Al-Anbiya: 101

"Indeed, those for whom the best has preceded from Us" — meaning the trait preferred in goodness, which is felicity. It has been said: [it means] being granted success for obedience, and the intended meaning of 'preceded' is what was decreed in pre-eternity. It has also been said: 'The best' is the 'best word,' which is that which contains the glad tidings of their reward and the acknowledgment of their deeds; the intended meaning of its precedence is its advancement in His saying, Exalted is He: "So whoever does of righteous deeds while he is a believer, there is no denial for his effort, and indeed We are, for him, recorders." However, this is contrary to the apparent meaning. The apparent meaning is that the relative pronoun refers to everyone described by the descriptor within the relative clause, for the specificity of the cause does not restrict the generality [of the ruling].

As for what is mentioned in some reports interpreting it as referring to 'Isa, Uzayr, and the angels—peace be upon them—this is a case of limiting a general category to some of its individuals, as it serves as the occasion of revelation. It is appropriate to categorize as such the report brought out by Ibn Abi Shaybah and others from Muhammad ibn Hatib, from Ali—may Allah, the Exalted, ennoble his countenance—that he interpreted the relative pronoun as referring to Uthman and his companions—may Allah be pleased with them. Ibn Abi Hatim and a group reported from al-Nu'man ibn Bashir that Ali—may Allah, the Exalted, ennoble his countenance—recited the verse and said: "I am one of them, and Umar is one of them, and Uthman is one of them, and al-Zubayr is one of them, and Talhah is one of them, and Sa'd ibn Abd al-Rahman is one of them." Thus I have seen it in al-Durr al-Manthur, and I have seen in other sources the enumeration of the ten promised Paradise—may Allah, the Exalted, be pleased with them.

The two prepositional phrases are connected to 'preceded' (sabaqat). Abu al-Baqa' allowed for the second [prepositional phrase] to be connected to an omitted [verb/adjective] that serves as a circumstantial qualifier (hal) for 'the best' (al-husna).

His saying, Exalted is He: "Those" — an indication of the relative pronoun [referring to the believers] by virtue of their description by what is contained within the relative clause. The inclusion of the meaning of distance in it [the demonstrative pronoun] serves to signal the loftiness of their rank and the remoteness of their status in honor and merit. Meaning: those described with the aforementioned beautiful attributes, "from it" — that is, from Hell — "are kept far away," because they are in Paradise, and how vast is the difference between it and the Fire.