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وَالسَّابِقُونَ السَّابِقُونَ أُوْلَئِكَ الْمُقَرَّبُونَ فِي جَنَّاتِ النَّعِيمِ ثُلَّةٌ مِّنَ الاَوَّلِينَ وَقَلِيلٌ مِّنَ الاخِرِينَ عَلَى سُرُرٍ مَّوْضُونَةٍ مُتَّكِئِينَ عَلَيْهَا مُتَقَابِلِينَ ... And the foremost in faith will be foremost [in receiving Allah's rewards]. They will be brought nearest [to Allah]: in gardens of bliss; they are a multitude from the early people [in Islam], and a few from the later ones [in Islam]. |
Commentary
As the foremost in faith, the first male to embrace Islam was the 10 year old Ali, who had never bowed to an idol. The very first to embrace Islam was a woman, the beloved wife of the Prophet (pbuh), Khadija. Therefore, Ali and Khadija were the initial (first of) Saabiqeen. According to Sahih Bukhari, the Prophet (pbuh) stated that “He who does not recognize the Imam of his age, he leaves this world dying in the manner of al-Jahiliya الجاهـلـيـه (as a heretic)”.
The well‑known commentator, Tha'labi, reports on the authority of Ibn Abbas that Ali had said: “I am the servant of Allah, the brother of the Prophet (pbuh), the Siddique Al‑Akbar, and the noble testifier (of the Prophet). Any other who claims this title [other than I] is in falsity.” Thus, Ali is the prototype of the term foremost al‑Saabiqeen. There are many other Saabiqeen, and in accordance to their degree they are handsomely rewarded by the Almighty, but Ali stands out, since he was the foremost.
source : ttp://www.islamicbooks.info
