Tafsir of Az-Zumar 39:73

(And those who feared their Lord will be driven to Paradise in groups), meaning: in throngs arranged according to their ranks in merit. In Sahih Muslim and elsewhere, it is narrated from Abu Hurairah that the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) said: "The first group to enter Paradise from my nation will be like the image of the moon on the night of a full moon; those who follow them will be like the brightest shining star in the sky, and then they will be in ranks thereafter."

The intended meaning of "driving" (sawq) here is an urging to proceed in order to hasten towards honor, unlike the usage mentioned previously regarding the disbelievers, which serves to insult them and hasten them towards punishment and pain. It was chosen here for the sake of stylistic parallelism (mushakala). His saying, the Almighty: (to Paradise), dispels any suggestion of insult. Moreover, it is said that since they loved the meeting with Allah the Almighty, Allah the Almighty loved meeting them; thus, they were urged to enter the abode of His honor, may His majesty be glorified. This was stated by some of the eminent scholars.

Al-Zamakhshari chose the interpretation that the driving of them refers to the driving of their mounts, as they will not proceed except while mounted. This driving and urging is to hasten them to the Abode of Honor. This has been countered by the argument that there is no evidence to support this, and asserting that all the righteous will not proceed except while mounted requires proof. Using the verse, (The day We will gather the righteous to the Most Merciful as an honored delegation), does not establish this unless one assumes that a "delegation" (wafd) can only be mounted, and that this mounting continues until they enter Paradise.

In al-Kashf, it is mentioned that this is an apparent interpretation supported by numerous hadiths and befits the context, because both "drivings" occur after the final judgment—the pure grace in the case of the former and pure subjugation in the case of the latter—and it does not contradict the majesty of the King of Kings, contrary to what is imagined. I say: If "those who feared" is taken to mean the sincere ones, then the argument for their mounting is a strong one. However, if it is taken to include polytheism—so as to include the sincere—then the argument is weak, for among them are those who do not enter Paradise until after they enter the Fire and are punished therein. The appearance of many reports suggests that some of this category will walk to Paradise. In Sahih Muslim, from Ibn Mas'ud, the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) said: "The last person to enter Paradise is a man who walks one moment and stumbles the next, and the Fire lashes him..." (until the end of the hadith).

Some of the Gnostics said: The righteous are driven to Paradise because they have already seen Allah the Almighty at the Gathering (Mahshar). Due to their desire to see Him, the Almighty, a second time, they do not wish to depart from that station where they saw Him. Because of the intensity of their love and passion, it barely occurs to them that they will see Him, the Almighty, once they enter Paradise. When love intensifies, it does to the lover something greater and more profound than that. It is as if it overwhelmed them until they imagined that that station was the place where He, the Almighty, is seen—the place of His manifestation to those who love Him, may His majesty be glorified and His bounty be great. So they hesitated to proceed and stood waiting to see the Subtle, the Aware. The tongue of state for each of them says tomorrow: "Love has made me halt where You are; I have no desire to lag behind nor to proceed beyond."

Evidence for their seeing Him, the Almighty, there is what is in Sahih Muslim from Abu Hurairah: "People asked the Messenger of Allah: 'O Messenger of Allah, will we see our Lord on the Day of Resurrection?'..." (the hadith describing the vision of Allah). Yet, their driving is not like the driving of those who disbelieved, as is clear.

It is said: The driver for the disbelievers is the angels of wrath, whereas the driver for the righteous is their longing for their Master. He, the Almighty, is their ultimate end, not Paradise; Paradise is not the intended object in itself, nor is mere residence therein the ultimate pleasure; rather, it is a means to meet their Beloved, who is the ultimate goal of their desires.

(Until they reach it and its gates are opened). It is recited with a tashdid (i.e., futtihat). The "waw" is for the circumstantial state (hal), and the sentence is a circumstantial clause with an implicit "qad" according to the well-known view, meaning: they reached it while its gates had already been opened. This is like His saying: (Gardens of Eden, with its gates opened to them). This implies that the opening occurred beforehand, as if the keepers of Paradise opened its gates and stood waiting for them. This is like servants opening the door of a house for a guest before his arrival and waiting for him; it contains all the respect and honor that it implies.

The apparent meaning is that His saying, the Almighty: (And its keepers will say to them), etc., is a conjunction to (its gates are opened). The answer to the "if" (idha) is omitted, understood after (abiding therein), to indicate that they will possess, at that moment, forms of honor that language cannot encompass, as if it were said: "When they reach it, its gates having been opened for them and its keepers saying to them, 'Peace be upon you'..."

(Peace be upon you): i.e., from all miseries and pains. It carries both the meaning of a report and an invocation.

(You have become pure): i.e., from the filth of sins. It is said: You have become pure in soul through the everlasting bliss granted to you. The first is narrated from Mujahid and is the more apparent. The sentence is in the position of a causal explanation: (So enter it, to abide therein).

(Meaning: destined for eternity). Whatever may have been omitted is beyond expression, or they have attained success in honor and glorification that cannot be counted or measured. Al-Mubarrad estimated it as "you will be happy." Some estimated it after (abiding therein) as well. Some estimated it before (and its gates were opened), i.e., "Until they reach it while it had been opened," but this is nothing. Others estimated it similar to what we said before (and its keepers said), and made the sentence (its keepers said), etc., conjunctive to it. What was mentioned first is stronger in meaning and more apparent.

The Kufans said: The "waw" in (and its gates were opened) is extra, and the response is the sentence (opened). It is said: The response is (its keepers said to them), and the "waw" is extra. The reliance is upon what we mentioned first. By it, one knows the reason for the difference between the two sentences—that is, His saying, the Almighty, regarding the people of the Fire: (Until they reach it, its gates are opened), and His saying, the Almighty, regarding the people of Paradise: (Until they reach it, and its gates are opened), where a "waw" was brought in the second sentence and the answer omitted, whereas this was not done in the first sentence. What was said—that the "waw" in the second is the "waw of the eighth" because the gates of Paradise are eight, and since the gates of the Fire are seven, it was not brought—is a weak view not to be relied upon.

The Mu'tazilah used His saying: (You have become pure, so enter it) as evidence, as it conditions the command to enter upon purity and cleanliness from the filth of sins, implying that no one enters Paradise except when they are pure and clean of sins, either because they did not commit any or because they repented from what they did and it was accepted in this world. This was refuted by stating that although it indicates that no one enters it except while pure, this purity may be attained through accepted repentance, or it may be through His pardon, or intercession for him, or after he has been purified by torment. Thus, there is no foundation for the Mu'tazilah in it.

It is said: The intended meaning of "those who feared" are those who guarded against polytheism specifically. So, "you have become pure" is in the sense of "you have become pure from the filth of polytheism." There is no disagreement that entry into Paradise is a consequence of purity and cleanliness from it. This was countered by the fact that this is contrary to the apparent meaning, as "piety" (taqwa) in common usage applies to something more specific than that, especially in the context of general proclamation and the praise that follows it in His saying: (How excellent is the reward of the [righteous] workers). So reflect upon this.