At-Tawba (The Repentance)

100. “And the foremost, the first of the Emigrants and the Helpers, and those who followed them in goodness, Allah is well-pleased with them and they are well-pleased with Him, and He has prepared for them gardens beneath which rivers flow wherein shall they abide forever. That is the great success.”

Following the content meaning of the former holy verse which was upon the circumstances of the disbelievers and hypocrites, this verse refers to the true believers of the Muslims, and divides them into three definite groups.

1 . The first group are those who were the foremost and the first in Islam, who emigrated. The verse says:

“And the foremost, the first of the Emigrants…”

2. Those who were first in helping both the Prophet (S) and his companions of the Emigrants.

“…and the Helpers…”

3. The third group are mentioned those who followed them from the point of goodness, and by their good deeds and embracing Islam, Emigration, and helping the Prophet’s religion, they joined them.

“…and those who followed them in goodness…”

It is interesting that all the Islamic scholars have unanimously said that the first person of women who embraced Islam was Khadijah, the faithful and devoted wife of the Prophet (S).

And, as for men, all the scholars and commentators of the Shi‘ites together, and a large number of the Sunnite scholars have confirmed that Ali-ibn-Abi Tālib (as) was the first one who accepted the invitation of the Prophet of Islam (S)¹

After mentioning these three groups, the Qur’ān says:

“…Allah is well-pleased with them and they are well-pleased with Him…”

The pleasure of Allah from them is for their Faith and the good deeds they have done; and that they are well-pleased with Allah is for the extraordinary various important rewards He has bestowed upon them.

This sentence contains all the devine merits, (the material and spiritual merits of body and soul) yet, as an emphasis and statement of expansion after epitome, it adds:

“…and He has prepared for them gardens beneath which rivers flow…”

Among the privileges of this Divine bounty is that it is eternal, as the verse itself says:

“…wherein shall they abide forever…”

This condition is a great triumph for a person. The holy verse continues saying:

“…That is the great success.”

What a success can be better than this that man, a mortal, feels that his Lord, the Exalted, his worshiped, and his Master is well-pleased with him and has accepted the whole deeds he has done?