataries by words like His Excellency, Your excellency, Her Majesty the Queen of Englan; My lord; etc; but here on this forum many people get irked and emotionally disturbed if same attitude is adopted for the really and genuinely exalted Messengers of Allah the Exalted.
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Wrong, MoF, I am not angre. I am vehement in expression but am not angry. I consider you a person with good intention and purpose, but a really see no point in putting prophets "in their place". They never were out of their place and they did serve humand kind because as the Qur'an says they are a mercy for all the worlds, and they were so deliberately, they were not forced nor cajoled they did it out of love for human kind, and opposing love of God and love of human kind as far as I am concerned is meaningless and ridiculous. God created human kind, created everything, not to love human kind or everything is slighting God's creation. ?Did he do it wrong? And to offset huaman kind as contradiction to God is also meaningless, where is the Tawhid?
No we are not God, but we are here because God whanted us here. God cannot be served because He is and has everything. We cannot make a favour to God, we can submit to God we can deliver ourselves wholly to God, but we cannot serve him, He does not require a damned thing out of us. But other humans and other things may require that we take care of them. You do not serve God, you worshi God and you serve humankind. And if you do it out of love for human kind, it is not wrong. God has not forbidden us to love human kind.
People who are very spiritually developed, like prophets, may love God very very deeply, but for many people the step by step love to God begins with loves closer to their perception, the love of goodness the love of beauty, the love of those who are good to us. That is also love of God but we should not split love. We cannot attain to God, but we can attain to His manifestations as reflected in humans and other beings. In phenomena.
The prophet as postman is a very unfortunat simil which seems to have got a great grip here, but the postman does not know what is in the letters, whereas the prophets do know and not only that, they must be an example for all people of what is enjoined in the letter. No postman indifferent to other human beings, but quite the opposite very much moved and devoted to their wellbeing and salvation. They worship God, they are the most intimate friends of God, but they do serve us. It is only pure love of God that may persuade somebody to give up his time, his passions, his human loves for the sake of humanity. Their lifes do not belong to them, but to they people they are sent to... That is a lot of renunciation. I feel as if there was a counting of how much you can respect or thank or speak well of prophets... it shocks me. Just as much as I have been shocked by people whi in every two words they bring the Prophet to bear as if it was their shadow, as if overdoing their "dedication" to the Prophet were going to have the magical effect of salvation. Both excesses are shocking. Balanced people do nto go to such ridiculous extremes. We can be quite moderate and balanced for most things. Why not in this one?
Do we have to justify to some strict judge our saying every time we speak well or with respect of a prophet? Do we have to justify ourselves to some strict judge our not saying every two words aplaudding the Prophet.
Let us not go nuts trying to put in the moon concepts and measure that are quite common in our lives and which we do naturally but which since it has become a matter of being reaproachless it does become a problem.
God is God humans are humans and there are humans who are exceptionally pious and God loving and therefore humanity loving. May God bless them and may he be thanked for the blessings that we get through the prophets and let us not be stingy in their praise. We like it when we are praised for our attainments. We make efforts and it is not easy nor a matter of course for us to attain things, and we are grateful for praise, why be stingy with the prophets. Will we be degraded by some judge of fashion?Salaam
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Mazhar,
Although the messenger is dead since over 1000 years ago. Are you going to build your own life or be living in the past? I told you that it is better that you and me rush for good deeds instead of lens-reading about things we should be doing today and which he did many many many years ago.
Why could we not be as good as the people of Muhammad? Do you not see the error here? You have given up before even trying.
Have faith
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Peace huruf,
There has to be a balance between gratification towards ancient prophets and outright idolatry. If you are so soaked up by your worship of them so you cannot even think of much else then it is idolatry beyond doubt. Personally I prefer to keep it at minimum. I recognize the prophets and messengers and respect their efforts, but not much more than that and I doubt they would have asked for more either if they knew. I have a certain love I suppress as I do not want to favorize anyone of them, but from a ladder of favorite rank Muhammad is not the first. Both Jesus and Abraham would come before him and perhaps also Moses, but I idolize none of them.
