Surah Al Imran Tafseer

Virtues of the Ummah of Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم, the Best Nation Ever

Allah states that the Ummah of Muhammad is the best nation ever,

كُنتُمْ خَيْرَ أُمَّةٍ أُخْرِجَتْ لِلنَّاسِ

You are the best of peoples ever raised up for mankind,

Al-Bukhari recorded that Abu Hurayrah commented on this Ayah,

"(You, Muslims, are) the best nation of people for the people, you bring them tied in chains on their necks (capture them in war) and they later embrace Islam."

Similar was said by Ibn Abbas, Mujahid, Atiyah Al-Awfi, Ikrimah, Ata and Ar-Rabi bin Anas that,

كُنتُمْ خَيْرَ أُمَّةٍ أُخْرِجَتْ لِلنَّاسِ

(You are the best of peoples ever raised up for mankind),

means, the best of peoples for the people.

The meaning of the Ayah is that the Ummah of Muhammad is the most righteous and beneficial nation for mankind. Hence Allah's description of them,

تَأْمُرُونَ بِالْمَعْرُوفِ وَتَنْهَوْنَ عَنِ الْمُنكَرِ وَتُوْمِنُونَ بِاللّهِ

you enjoin Al-Ma`ruf and forbid Al-Munkar and believe in Allah.

Ahmad, At-Tirmidhi, Ibn Majah, and Al-Hakim recorded that Hakim bin Muawiyah bin Haydah narrated that his father said that the Messenger of Allah said,

أَنْتُمْ تُوَفُّون سَبْعِينَ أُمَّةً أَنْتُمْ خَيْرُهَا وَأَنْتُمْ أَكْرَمُ عَلَى اللهِ عَزَّ وَجَل

You are the final of seventy nations, you are the best and most honored among them to Allah.

This is a well-known Hadith about which At-Tirmidhi said, "Hasan", and which is also narrated from Mu`adh bin Jabal and Abu Sa`id.

The Ummah of Muhammad achieved this virtue because of its Prophet, Muhammad, peace be upon him, the most regarded of Allah's creation and the most honored Messenger with Allah. Allah sent Muhammad with the perfect and complete Law that was never given to any Prophet or Messenger before him. In Muhammad's Law, few deeds take the place of the many deeds that other nations performed. For instance, Imam Ahmad recorded that Ali bin Abi Talib said,

"The Messenger of Allah said,

أُعْطِيتُ مَا لَمْ يُعْطَ أَحَدٌ مِنَ الاَْنْبِيَاء

I was given what no other Prophet before me was given.

We said, `O Messenger of Allah! What is it?'

He said,

نُصِرْتُ بِالرُّعْبِ

وَأُعْطِيتُ مَفَاتِيحَ الاْأَرْضِ

وَسُمِّيتُ أَحْمَدَ

وَجُعِلَ التُّرَابُ لِي طَهُورًا

وَجُعِلَتْ أُمَّتِي خَيْرَ الاُْمَم

I was given victory by fear,

I was given the keys of the earth,

I was called Ahmad,

the earth was made a clean place for me (to pray and perform Tayammum with it),

and my Ummah was made the best Ummah."

The chain of narration for this Hadith is Hasan.

There are several Hadiths that we should mention here.

The Two Sahihs recorded that Az-Zuhri said that, Sa`id bin Al-Musayyib said that Abu Hurayrah narrated to him,

"I heard the Messenger of Allah saying,

يَدْخُلُ الْجَنَّــةَ مِنْ أُمَّتِي زُمْرَةٌ وَهُمْ سَبْعُونَ أَلْفًا تُضِيءُ وُجُوهُهُمْ إِضَاءَةَ الْقَمَرِ لَيْلَةَ الْبَدْر

A group of seventy thousand from my Ummah will enter Paradise, while their faces are radiating, just like the moon when it is full.'

Ukkashah bin Mihsan Al-Asadi stood up, saying, `O Messenger of Allah! Supplicate to Allah that I am one of them.'

The Messenger of Allah said,

اللَّهُمَّ اجْعَلْهُ مِنْهُم

`O Allah! Make him one of them.'

A man from the Ansar also stood and said, `O Messenger of Allah! Supplicate to Allah that I am one of them.'

The Messenger said,

سَبقَكَ بِهَا عُكَّاشَة

Ukkashah has beaten you to it.'

Another Hadith that Establishes the Virtues of the Ummah of Muhammad in this Life and the Hereafter

Imam Ahmad recorded that Jabir said,

"I heard the Messenger of Allah saying,

إِنِّي لَاَرْجُو أَنْ يَكُونَ مَنْ يَتَّبِعُنِي مِنْ أُمَّتِي يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ رُبُعَ الْجَنَّــة

`I hope that those who follow me will be one-fourth of the residents of Paradise on the Day of Resurrection.'

We said, `Allahu Akbar'.

He then said,

أَرْجُو أَنْ يَكُونُوا ثُلُثَ النَّاس

`I hope that they will be one-third of the people.'

We said, `Allahu Akbar'.

He then said,

أَرْجُو أَنْ تَكُونُوا الشَّطْر

`I hope that you will be one-half."'

Imam Ahmad recorded the same Hadith with another chain of narration, and this Hadith meets the criteria of Muslim in his Sahih.

