Tafseer of The Inevitable · Al-Waaqia · 56:10
And the forerunners, the forerunners -
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.
His statement: wa-l-sābiqūna l-sābiqūn ("And the foremost, the foremost") — they are the third pair, and they are those who were the first to come to faith (īmān) in Allah and His Messenger; they are the first emigrants (al-muhājirūn al-awwalūn).
And in accordance with what we have said concerning this, the exegetes spoke.
* Mention of those who said that:
Ibn Ḥumayd related to us, saying: Yaḥyā ibn Wāḍiḥ related to us, saying: ʿUbaydullāh — that is, al-ʿAtakī — related to us, on the authority of ʿUthmān ibn ʿAbdillāh ibn Surāqa, concerning His statement: wa-kuntum azwājan thalāthatan ("And you were three pairs") — he said: two in the Garden and one in the Fire. He says: the lustrous-eyed celestial maidens (al-ḥūr al-ʿīn) are for the foremost, and the amorous maidens of equal age (al-ʿurub al-atrāb) are for the people of the right hand.
Ibn ʿAbd al-Aʿlā related to us, saying: Ibn Thawr related to us, on the authority of Maʿmar, on the authority of Qatāda: wa-kuntum azwājan thalāthatan ("And you were three pairs") — he said: they are the ranks of the people on the Day of Resurrection.
Ibn Bashshār related to us, saying: Hawdha related to us, saying: ʿAwf related to us, on the authority of al-Ḥasan, concerning His statement: wa-kuntum azwājan thalāthatan * fa-aṣḥābu l-maymanati mā aṣḥābu l-maymanati * wa-aṣḥābu l-mashʾamati mā aṣḥābu l-mashʾamati * wa-l-sābiqūna l-sābiqūn * ulāʾika l-muqarrabūn ("And you were three pairs: the people of the right hand — what are the people of the right hand! And the people of the left hand — what are the people of the left hand! And the foremost, the foremost — they are the ones brought near") … up to thullatun mina l-awwalīn * wa-thullatun mina l-ākhirīn ("a multitude from the former ones and a multitude from the later ones"). Then the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: "He has made equal between the people of the right hand from the preceding communities and the people of the right hand from this community; and the foremost from the [preceding] communities were more numerous than the foremost of this community."
Bishr related to us, saying: Yazīd related to us, saying: Saʿīd related to us, on the authority of Qatāda, concerning His statement: fa-aṣḥābu l-maymanati mā aṣḥābu l-maymanati ("The people of the right hand — what are the people of the right hand!") — that is to say: what is there for them, and what has been prepared for them? wa-aṣḥābu l-mashʾamati mā aṣḥābu l-mashʾamati ("And the people of the left hand — what are the people of the left hand!") — that is to say: what is there for them, and what has been prepared for them? wa-l-sābiqūna l-sābiqūn ("And the foremost, the foremost") — that is to say: from every community.
Yūnus related to us, saying: Ibn Wahb informed us, saying: I heard Ibn Zayd say: I have found that desire (al-hawā) has three parts. A man makes his desire his knowledge, and thus he lets his desire prevail over his knowledge, and his desire overpowers his knowledge, until the knowledge, together with the desire, is contemptible and abased — the knowledge is abased, the desire is dominant and overpowering. Now whoever has placed desire and knowledge [thus] in his heart belongs to the pairs of the Fire. But when he is among those for whom Allah wills good, then he awakens and comes to his senses, and he becomes a helper for knowledge against desire, until Allah lets knowledge prevail over desire. Then, when the state of the believer becomes good and his path is straight, the desire is abased and the knowledge is dominant and overpowering. And when he is among those for whom Allah wills good, He seals his work with the giving of dominance to knowledge, and so He takes him away when He takes him away, while his knowledge is the overpowering one and he acts according to it, and his desire is abased and contemptible, having in that no share or effect whatsoever. And the third [part]: he whose desire Allah has made contemptible through his knowledge, so that his desire does not hope to overcome the knowledge, nor that it has with it an equal portion or share. This, then, is the third [part], and it is the best of them all, and it is the one concerning whom Allah, Mighty and Exalted is He, spoke in Sūrat al-Wāqiʿa: wa-kuntum azwājan thalāthatan ("And you were three pairs"). He said: two pairs in the Garden and one pair in the Fire. He said: the foremost is the one in whom knowledge is dominant over desire; and the last is the one in whom Allah has sealed [his end] with the giving of dominance to knowledge over desire — these two are the two pairs in the Garden; and the other: his desire overpowers his knowledge — that is the pair of the Fire.
