In the name of Allah, the most Compassionate, the most Merciful!
And whoever obeys Allah and the Messenger will be in the company of those blessed by Allah: the prophets, the people of truth, the martyrs, and the righteous—what honorable company! [Quran 4:69]
A Prophet is the highest rank that a human could have attained in this world. However, there are 3 more categories of people that Allah ranks along with the Prophets in the verse above. Let's examine those three categories as defined by Maulana Maududi:
The Person of Truth - Siddiq denotes someone who is utterly honest, someone whose devotion to truth has reached a very high point. Such a person is always upright and straightforward in his dealings. He supports nothing but right and justice and does so with sincerity. He opposes whatever is contrary to truth, and does not waver in his opposition to falsehood. His life is so unblemished and selfless that even enemies, let alone friends, expect of him unadulterated probity and justice.
The Martyr - Shahid means 'witness'. It signifies one who attests to the truth of his faith with his whole life. He who lays down his life fighting for God is called a shahid because by this sacrifice he confirms that his confession of faith was backed by a deep, genuine conviction of its truth and that he valued it above his own life. The term shahid is also applied to those outstandingly honest people who are so trustworthy that their testimony, on any matter, is accepted without hesitation.
The Righteous - Salih denotes one whose belief and thinking, motives and intentions, words and deeds, are based on righteousness. In short, he is a person whose life as a whole is oriented to righteousness.
Insha'Allah - I wish to be a Siddiq, a Shahid, and a Saleh since I want to be included in that original group of coveted people - I want to obey Allah and the Messenger to be at least standing with this group if not included in the original group. May Allah give us all the chance to stand next to the Prophets by virtue of our best deeds in this world. A'meen.
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