Tafsir of Abasa 80:16

Kirām: Meaning honorable to Allah the Exalted, held in high esteem by Him, the Majestic and Glorious. This is derived from karāmah (nobility) in the sense of reverence. Alternatively, it means they are compassionate towards the believers, seeking forgiveness for them, guiding them by inspiration toward that which contains goodness, and descending with the divine laws that bring them to perfection; in this sense, it is derived from karam (generosity), the opposite of meanness (lu'm).

Bararah: Meaning pious (atqiyā'). It is also said: obedient to Allah the Exalted, derived from the expression, "So-and-so yaburru his creator," meaning he obeys Him. It is also said: truthful (ṣādiqīn), from one who is true (barra) in his oath. It is the plural of barr and nothing else. As for abrār, it is the plural of barr, like rabb and arbāb, and it is the plural of bārr, like ṣāḥib and aṣḥāb—though some grammarians forbid the latter due to it not being a consistent rule.

It is said that the first plural form (bararah) is specific to the angels, while the second (abrār) is specific to humans, according to the Quran and the language of the Lawgiver (may Allah bless him and grant him peace). This is because abrār is one of the plural forms of paucity, whereas bararah is not; and the pious among the angels are more numerous than the pious among humans, so it was appropriate to use the form of paucity for the latter—even if its literal limitation to a small number is not intended—and not for the former.

Al-Rāghib said that bararah is reserved for them [the angels] because it is more emphatic than abrār, for it is the plural of barr, while abrār is the plural of bārr, and barr is more emphatic than bārr, just as ‘adl (eminently just) is more emphatic than ‘ādil (just). He seemingly intended that the description by barr is more emphatic because it is of the category of describing by the infinitive (maṣdar), rather than by the active participle (bārr). However, you have heard that abrār can be the plural of barr just as it can be the plural of bārr. Furthermore, the notion that angels are more deserving of the more emphatic description in comparison to humans in an absolute sense is subject to debate.

It is also said that abrār is more emphatic than bararah, since it is the plural of bārr, while bararah is the plural of barr, and bārr is more emphatic due to the additional structure of the word. Since the attributes of perfection in the children of Adam can be complete or deficient, they are described as abrār, as an indication of praising them with the most complete of descriptions. As for the angels, the attributes of perfection in them are never deficient, so they are described as bararah because it indicates the essence of the quality without considering hyperbole, as they have no need for that. This also points to the virtue of humanity, for there is a struggle in being abrār—resisting the urges of one’s natural disposition—and in this is that which is not hidden.

Regarding the usage of bararah for the angels is what Aḥmad, al-Bukhārī, Muslim, Abū Dāwūd, al-Tirmidhī, al-Nasā'ī, and Ibn Mājah recorded from ‘Ā'ishah, who said: The Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) said: "The one who recites the Quran while he is skilled in it, he is with the noble, righteous scribes (al-safarah al-kirām al-bararah), and the one who recites it while struggling with it, he has two rewards."