سُوْرَةُ الْوَاقِعَةِ
Surah Al-Waaqia (56) — Ayah 14
وَقَلِيلٌ مِّنَ ٱلْـَٔاخِرِينَ ﴿14﴾
Translation by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan & Dr. Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali
And a few of those (foremost) will be from the later generations.
Word by Word — Arabic, Transliteration & Meaning
وَقَلِيلٌۭ
waqalīlun
And a few
مِّنَ
mina
of
ٱلْـَٔاخِرِينَ
l-ākhirīna
the later (people)
Tafsir Taiseer ul-Quran — Maulana Abdul Rahman Kilani
Tafsir Taiseer ul-Quran (Facilitation of the Quran) is a comprehensive Quran commentary by Maulana Abdul Rahman Kilani, a renowned Salafi (Ahl al-Hadith) scholar from Pakistan. Known for his eloquent and accessible writing style, Kilani authored this tafsir with a focus on clarity — making Quranic meanings understandable to the common reader. The tafsir provides detailed historical context for verses related to battles and expeditions, and firmly refutes modernist ideologies using strong scriptural evidence. It is widely regarded as an invaluable resource for understanding the Quran and countering deviant interpretations. The tafsir is originally written in Urdu, translated to English by tohed.com.
14. And a few from the later generations [8].
[8]
What is meant by ﴿سابقون لاوّلون﴾?
In these two verses, due to the difference in the determination of the earliest and the later ones, these verses can have three meanings. One is that by the earliest are meant the people of previous communities, and by the later ones, the people of this community. In this sense, the meaning will be that the number of those who believed in the previous prophets, who excelled others in the battle for truth, and who surpassed others in good and virtuous deeds, will be much greater than the number of the forerunners of this community. The second is that by the earliest and the later ones are meant the people of our own Muslim community. In this sense, the meaning will be that among its earliest, that is, the Companions ؓ, the Followers, and the Followers of the Followers, the number of the forerunners will be much greater than among the later ones. Thirdly, that by the earliest and the later ones are meant the earliest and later ones of every prophet’s community. In this sense, this will become a principle: that among the earliest of every prophet’s community, the number of forerunners is usually greater than among the later ones.
[8]
What is meant by ﴿سابقون لاوّلون﴾?
In these two verses, due to the difference in the determination of the earliest and the later ones, these verses can have three meanings. One is that by the earliest are meant the people of previous communities, and by the later ones, the people of this community. In this sense, the meaning will be that the number of those who believed in the previous prophets, who excelled others in the battle for truth, and who surpassed others in good and virtuous deeds, will be much greater than the number of the forerunners of this community. The second is that by the earliest and the later ones are meant the people of our own Muslim community. In this sense, the meaning will be that among its earliest, that is, the Companions ؓ, the Followers, and the Followers of the Followers, the number of the forerunners will be much greater than among the later ones. Thirdly, that by the earliest and the later ones are meant the earliest and later ones of every prophet’s community. In this sense, this will become a principle: that among the earliest of every prophet’s community, the number of forerunners is usually greater than among the later ones.