Compared to what certain people say, I think that the people who became messengers or prophets were excelled to that rank not through wishful thinking, but by devout service and hard work with commitment. It could be anyone of us who was very dutiful in service to God. Sometimes messengers or prophets become that due to a promise from a prayer of someone before them like their mother or father, but they are all still tested like everyone else and there have been failures among subsequent offspring along the bloodlines which had a history of such devout people.
But messengers can come from any bloodline, it has no real relevance and who knows; perhaps a righteous servant gets chosen to be messenger from this era?
Have faith
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I have a certain love I suppress as I do not want to favorize anyone of them, but from a ladder of favorite rank Muhammad is not the first. Both Jesus and Abraham would come before him and perhaps also Moses, but I idolize none of them.
Yeah, I also try to respect them all and try not to make one become special over the others, inshaAllah.
However, to be honest, if I can have my favorite list of the prophets, then I suppose my favorite is prophet John (Yahya) and then his father, prophet Zechariah (Zakariya).
"Yahya" is truly a beautiful name. )
Salm.
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One can have personal favourites, but to say that any one is better than others is not qur'an but against Qur'an. My favourite prophets Maryam, Yusuf, Muhammad, but they are not above others nor below. There are no ranks in prophethood in the Qur'an, but each has his or her specific mission. The showing of how 3isa is better than Muhammad or Musa, which many people do, or whatever is distasteful and to me it smacks of centrain revanchism.
Salaam
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There are no ranks in prophethood in the Qur'an, but each has his or her specific mission.
Salam alaykum, sister.
Actually, there are ranks among the prophets (i.e. who are also the messengers) of God. We find this explicitly mentioned in 2253. But what we should bear in mind is that, those ranks are ONLY with God, and it is not for us to determine or say who has a higher rank than whom.
2253
We have made some of these messengers to excel the others among them are they to whom God spoke, and some of them He exalted by rank / degrees; and We gave clear miracles to Jesus son of Mary, and strengthened him with the Holy spirit. And if God had pleased, those after them would not have fought one with another after clear arguments had come to them, but they disagreed; so there were some of them who believed and others who denied; and if God had pleased they would not have fought one with another, but God brings about what He intendsTherefore, it is clear that some messengers excelled others and others were exalted in rank.
Regards.
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Therefore, it is clear that some messengers excelled others and others were exalted in rank.
Salamun alaikum.
Not as clear as you make it sound brother. There is a valid alternative understanding of the verse which I find more acceptable. Per my humble understanding - in the verse you quoted (2253), Qur'an is telling us (the readers of Qur'an) who are the messengers. It gives 3 cases for messengers
- With some of them Allah spoke,
- With some of them Allah did not speak - but they were raised in rank from their fellow people in some manner - may be in terms of wisdom / authority / character etc.
- Jesus, son of Mary - was a special case whom Allah favored by providing clear signs and strengthening by the holy spirit.
So, as you cane see in point 2 - I am reading the messengers were raised in rank from their fellow people or contemporaries - not necessarily from other messengers. In fact if we interpret this verse to understand some messengers were indeed raised in rank from other messengers - that does not tell us much about who the messengers were - which is the key proposition of the first part of the verse.. "Those are the messengers..." Most importantly if the rank is only with Allah - and we don't need to bother about it - then there is no point of mentioning it for us, is there? Imagine you are describing "Tigers" - in your description you say, "Some tigers are stronger than others - this doesn't tell much about the tigers, right? But if you say "Tigers are stronger than other animals in the forest" that gives some information about the tigers. My hunch is the traditional interpretation, which you are referring, was invented and popularized by the same people who are desperate to somehow try to find a Qur'anic justification to glorify one messenger (i.e. Muhammad pbh) over the others.
I know I cannot prove my interpretation is the best... so if you find it more reasonable to understand the verse to say messengers had varying ranks with Allah you are entitled to have your view. At the end we all return to Allah and He is the best judge who ranks where. I however prefer the interpretation that some messengers were raised in rank from their contemporaries - and I find this interpretation more in line with the fundamental directive of Qur'an or not differing among the messengers.
May Allah guide us all to the straight route.
Regards,
Arman