Which did Abraham attain first: the Imamate mentioned in His saying, the Most High, "Indeed, I will make you a leader for the people," or the Khullah (special friendship) mentioned in His saying, the Most High, "And Allah took Abraham as a close friend," and which of them is higher in status?

The status of khullah (intimate friendship with God) is higher than the status of imamah (leadership). Prophets are imams whom people follow, but khullah was attained by none but Ibrahim and Muhammad, peace be upon them. Khullah is the perfection and ultimate degree of love, and it does not admit partnership. Ibrahim, peace be upon him, attained the status of imamah and then khullah after imamah. However, the exact time when he attained these two statuses is not known.