Tafseer of Mary · Maryam · 19:85
On the Day We will gather the righteous to the Most Merciful as a delegation
Important: The Arabic source text is always authoritative. This translation is a study aid and has not been verified by scholars — do not use it as a basis for religious proof or for deriving rulings (ahkam). When in doubt, always consult the Arabic text and a qualified scholar.
Allah, exalted be His remembrance, says: يَوْمَ نَحْشُرُ الْمُتَّقِينَ إِلَى الرَّحْمَنِ وَفْدًا — "the day on which We gather those who were God-fearing in the worldly life" — that is to say: those who feared His punishment and therefore avoided His prohibitions and fulfilled His obligations — "unto their Lord as a delegation (wafdan)." By al-wafd is meant the mounted visitors; one says: "I visited so-and-so as a visitor (wafadtu ʿalā fulān)" when one comes to him as a guest, and "the people sent a delegation (awfada al-qawm wafdan) to their leader" when they send a group ahead. Al-wafd in this place has the meaning of a collective, but is morphologically singular because it is a verbal noun (maṣdar), of which the singular form is wāfid. Al-wafd may also be regarded as a plural: al-wufūd, as one of the Banū Ḥanīfa said:
"Indeed I am one who praises — and what shall he do? The head of the delegations (raʾs al-wufūd), Muzāḥim ibn Jisās."
Al-wufūd in this place may also be a plural of wāfid, just as al-julūs is the plural of jālis.
In accordance with what we have said about this spoke also the exegetes (ahl al-taʾwīl).
Mention of those who said this:
Zakariyyā ibn Yaḥyā ibn Abī Zāʾida related to me — he said: Ibn Fuḍayl related to us, on the authority of ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Isḥāq, on the authority of al-Nuʿmān ibn Saʿd, on the authority of ʿAlī, concerning his word: يَوْمَ نَحْشُرُ الْمُتَّقِينَ إِلَى الرَّحْمَنِ وَفْدًا — he said: "No, by Allah, the delegation will not be gathered on foot, nor will they be driven along; rather, she-camels will be brought to them the like of which the creatures have never seen, with riding-gear of gold and ropes of emerald, and they will ride upon them until they reach the gates of Paradise (janna)."
Muḥammad ibn al-Muthannā related to us — he said: ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Mahdī related to us, on the authority of Shuʿba, on the authority of Ismāʿīl, on the authority of a man, on the authority of Abū Hurayra: يَوْمَ نَحْشُرُ الْمُتَّقِينَ إِلَى الرَّحْمَنِ وَفْدًا — he said: "Upon camels."
ʿAlī related to us — he said: ʿAbd Allāh related to us — he said: Muʿāwiya related to us, on the authority of ʿAlī, on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās, concerning his word: يَوْمَ نَحْشُرُ الْمُتَّقِينَ إِلَى الرَّحْمَنِ وَفْدًا — he said: "As riders on horseback (rukkāban)."
Ibn Ḥumayd related to us — he said: al-Ḥakam ibn Bashīr related to us — he said: ʿAmr ibn Qays al-Mulāʾī related to us — he said: "When the believer rises from his grave, he is met by the fairest form and the most pleasant fragrance, which says: 'Do you know me?' He says: 'No, but Allah has made your fragrance pleasant and your form fair.' It says: 'Thus was I in the worldly life. I am your righteous deed; for a long time I carried you in the worldly life, so carry me today.'" And he recited: يَوْمَ نَحْشُرُ الْمُتَّقِينَ إِلَى الرَّحْمَنِ وَفْدًا.
Al-Ḥasan related to us — he said: ʿAbd al-Razzāq informed us — he said: Maʿmar informed us, on the authority of Qatāda: إِلَى الرَّحْمَنِ وَفْدًا — he said: "As a delegation to Paradise."
Al-Qāsim related to us — he said: al-Ḥusayn related to us — he said: Ḥajjāj related to me, on the authority of Ibn Jurayj, concerning his word: يَوْمَ نَحْشُرُ الْمُتَّقِينَ إِلَى الرَّحْمَنِ وَفْدًا — he said: "Upon swift riding she-camels (al-najāʾib)."
Al-Qāsim related to us — he said: al-Ḥusayn related to us — he said: Ḥajjāj related to me — he said: I heard Sufyān al-Thawrī say concerning his word: يَوْمَ نَحْشُرُ الْمُتَّقِينَ إِلَى الرَّحْمَنِ وَفْدًا — he said: "Upon camels, she-camels (al-nūq)."
