It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) that he said: "Indeed, Allah Almighty has favoured Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) above the inhabitants of the heavens and above the inhabitants of the earth." The people asked: "O Abu al-Abbas! By what has Allah favoured him (peace and blessings be upon him) above the inhabitants of the heavens?" He said: "Allah Almighty has said (about the inhabitants of the heavens): 'And whoever of them says: I am a god besides Him, We will recompense him with Hell; thus do We recompense the wrongdoers' [Surah al-Anbiya': 29] . And for Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) He said: 'Indeed, We have granted you a clear victory, so that Allah may forgive you your former and later shortcomings' [Surah al-Fath: 1-2] ." The people asked: "Then by what has He favoured him above the inhabitants of the earth?" He said: "Indeed, Allah Almighty said (about the other messengers): 'And We did not send any messenger except in the language of his people, so that he might make things clear to them' [Surah Ibrahim: 4] . And for Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) He said: 'And We have not sent you except to all mankind as a bearer of glad tidings and a warner' [Surah Saba': 28] . So Allah sent him to all the jinn and mankind." The chain of this hadith is sahih (authentic), because a group of the Imams of Islam have used al-Hakam bin Aban as evidence, but the two Shaykhs (Bukhari and Muslim) did not record it.