Surah Al-Waaqia 56:13 — Meaning, Translation & Reflection

ثُلَّةٌۭ مِّنَ ٱلْأَوَّلِينَ

English: many from the past

Bengali: তারা একদল পূর্ববর্তীদের মধ্য থেকে।

Meaning & Reflection

'A large company from the former peoples.' Ibn Ashur and al-Saadi note 'thulla min al-awwalin' — a throng of the foremost come from the earliest generations, those closest to the prophets, when faith was fresh and racing to good was widespread. Ask yourself: there is a sobering realism here — the golden ages of racing-to-good clustered early, near the source. It resists my temptation to assume every era is equal in ease of faith. Being born late, in a distracted age, I may find the front rank harder to reach — which is not discouragement but a call to greater effort, not less. If the throng of the foremost was thick among the earliest, what does it take to still be counted among them now, so far downstream?

Grounded in classical tafsir: Ibn Ashur, al-Saadi, al-Biqa'i.

Reflect with the Five Lenses

Maani's framework for Tadabbur (heart-centred reflection) on Surah Al-Waaqia 56:13:

• Wording. Look closely at the specific words and structure. Which word stands out, and why might Allah have chosen it here?
• Quranic Worlds. Place the verse in its context — what is happening around it, and what world does it open up?
• Personal Experience. Ask not just what this means, but what it means TO me and FOR me, right now in my life.
• Connections. How does this verse connect to other verses, to the Sunnah, or to themes across the Quran?
• General Lessons. What timeless lesson or action point can I carry away and live by?