Surah Al-Waqi'ah, Ayah 17

The Reward of the Foremost in Faith

Allah states that the foremost of the close believers are a multitude, a crowd among the earlier generations and a few from the latter generations. There is a difference over the meaning of the first generations and the later generations. Some said that the former means earlier (believing) nations, while the later refers to this Ummah. This was reported from Mujahid and Al-Hasan Al-Basri, in the collection of Ibn Abi Hatim, and this is the preference of Ibn Jarir. He considered it supported by the saying of Allah's Messenger ﷺ:

«نَحْنُ الْاخِرُونَ السَّابِقُونَ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَة»

(We are the later nation, but the foremost on the Day of Resurrection.) Ibn Jarir did not mention any other interpretation nor did he attribute this view to anyone else. There is another Hadith that could support this meaning. Imam Abu Muhammad bin Abi Hatim recorded that Abu Hurayrah said that when these Ayat were revealed,

The reward of As-Sabiqun

عَلَىٰ سُرُ‌رٍ‌ مَّوْضُونَةٍ ([ They will be sitting ] on thrones woven with gold...56:15) The word مَّوْضُونَةٍ mawdunah, according to Ibn ` Abbas ؓ ، as recorded by Ibn Jarir, Ibn Abi Hatim, Baihaqi and others, means 'fabric woven or inwrought with gold thread'.

وِلْدَانٌ مُّخَلَّدُونَ (...by Immortal boys...56:17) meaning that the boys will never grow up, get old or change in shape. The preferred opinion is that the youths of Paradise, like the fair damsels of Paradise, will have been born in Paradise. They will be the servants of the inmates of Paradise. Hadith narratives indicate that there will be thousands of such servants for each of the inmates of Paradise.

In the present world, man observes that he is free to do whatever he likes. So the question of retribution in the Hereafter makes no impact on his mind. But the formation of the ‘other world’ is just as possible as the formation of the present world. When that time comes, the whole system will be reversed. Those who were higher in position will go down and those who were lower in position will be elevated. At that time human beings will be divided into three groups, the forward group (as-sabiqun), the people of the Right (ashab al-yamin) and the people of the Left (ashab ash-shimal).