The linguists differed concerning what places "the people of the right hand" and "the people of the left hand" in the nominative. Some of the grammarians of Basra said: it is the predicate of His statement fa-aṣḥābu l-maymanati mā aṣḥābu l-maymanati * wa-aṣḥābu l-mashʾamati mā aṣḥābu l-mashʾamati ("The people of the right hand — what are the people of the right hand! And the people of the left hand — what are the people of the left hand!"). He said: one says: "Zayd, what is Zayd!", meaning: Zayd is magnificent. Another said: His statement mā aṣḥābu l-maymanati ("what are the people of the right hand") — the [entire] sentence cannot be its predicate, but the second refers back to the first, and it is an exclamation of wonder. It is as though He said: "The people of the right hand — what are they!", "The Striking Calamity — what is it!", "The Inevitable — what is it!" Thus the second refers back to the first, and it is an exclamation of wonder, and the exclamation of wonder has the meaning of a statement (khabar). Were it a question, it would not be valid as the predicate of the subject, for a question cannot be a predicate and a predicate cannot be a question, whereas an exclamation of wonder can indeed be a predicate; therefore it is a predicate of the subject. And the expression "Zayd, and what is Zayd!" can only occur as two [separate] statements, for the wāw [of conjunction] does not enter into the predicate of the subject; it is as though one said: "This is Zayd — and what is he!", that is to say: how magnificent he is and how learned!
The exegetes differed concerning who are meant by His statement wa-l-sābiqūna l-sābiqūn ("And the foremost, the foremost"). Some of them said: they are those who prayed toward the two prayer-directions (qiblas).
Ibn Ḥumayd related to us, saying: Mihrān related to us, on the authority of Sufyān, on the authority of Khārija, on the authority of Qurra, on the authority of Ibn Sīrīn: wa-l-sābiqūna l-sābiqūn ("And the foremost, the foremost") — those who prayed toward the two qiblas.
Others said concerning it what ʿAbd al-Karīm ibn Abī ʿUmayr related to me, saying: al-Walīd ibn Muslim related to us, saying: Abū ʿAmr related to us, saying: ʿUthmān ibn Abī Sawda related to us, saying: wa-l-sābiqūna l-sābiqūn ("And the foremost, the foremost") — the first of them to go to the mosques, and the swiftest of them to set out in the path of Allah.
The nominative in "the foremost" is [to be explained] in two ways: the one is that the first [word] is in the nominative by means of the second, and then the meaning of the statement is: "and the foremost, the first ones", as one says: "the first foremost one". The second is that it is in the nominative by means of [the later] ulāʾika l-muqarrabūn ("they are the ones brought near"); the Exalted, praised be His praise, says: they are the ones whom Allah brings near to Himself on the Day of Resurrection when He admits them into the Garden.
And His statement: wa-l-sābiqūna l-sābiqūn ("And the foremost, the foremost") — they are the third pair, and they are those who were the first to come to faith in Allah and His Messenger; they are the first emigrants. And in accordance with what we have said concerning this, the exegetes spoke.
Mention of those who said that:
Ibn Ḥumayd related to us, saying: Yaḥyā ibn Wāḍiḥ related to us, saying: ʿUbaydullāh — that is, al-ʿAtakī — related to us, on the authority of ʿUthmān ibn ʿAbdillāh ibn Surāqa, concerning His statement: wa-kuntum azwājan thalāthatan ("And you were three pairs") — he said: two in the Garden and one in the Fire. He says: the lustrous-eyed celestial maidens are for the foremost, and the amorous maidens of equal age are for the people of the right hand.
Ibn ʿAbd al-Aʿlā related to us, saying: Ibn Thawr related to us, on the authority of Maʿmar, on the authority of Qatāda: wa-kuntum azwājan thalāthatan ("And you were three pairs") — he said: they are the ranks of the people on the Day of Resurrection.
Ibn Bashshār related to us, saying: Hawdha ibn Khalīfa related to us, on the authority of ʿAwf, on the authority of al-Ḥasan, concerning His statement: wa-kuntum azwājan thalāthatan * fa-aṣḥābu l-maymanati mā aṣḥābu l-maymanati * wa-aṣḥābu l-mashʾamati mā aṣḥābu l-mashʾamati * wa-l-sābiqūna l-sābiqūn * ulāʾika l-muqarrabūn ("And you were three pairs: the people of the right hand — what are the people of the right hand! And the people of the left hand — what are the people of the left hand! And the foremost, the foremost — they are the ones brought near") … up to thullatun mina l-awwalīn * wa-thullatun mina l-ākhirīn ("a multitude from the former ones and a multitude from the later ones"). Then the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: "He has made equal between the people of the right hand from the preceding communities and the people of the right hand from this community; and the foremost from the [preceding] communities were more numerous than the foremost of this community."
