سورة الواقعة

Ali ibn Ibrahim (may Allah have mercy on him): وَ السَّابِقُونَ السَّابِقُونَ أُولئِکَ المُقَرَّبُونَ [And the foremost are the foremost; these are the ones drawn near] — they are the ones who enter Paradise without any reckoning.

Ibn Abbas (may Allah have mercy on him): السَّابِقُونَ — those who were foremost in the migration (hijra).

Imam Ali (peace be upon him): السَّابِقُونَ — those who take the lead in performing the five daily prayers.

The Prophet (peace be upon him and his family): Allah the Mighty and Majestic created people in three classes and placed them in three ranks, and this is the statement of Allah the Mighty and Majestic: أَصْحابُ الْمَیْمَنَةِ وَ أَصْحابُ الْمَشْئَمَةِ وَ السَّابِقُونَ [the Companions of the Right, the Companions of the Left, and the Foremost]. As for what He mentioned regarding the Foremost (al-sabiqun), they are the Prophets (peace be upon them), both messengers and non-messengers, in whom Allah placed five spirits: the Holy Spirit (Ruh al-Qudus), the Spirit of Faith (Ruh al-Iman), the Spirit of Strength (Ruh al-Quwwah), the Spirit of Desire (Ruh al-Shahwah), and the Spirit of the Body (Ruh al-Badan). By the Holy Spirit they were sent as Prophets (peace be upon them), messengers and non-messengers, and by it they knew all things; by the Spirit of Faith they worshipped Allah and did not associate anything with Him; by the Spirit of Strength they fought their enemy and managed their livelihood; by the Spirit of Desire they attained delicious food and lawful marriage with young women; and by the Spirit of the Body they moved and walked. This group are forgiven, and their sins (their leaving of the preferable) are overlooked.

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): وَ السَّابِقُونَ السَّابِقُونَ أُولئِکَ الْمُقَرَّبُونَ [And the Foremost, the Foremost — those are the ones brought near]. The Foremost are the Messengers of Allah (peace be upon them) and Allah's chosen ones from among His creation, in whom Allah has placed five spirits: He supported them with the Holy Spirit (Ruh al-Qudus), by which they knew and recognised all things; 2. He supported them with the Spirit of Faith (Ruh al-Iman), by which they feared Allah the Mighty and Majestic; 3. He supported them with the Spirit of Strength (Ruh al-Quwwah), by which they became capable of obeying Allah; 4. He supported them with the Spirit of Desire (Ruh al-Shahwah — inclination and appetite), by which they desired the obedience of Allah and were averse to disobeying Him; 5. He placed in them the Spirit of Motion (Ruh al-Madraj), by which all people come and go.

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Abu Amr al-Zubayri narrated that I asked Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): "Does iman (faith) have degrees and ranks by which believers surpass one another before Allah?" He said: "Yes." I said: "May Allah have mercy on you, explain it to me so that I may understand." He said: "Allah placed a race between the believers just as a race is held between horses on the day of the race. Then He gave them precedence according to their degrees in racing toward Him. He placed each one of them at the rank of his precedence and did not diminish his right in it. No one who has lagged behind can outstrip one who went ahead, nor can one of lesser merit outstrip one of merit [before Allah]. For this reason the earlier ones of this ummah surpassed the later ones. If the one who preceded in iman had no merit over the one who lagged behind, then the last of this ummah [in rank and merit] would reach the first of it. If the one who preceded in iman had no merit and superiority over the one who lagged behind him, then those who lagged would catch up with those who went ahead, and would even surpass them. But Allah has, through the degrees of iman, given precedence to those who went ahead, and has, on account of delay and lagging in iman, placed the negligent behind. For we see some of the later believers whose deeds — such as prayer, fasting, hajj, zakat, jihad and spending — are more than those of the earlier ones. And if there were not prior merits by which believers surpass one another, then the later ones, by virtue of their many deeds, would have to be placed above the earlier ones. But Allah the Mighty and Majestic has never willed that a person who stands in the lowest degrees of iman should reach a higher degree, nor that the one whom Allah has placed behind should be advanced, nor that the one whom Allah has advanced should be placed behind." I said: "Tell me of that toward which Allah the Mighty and Majestic has called the believers, of racing in iman." He said: "The word of Allah the Mighty and Majestic: 'Race toward forgiveness from your Lord and a Garden whose breadth is like the breadth of the heaven and the earth, prepared for those who have believed in Allah and His messengers.' (al-Hadid/21) And He said: السَّابِقُونَ السَّابِقُونَ أُولئِکَ الْمُقَرَّبُون [The foremost are the foremost; those are the ones brought near]."

