Fath al-Rabbani

Benefits: … “Lineage is wealth”—by this is meant worldly wealth and riches, through which status and prestige are attained. “Nobility is piety (taqwa)”—that is, the nobility which will be considered valid in the Hereafter, and whose result will manifest as honor in the form of elevated ranks, is piety (taqwa), as Allah the Exalted has said: {اِنَّ اَکْرَمَکُمْ عِنْدَ اللّٰہِ اَتْقَاکُمْ} … “Indeed, the most honored of you in the sight of Allah is the most pious among you.” (Surah al-Hujurat: 13)

According to one opinion, the meaning of this hadith is: The matters intended by the Noble Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam are those which are recognized among people; among people, a poor person has no lineage, because he is neither respected nor given a seat in gatherings. It is as if, for the people of the world, lineage is wealth; only the wealthy are considered honorable and virtuous among people. However, in the sight of Allah the Exalted, such a person is not regarded as honored or noble, because in the exalted court, the criterion is piety (taqwa), not wealth, riches, lineage, or ancestry. Therefore, in the sight of Allah the Exalted, the noble and honored one will be the one adorned with the garment of piety (taqwa).