Hayat Al-Qulub Vol. 1,
By: Allamah Muhammad Baqir Al-Majlisi
Abu Haritha now directed them to look into the book of Sheeth, which had been transmitted as a heritage to Idris, from hand to hand. The book was written in the ancient Syriac script. Here it was recorded that when Idris was in the house of his devotions, in the land of Kufa, his people assembled around him, and he addressed them saying: “One day a dispute arose among the offspring of Adam, on the question, as to who was the most exalted creature: some maintaining that this dignity belonged to Adam, since Allah created him with His own hands and make the angels prostrate to him and gave him the successorship of the earth and made all creatures subservient to him.
Others insisted that the honor must be the property of the angels who had never disobeyed the divine commands, some said particularly the archangels Jibraeel, Mikaeel and Israfeel. Some declared that Jibraeel must be greatest of all as he was entrusted by the Most High with divine communications. They came at length and referred their dispute to Adam and told him what they had said on the subject.
He replied, “I will tell you, my children, who is most exalted before God. Verily, by Allah, when spirit was breathed into me, and I sat up, the great divine empyrean was beaming in my sight, and on it is written. There is no God but God; Muhammad is the Prophet of God. One of them is the chosen one of God and another is the trustworthy one of God. And he mentioned some names that were joined to the names of Muhammad.
Then Adam (a.s.) said: This I found written all over heaven so that there was no blank left the size of a page. The name of every believer was written on the empyrean, twelve of which Adam repeated, and said: “O my children, Muhammad (S) and those twelve persons are dearest and most exalted of all creatures with the most High.”
The narrator says that after this Abu Haritha next referred to the Salawat of Ibrahim that the angels had brought from the Almighty Allah; and notwithstanding the objections of Sayyid and Aqib, who said that quotations enough had been made, insisted on having the testing of that book brought forward.
It was written: The Most High chose Ibrahim for friendship, exalted him with favors, and made him the Qiblah and leader of those who should come after him, and established in his posterity the prophethood and imamate, and possession of the divine books. The Most High gave him by inheritance an ark of Adam which related to science and wisdom. Due to which he became superior to the angels.