Imam Ali (peace be upon him): Faith, disbelief, polytheism and their increase and decrease are as follows. Faith in Allah is the highest of deeds and stands at the loftiest rank; no station is more honourable than it, and its share is the greatest of all. It was said: "O Amir al-Mu'minin (peace be upon him)! Is faith speech and action, or only speech?" He said: "Faith is attestation with the heart, confession with the tongue, and action with the limbs. Faith is entirely action. Faith is sometimes complete, sometimes half-complete, sometimes deficient and sometimes increased, in such a way that this deficiency and increase are clearly seen. If all people were equal in faith, none would have merit or superiority over another. With complete faith, the believers enter Paradise and attain its degrees. If some people's faith is deficient or they lose their faith, they enter Hell. Those who have precedence in faith gain superiority over others. Allah has said in His Qur'an: وَ السَّابِقُونَ السَّابِقُونَ أُولئِکَ المُقَرَّبُون [And those who are foremost, the foremost — these are they who are drawn nigh]."

The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family): So I am among those who are foremost, and I am the best of the foremost.

The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family): Salman (may Allah have mercy on him) said: When the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) fell ill with the illness in which Allah took his soul, I entered and sat in front of him, and Fatima al-Zahra (peace be upon her) came to the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family). [The Prophet (peace be upon him and his family)] said: "Shall I not increase for you [in knowledge], [knowledge] in which lies all goodness?" Fatima (peace be upon her) said: "Yes." He said: "Allah the Exalted created creation in two parts, and He placed me and your husband in the better of the two parts, and that is the saying of Allah the Mighty and Majestic: فَأَصْحابُ الْمیْمَنَةِ ما أَصْحابُ الْمیْمَنَة [So the companions of the right hand; what of the companions of the right hand?]. Then He made the two parts into three, and He placed me and your husband in the best of those three, and that is the saying of Allah: وَ السَّابِقُونَ السَّابِقُونَ أُولئِکَ الْمقرّبونَ فِی جَنَّاتِ النَّعِیم [And those who are foremost, the foremost — these are they who are drawn nigh, in the Gardens of Bliss]."

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): [Dawud ibn Kathir al-Raqqi said: Inform me about وَ السَّابِقُونَ السَّابِقُونَ أُولئِکَ الْمقرّبونَ فِی جَنَّاتِ النَّعِیم [And those who are foremost, the foremost — these are they who are drawn nigh, in the Gardens of Bliss]. Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) said:] Allah the Exalted spoke this word on the day He created creatures in the form of particles, two thousand years before He created them [in this world]. I said: "Interpret the verse for me." He said: "When Allah the Mighty and Majestic willed to create creatures, He created them from clay and kindled a fire for them, and commanded them to enter the fire. So the first to enter it was Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family), then Amir al-Mu'minin (peace be upon him), Hasan (peace be upon him), Husayn (peace be upon him), and nine of the Imams (peace be upon them) entered one after another. Then their Shi'a followed them. So, by Allah, they are the foremost!"

The Prophet (peace be upon him and his family): It is narrated from Ibn Abbas (may Allah have mercy on him) that he said: I asked the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) about the verses: وَ السَّابِقُونَ السَّابِقُونَ أُولئِکَ الْمُقَرَّبُونَ فِی جَنَّاتِ النَّعِیمِ [And the foremost are the foremost; these are they who are drawn nigh (to Allah), in the Gardens of Bliss]. The Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) said: "Jibra'il told me: They are Ali (peace be upon him) and his Shia. They are the ones who take precedence in going to Paradise."

