Are those who love one another for the sake of Allah of a higher status than the martyrs and the strivers [in Allah’s cause]? And do the prophets and martyrs envy them?

The hadith does not indicate that those who love each other for the sake of Allah are of a higher status than the prophets and martyrs. Rather, its intent is to show their virtue and that Allah bestows upon them such a degree of honor that even those of higher status envy them. Ghibtah (envy in a good sense) is wishing for a state similar to that of the envied, without wishing for it to disappear from them, and it is an expression of an excellent condition. The prophets and martyrs envy those who love each other for the sake of Allah because the prophets and martyrs were preoccupied with the overarching principles of da'wah (inviting to Islam) and exalting the religion, which diverted them from such specific details. They approve of the actions of those who love each other for the sake of Allah and are pleased with them.