Spiritual understanding & development

Spiritual understanding and development may not necessarily be related to higher social standing.
The maxim is best illustrated in Surah 80 of Holy Quran. As related Prophet (pbuh) was once deeply engaged in trying to explain the Holy Quran to Pagan Quraysh leaders when he was interrupted by a blind man—Abd Allah Ibn Umm Maktum.

He was also poor. No one took notice of him. In fact, he was on a spiritual quest and wanted to learn the Quran. Holy Prophet (pbuh) did not initially take kindly to the interruption, but his heart ever given to sympathise with poor and the afflicted got new light, as is revealed in the Holy Verses noted below:

‘(The Prophet) frowned and turned away, because there came to him the blind man (interrupting). But how do you know? Perhaps he was seeking to purify himself (grow in spiritual understanding). Or, be reminded, and the message (the teaching) would benefit him’’ (80: 1 to 4)
This holds a lesson that prospect of effective spiritual guidance is not to be measured by a man’s position in life, his social standing. The poor, the blind, the maimed may be more disposed to the teachings of Allah (SwT)’s word than the men who are apparently gifted, but who suffer from arrogance of power and prestige, as is noted in the Holy Verses that follow:

’ As to the one who regards himself as self-sufficient, to him dost thou attend, though it is no blame to thee if he grows not (in spiritual understanding) [80: 5, 6, 7]
The one or the ones who regard themselves as self-sufficient (the leaders of Quraysh) were not inclined to imbibe the message, in spite of the fact that they were attended to by Holy Prophet (pbuh).
It is historically a recorded fact that the divine message works first amongst the simple and the lowly placed--the despised, the deprived and the dispossessed, the mighty ones only come in, when the stream rushes in with irresistible force.