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Idris ibn Abdullah said: I asked Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) about the interpretation of the verse: ما سَلَکَکُمْ فِی سَقَرَ قالُوا لَمْ نَکُ مِنَ الْمُصَلِّینَ [What has brought you into Hell? They say: "We were not of those who prayed"] (Muddaththir/42-43). He said: "The meaning is: we were not of the followers of the Imams (peace be upon them) about whom Allah, Blessed and Exalted, said in this verse: السَّابِقُونَ السَّابِقُونَ أُولئِکَ الْمُقَرَّبُونَ [And the foremost are the foremost; these are they who are drawn nigh (to Allah)]. Is it not the case that whoever does not reach the gathering place for horse racing sooner is not called musalli (the one following) by people? So the meaning of لَمْ نَکُ مِنَ الْمُصَلِّینَ is: we were not of the followers of the foremost (the prophets, peace be upon them)."

Imam Baqir (peace be upon him): Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) said: "My father said to a group of the Shia: 'You are the Shia of Allah and you are the helpers of Allah, and you are the foremost of the first and the foremost of the last, and the foremost in this world and the foremost in the Hereafter to Paradise. We have guaranteed Paradise for you with the guarantee of Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, and the guarantee of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family).'"

Imam Ali (peace be upon him): Hasan ibn Ali (peace be upon him) narrates from his noble father regarding the verse: السَّابِقُونَ السَّابِقُونَ أُولئِکَ الْمُقَرَّبُونَ [And the foremost are the foremost; these are they who are drawn nigh (to Allah)] that he said: "I am the foremost of all those who take precedence toward Allah and His Messenger, and I am the nearest of those drawn near to Allah and the Messenger (peace be upon him and his family)."

Imam Ali (peace be upon him): I adjure you by Allah! Is it not the case that when the verse: وَ السَّابِقُونَ الْأَوَّلُونَ مِنَ الْمُهاجِرِینَ وَ الْأَنْصارِ [And the foremost, the first of the Muhajirin and the Ansar] (Tawbah/100) ... and the verse: السَّابِقُونَ السَّابِقُونَ أُولئِکَ الْمُقَرَّبُونَ [And the foremost are the foremost; these are they who are drawn nigh (to Allah)] were revealed, the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) was asked about them. The Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) said: "Allah, Exalted is His remembrance, revealed these verses concerning the prophets (peace be upon them) and their successors. So I am the best of the prophets of Allah and His messengers, and Ali ibn Abi Talib (peace be upon him), my successor, is the best of the successors"? They said: "Yes, by Allah!"

Imam Ali (peace be upon him): I ask you by Allah! Regarding this — the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) was asked about the saying of Allah, وَ السَّابِقُونَ السَّابِقُونَ أُولئِکَ الْمقرّبونَ [And the foremost are the foremost; these are they who are drawn nigh (to Allah)], and he (peace be upon him and his family) said: 'Allah revealed this verse concerning the prophets (peace be upon them) and their successors, and I am the most excellent of the prophets of Allah (peace be upon them), and my brother and successor Ali ibn Abi Talib (peace be upon him) is the most excellent of the successors.' At this point, about seventy men from the people of Badr, most of them from the Ansar and the rest from the Muhajirun, rose up. Among them were Abu al-Haytham ibn al-Tayyihan and Abu Ayyub Khalid ibn Zayd al-Ansari, and from the Muhajirun, Ammar ibn Yasir and others. They said: 'We bear witness that we heard the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) saying this.'

Imam Ali (peace be upon him): I ask you by Allah! — or he said: I ask you by the Allah who knows your innermost secrets and knows your truthfulness and your falsehood — concerning وَ السَّابِقُونَ السَّابِقُونَ أُولئِکَ الْمُقَرَّبُونَ [And the foremost are the foremost; these are they who are drawn nigh (to Allah)], is there anyone among your gathering who believed in Allah and His Messenger before me and who prayed toward the two qiblas before me? They said: 'No.'

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): It is the most exalted drink of the people of Paradise, which pours down upon them from the upper part of the palaces of the dwellers of Paradise, and it is a spring from the pure of which the muqarrabun (those brought near) drink. And السَّابِقُونَ السَّابِقُونَ أُولئِکَ الْمُقَرَّبُونَ [Those who are foremost, are foremost; these are they who are drawn nigh]: the muqarrabun are the noble Prophet (peace be upon him and his family), Khadija (peace be upon her), and Ali ibn Abi Talib (peace be upon him), and their descendants who join them.

