Al-Qur'an Surah Al-Waqi'ah Verse 10

Mufti Taqi Usmani

And the Foremost are the foremost.

Dr. Mustafa Khattab, the Clear Quran

and the foremost ˹in faith˺ will be the foremost ˹in Paradise˺.

Ruwwad Translation Center

And the forerunners [in faith] are the forerunners [in Paradise].

A. J. Arberry

and the Outstrippers: the Outstrippers

Abdul Haleem

And those in front––ahead indeed!

Abdul Majid Daryabadi

And the preceders are the pre-ceders.

Abdullah Yusuf Ali

And those Foremost (in Faith) will be Foremost (in the Hereafter).

Abul Ala Maududi

As for the Foremost, they will be the foremost!

Ahmed Ali

Then the foremost, how pre-excellent,

Ahmed Raza Khan

And those who surpassed have indeed excelled.

Ali Quli Qarai

And the Foremost Ones are the foremost ones:

Ali Ünal

And the foremost (in faith and good deeds, and serving God’s cause) will be the foremost (in receiving and enjoying God’s mercy).

Amatul Rahman Omar

And (third) those that are foremost (in faith). They are by all means the foremost (in the Hereafter).

English Literal

And the racing/surpassing , (are) the racing/surpassing .

Faridul Haque

And those who surpassed have indeed excelled.

Hamid S. Aziz

And those foremost (in faith) will be the foremost (in the Hereafter),

Hilali & Khan

And those foremost [(in Islamic Faith of Monotheism and in performing righteous deeds) in the life of this world on the very first call for to embrace Islam,] will be foremost (in Paradise).

Maulana Mohammad Ali

And those on the left; how (wretched) are those on the left!

Mohammad Habib Shakir

And the foremost are the foremost,

Mohammed Marmaduke William Pickthall

And the foremost in the race, the foremost in the race:

Muhammad Sarwar

The foremost ones (in faith and virtue) - the foremost ones in receiving their reward.

Qaribullah & Darwish

And the Outstrippers, the Outstrippers

Safi-ur-Rahman al-Mubarakpuri

And those foremost will be foremost.

Wahiduddin Khan

The third to the fore shall be the foremost.

Talal Itani

And the forerunners, the forerunners.

Tafsir jalalayn

And the foremost, in [the race to do] good, namely, the prophets (al-sbiqna is a subject) the foremost; (this [repetition] is to emphasise their exalted status; the predicate [is the following, l'ika'l-muqarrabna])

Tafseer Ibn Kathir

So those on the right -- how will be those on the right! And those on the left -- how will be those on the left! And those foremost will be foremost.

Allah divides people into these three groups upon their death, as indicated by the end of this Surah. Allah mentioned them in His statement as well,

ثُمَّ أَوْرَثْنَا الْكِتَـبَ الَّذِينَ اصْطَفَيْنَا مِنْ عِبَادِنَا فَمِنْهُمْ ظَـلِمٌ لِّنَفْسِهِ وَمِنْهُمْ مُّقْتَصِدٌ وَمِنْهُمْ سَابِقٌ بِالْخَيْرَتِ بِإِذُنِ اللَّهِ

Then We gave the Book as inheritance to such of Our servants whom We chose. Then of them are some who wrong themselves, and of them are some who follow a middle course, and of them are some who are, by Allah's leave, foremost in good deeds. (35;32)

Muhammad bin Ka`b, Abu Hazrah Ya`qub bin Mujahid said that,
وَالسَّابِقُونَ السَّابِقُونَ
(And those foremost will be foremost), is about the Prophets, peace be upon them,

while As-Suddi said that they are the residents of the utmost highs (Ahl Al-`Illiyyin, in Paradise).

The meaning of foremost is that they were foremost in performing the acts of righteousness just as Allah commanded them,

وَسَارِعُواْ إِلَى مَغْفِرَةٍ مِّن رَّبِّكُمْ وَجَنَّةٍ عَرْضُهَا السَّمَـوَتُ وَالاٌّرْضُ

And march forth in the way to forgiveness from your Lord, and for Paradise as wide as the heavens and the earth. (3;133)

and,

سَابِقُواْ إِلَى مَغْفِرَةٍ مِّن رَّبِّكُمْ وَجَنَّةٍ عَرْضُهَا كَعَرْضِ السَّمَأءِ وَالاٌّرْضِ

Race with one another in hastening towards forgiveness from your Lord, and Paradise the width whereof is as the width of the heaven and the earth. (57;21)

Therefore, those who rush to obey Allah in this life and are foremost in performing acts of righteousness, will be among the foremost believers honored in the Hereafter. Verily, the reward is according to the kind of deed, and as one does, so he is judged.

So Allah said;

أُوْلَيِكَ الْمُقَرَّبُونَ