In the Two Sahihs, it is recorded that Abdullah bin Mas`ud said,

"The Messenger of Allah said to us,

أَمَا تَرْضَوْنَ أَنْ تَكُونُوا رُبُعَ أَهْلِ الْجَنَّـةِ

Does it please you that you will be one-fourth of the people of Paradise?

We said, `Allahu Akbar!'

He added,

أَمَا تَرْضَوْنَ أَنْ تَكُونُوا ثُلُثَ أَهْلِ الْجَنَّـةِ

Does it please you that you will be one-third of the people of Paradise?

We said, `Allahu Akbar!'

He said,

إِنِّي لَاَرْجُو أَنْ تَكُونُوا شَطْرَ أَهْلِ الْجَنَّـةِ

I hope that you will be half of the people of Paradise."

Another Hadith

Imam Ahmad recorded that Buraydah said that;

the Prophet said,

أَهْلُ الْجَنَّةِ عِشْرُونَ وَمِايَةُ صَفَ هذِهِ الاُْمَّةُ مِنْ ذلِكَ ثَمَانُونَ صَفًّا

The people of Paradise are one hundred and twenty rows, this Ummah takes up eighty of them.

Imam Ahmad also collected this Hadith through another chain of narration.

At-Tirmidhi and Ibn Majah also collected this Hadith, and At-Tirmidhi said, this Hadith is Hasan.

Abdur-Razzaq recorded that Abu Hurayrah said that,

the Prophet said,

نَحْنُ الاْخِرُونَ الاَْوَّلُونَ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ نَحْنُ أَوَّلُ النَّاسِ دُخُولاً الْجَنَّــةَ بَيْدَ أَنَّهُمْ أُوتُوا الْكِتَابَ مِنْ قَبْلِنَا وَأُوتِينَاهُ مِنْ بَعْدِهِمْ فَهَدَانَا اللهُ لِمَا اخْتَلَفُوا فِيهِ مِنَ الْحَقِّ

فَهَذَا الْيَوْمُ الَّذِي اخْتَلَفُوا فِيهِ النَّاسُ لَنَا فِيهِ تَبَعٌ غَدًا لِلْيَهُودِ وَلِلنَّصَارَى بَعْدَ غَد

We (Muslims) are the last to come, but the foremost on the Day of Resurrection, and the first people to enter Paradise, although the former nations were given the Scriptures before us and we after them. Allah gave us the guidance of truth that they have been disputing about.

This (Friday) is the Day that they have been disputing about, and all the other people are behind us in this matter:the Jews' (day of congregation is) tomorrow (Saturday) and the Christians' is the day after tomorrow (Sunday).

Al-Bukhari and Muslim collected this Hadith.

Muslim recorded Abu Hurayrah saying that the Messenger of Allah said,

نَحْنُ الاْخِرُونَ الاَْوَّلُونَ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ نَحْنُ أَوَّلُ مَنْ يَدْخُلُ الْجَنَّــة

We (Muslims) are the last (to come), but (will be) the foremost on the Day of Resurrection, and will be the first people to enter Paradise... until the end of the Hadith.

These and other Hadiths conform to the meaning of the Ayah,

كُنتُمْ خَيْرَ أُمَّةٍ أُخْرِجَتْ لِلنَّاسِ تَأْمُرُونَ بِالْمَعْرُوفِ وَتَنْهَوْنَ عَنِ الْمُنكَرِ وَتُوْمِنُونَ بِاللّهِ

(You are the best of peoples ever raised up for mankind; you enjoin Al-Ma`ruf (all that Islam has ordained) and forbid Al-Munkar (all that Islam has forbidden), and you believe in Allah).

Therefore, whoever among this Ummah acquires these qualities, will have a share in this praise.

Qatadah said,

"We were told that Umar bin Al-Khattab recited this Ayah (3:110) during a Hajj that he performed, when he saw that the people were rushing. He then said, `Whoever likes to be among this (praised) Ummah, let him fulfill the condition that Allah set in this Ayah."'

Ibn Jarir recorded this.

Those from this Ummah who do not acquire these qualities will be just like the People of the Scriptures whom Allah criticized, when He said,

كَانُواْ لَا يَتَنَاهَوْنَ عَن مُّنكَرٍ فَعَلُوهُ

(They did not forbid one another from the Munkar which they committed... (5:79).

This is the reason why, after Allah praised the Muslim Ummah with the qualities that He mentioned, He criticized the People of the Scriptures and chastised them, saying,

وَلَوْ امَنَ أَهْلُ الْكِتَابِ

And had the People of the Scripture (Jews and Christians) believed,

in what was sent down to Muhammad.

لَكَانَ خَيْرًا لَّهُم مِّنْهُمُ الْمُوْمِنُونَ وَأَكْثَرُهُمُ الْفَاسِقُونَ

it would have been better for them; among them are some who have faith, but most of them are Fasiqun (rebellious).

Therefore only a few of them believe in Allah and in what was sent down to you and to them. The majority of them follow deviation, disbelief, sin and rebellion.

The Good News that Muslims will Dominate the People of the Book

While delivering the good news to His believing servants that victory and dominance will be theirs against the disbelieving, atheistic People of the Scriptures, Allah then said,

لَن يَضُرُّوكُمْ إِلاَّ أَذًى وَإِن يُقَاتِلُوكُمْ يُوَلُّوكُمُ الَادُبَارَ ثُمَّ لَا يُنصَرُونَ