The Prophet (peace be upon him and his family): O people! The distinctions that Ali ibn Abi Talib (peace be upon him) has with the Lord, and that Allah has revealed in the Quran, are more than I can enumerate and expound in a single address. Whoever mentions any of those virtues to you after this, believe him. O people! Whoever obeys Allah and the Messenger (peace be upon him and his family) and Ali (peace be upon him) and the Imams after him is delivered, and it is these same persons who attain the triumph of Paradise and the divine blessings. أُولئِکَ الْمُقَرَّبُونَ فِی جَنَّاتِ النَّعِیم [These are they who are drawn nigh, in the Gardens of Bliss].

Imam Ali (peace be upon him): I am the servant of Allah and the brother of the Messenger of Allah, and I am al-Siddiq al-Akbar (the greatest truthful one); whoever makes such a claim after me is a liar. I prayed seven years before the rest of the people.

Imam Ali (peace be upon him): The forerunners of the nations in accepting Islam are five: I am the forerunner of the Arabs, Salman (may Allah have mercy on him) is the forerunner of the Persians, Suhayb is the forerunner of the Romans, Bilal is the forerunner of the Abyssinians, and Khabbab is the forerunner of the Nabateans.

Imam Ali (peace be upon him): السَّابِقُونَ السَّابِقُونَ [Those who are foremost, are foremost] was revealed concerning me.

Ibn Abbas (may Allah have mercy on him): Yusha ibn Nun preceded [others] to Musa (peace be upon him), and the companion of Ya-Sin preceded [others] to Isa (peace be upon him), and Ali (peace be upon him) preceded [others] to Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family).

Imam Hasan (peace be upon him): It has been narrated from Imam Hasan (peace be upon him) that regarding the verse: وَ السَّابِقُونَ السَّابِقُونَ أُولئِکَ الْمُقَرَّبُونَ [And the foremost are the foremost; those are the ones brought near], he said: "My father is the foremost of the foremost in reaching Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, and in reaching His Messenger, and he is the nearest of those brought near to Allah and to His Messenger."

Imam Hasan (peace be upon him): My father was the first of all to affirm the messengership of the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) and defended him with his own life. The Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) would put him forward on every occasion and would choose him for every grave matter, on account of the trust and confidence he had in him. He knew that he was sincere towards Allah and the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family), and that he was the nearest of those brought near to Allah and His Prophet. Allah has said in the Noble Quran: السَّابِقُونَ السَّابِقُونَ أُولئِکَ الْمُقَرَّبُونَ [The foremost are the foremost; those are the ones brought near]. My father was of all people the one who most preceded them towards Allah and the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family), and was the nearest of all.

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): السَّابِقُونَ السَّابِقُونَ أُولئِکَ الْمُقَرَّبُونَ [The foremost are the foremost; those are the ones brought near] — we are al-Sabiqun (the foremost) and we are al-Akhirun (the last).

Ibn Abbas (may Allah have mercy on him): السَّابِقُونَ السَّابِقُونَ [The foremost are the foremost] — the foremost of this ummah is Ali ibn Abi Talib (peace be upon him).

Imam Rida (peace be upon him): السَّابِقُونَ السَّابِقُونَ أُولئِکَ الْمُقَرَّبُونَ [And the foremost, the foremost — these are the ones brought near]; these are those who recognise the station of imamate when it becomes manifest.