Bishr related to us, saying: Yazīd related to us, saying: Saʿīd related to us, on the authority of Qatāda, concerning His statement: fa-aṣḥābu l-maymanati mā aṣḥābu l-maymanati ("The people of the right hand — what are the people of the right hand!") — that is to say: what is there for them, and what has been prepared for them? wa-aṣḥābu l-mashʾamati mā aṣḥābu l-mashʾamati ("And the people of the left hand — what are the people of the left hand!") — that is to say: what is there for them, and what has been prepared for them? wa-l-sābiqūna l-sābiqūn ("And the foremost, the foremost") — that is to say: from every community.
Yūnus related to us, saying: Ibn Wahb informed us, saying: I heard Ibn Zayd say: I have found that desire has three parts. A man makes his desire his knowledge, and thus he lets his desire prevail over his knowledge, and his desire overpowers his knowledge, until the knowledge, together with the desire, is contemptible and abased — the knowledge is abased, the desire is dominant and overpowering. Now whoever has placed desire and knowledge [thus] in his heart belongs to the pairs of the Fire. But when he is among those for whom Allah wills good, then he awakens and comes to his senses, and he becomes a helper for knowledge against desire, until Allah lets knowledge prevail over desire. Then, when the state of the believer becomes good and his path is straight, the desire is abased and the knowledge is dominant and overpowering. And when he is among those for whom Allah wills good, He seals his work with the giving of dominance to knowledge, and so He takes him away when He takes him away, while his knowledge is the overpowering one and he acts according to it, and his desire is abased and contemptible, having in that no share or effect whatsoever. And the third [part]: he whose desire Allah has made contemptible through his knowledge, so that his desire does not hope to overcome the knowledge, nor that it has with it an equal portion or share. This, then, is the third [part], and it is the best of them all, and it is the one concerning whom Allah, Mighty and Exalted is He, spoke in Sūrat al-Wāqiʿa: wa-kuntum azwājan thalāthatan ("And you were three pairs"). He said: two pairs in the Garden and one pair in the Fire. He said: the foremost is the one in whom knowledge is dominant over desire; and the last is the one in whom Allah has sealed [his end] with the giving of dominance to knowledge over desire — these two are the two pairs in the Garden; and the other: his desire overpowers his knowledge — that is the pair of the Fire.
The linguists differed concerning what places "the people of the right hand" and "the people of the left hand" in the nominative. Some of the grammarians of Basra said: it is the predicate of His statement fa-aṣḥābu l-maymanati mā aṣḥābu l-maymanati * wa-aṣḥābu l-mashʾamati mā aṣḥābu l-mashʾamati ("The people of the right hand — what are the people of the right hand! And the people of the left hand — what are the people of the left hand!"). He said: one says: "Zayd, what is Zayd!", meaning: Zayd is magnificent. Another said: His statement mā aṣḥābu l-maymanati ("what are the people of the right hand") — the [entire] sentence cannot be its predicate, but the second refers back to the first, and it is an exclamation of wonder. It is as though He said: "The people of the right hand — what are they!", "The Striking Calamity — what is it!", "The Inevitable — what is it!" Thus the second refers back to the first, and it is an exclamation of wonder, and the exclamation of wonder has the meaning of a statement. Were it a question, it would not be valid as the predicate of the subject, for a question cannot be a predicate and a predicate cannot be a question, whereas an exclamation of wonder can indeed be a predicate; therefore it is a predicate of the subject. And the expression "Zayd, and what is Zayd!" can only occur as two [separate] statements, for the wāw [of conjunction] does not enter into the predicate of the subject; it is as though one said: "This is Zayd — and what is he!", that is to say: how magnificent he is and how learned!
The exegetes differed concerning who are meant by His statement wa-l-sābiqūna l-sābiqūn ("And the foremost, the foremost"). Some of them said: they are those who prayed toward the two prayer-directions.
Ibn Ḥumayd related to us, saying: Mihrān related to us, on the authority of Sufyān, on the authority of Khārija, on the authority of Qurra, on the authority of Ibn Sīrīn: wa-l-sābiqūna l-sābiqūn ("And the foremost, the foremost") — those who prayed toward the two qiblas.
Others said concerning it what ʿAbd al-Karīm ibn Abī ʿUmayr related to me, saying: al-Walīd ibn Muslim related to us, saying: Abū ʿAmr related to us, saying: ʿUthmān ibn Abī Sawda related to us, saying: wa-l-sābiqūna l-sābiqūn ("And the foremost, the foremost") — the first of them to go to the mosques, and the swiftest of them to set out in the path of Allah.
The nominative in "the foremost" is [to be explained] in two ways: the one is that the first [word] is in the nominative by means of the second, and then the meaning of the statement is: "and the foremost, the first ones", as one says: "the first foremost one". The second is that it is in the nominative by means of ulāʾika l-muqarrabūn ("they are the ones brought near"); the Exalted, praised be His praise, says: they are the ones whom Allah brings near to Himself on the Day of Resurrection when He admits them into the Garden.