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): A questioner asked him... 'Inform me about the imamate passing from the descendants of Imam Hasan (peace be upon him) and being placed among the descendants of Imam Husayn (peace be upon him) — how is that, and what is the proof of it?' He said: 'The word of Allah, the Blessed and Exalted: إِنَّما یُرِیدُ اللهُ لِیُذْهِبَ عَنْکُمُ الرِّجْسَ أَهْلَ الْبَیْتِ وَ یُطَهِّرَکُمْ تَطْهِیراً [Allah only wishes to remove impurity and sin from you, O People of the House, and to purify you completely] (Al-Ahzab/33). This verse was revealed concerning five persons, and it bore witness to their purity from shirk (polytheism), from the worship of idols, and from the worship of anything other than Allah. Its origin is the supplication of Ibrahim (peace be upon him) where he says: وَ اجْنُبْنِی وَ بَنِیَّ أَنْ نَعْبُدَ الْأَصْنامَ [And keep me and my sons away from worshipping idols]. And the five persons concerning whom the verse of purification (ayat al-tathir) was revealed are: the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family), Ali (peace be upon him), Fatima (peace be upon her), Hasan (peace be upon him) and Husayn (peace be upon him), and they are the ones intended by the supplication of Ibrahim (peace be upon him). Their master in that [verse] was the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family), and Fatima (peace be upon her) was a woman who shared with them in the purification, and she has no part in the imamate, but she is the mother of the Imams (peace be upon them). When Allah took the soul of His Prophet, Ali ibn Abi Talib (peace be upon him) was, after the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family), the most deserving of people for the imamate — because of the word of Allah the Mighty and Majestic: وَ السَّابِقُونَ السَّابِقُونَ أُولئِکَ الْمُقَرَّبُونَ [And the foremost, the foremost — these are the ones brought near], and because of the word of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) concerning Hasan (peace be upon him) and Husayn (peace be upon him): the two of them are the masters of the youth of the people of Paradise, and their father is better than them; and because of the saying of the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family): Hasan (peace be upon him) and Husayn (peace be upon him), whether they rise up or sit still, are rightful imams, and their father is better than them. Therefore Ali (peace be upon him) was more deserving of the imamate than Hasan (peace be upon him) and Husayn (peace be upon him), because he was foremost [in faith and good deeds]. And when he departed this world, Hasan (peace be upon him) was more deserving of the imamate than Husayn (peace be upon him) by virtue of being foremost, and that is the word of Allah: وَ السَّابِقُونَ السَّابِقُونَ [And the foremost, the foremost]. Hasan (peace be upon him) was more foremost than Husayn (peace be upon him) and more deserving of the imamate. And when the death of Hasan (peace be upon him) drew near, it was not permissible for him to place it among his own children, while his brother was his equal in purification and possessed, by virtue of that [purification] and by virtue of being foremost, superiority over the children of Hasan (peace be upon him).'

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Abu Ubayda al-Hadhdha said: I heard Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) saying: Zurara, Abu Basir, Muhammad ibn Muslim and Burayd are among those about whom Allah the Exalted has said: وَ السَّابِقُونَ السَّابِقُونَ أُولئِکَ المُقَرَّبُونَ [And the foremost, the foremost — these are the ones brought near].

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): The most beloved of people to me, whether living or dead, are four: Burayd ibn Muawiya al-Bajali, Zurara, Muhammad ibn Muslim, and Abu Basir... The Imam (peace be upon him) said concerning the four mentioned: "They are among those about whom Allah the Exalted said: السَّابِقُونَ السَّابِقُونَ أُولئِکَ الْمُقَرَّبُونَ [The foremost, the foremost — those are the ones brought near]."

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): I speak a hadith to a man and forbid him from disputation and quarrel in the religion of Allah, and I forbid him from analogical reasoning (qiyas); then he leaves my presence and interprets my words contrary to their true meaning. I have commanded one group to speak and forbidden another group, but each one interprets [my words] according to his own desire so as to disobey Allah and His Messenger. Had they listened and obeyed, I would have entrusted to them what my father entrusted to his companions. The companions of my father were an adornment in life and in death — I mean Zurara and Muhammad ibn Muslim, and among them are Layth al-Muradi and Burayd al-Ijli. These are the upholders of justice, these are the upholders of justice, and these are: السَّابِقُونَ السَّابِقُونَ أُولئِکَ الْمُقَرَّبُونَ [The foremost, the foremost — those are the ones brought near].

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): No one has kept alive our remembrance and the hadiths of my father except Zurara, Abu Basir, Muhammad ibn Muslim, and Burayd ibn Muawiya; and had it not been for these, no one would have deduced this. They are the guardians of the religion and the trustees of my father over what Allah has made lawful and unlawful, and they are the ones who race ahead to us in this world.