ثُلَّةٌۭ مِّنَ ٱلْأَوَّلِينَ
A [large] company of the former peoples
Introduction
This is āyah 13 of Sūrat Al-Waaqia (The Inevitable), the 46th sūrah in the traditional order of revelation. It was revealed in the Meccan period and sits within Juzʾ 27. Meccan verses tend to address faith, the oneness of God, and the hereafter.
This introduction is a starting point — the community and Bilal will enrich it over time.
Revelation & occasion
- Period
- Meccan
- Order revealed
- 46 of 114
- Surah
- Al-Waaqia (56)
(A multitude of those of old, And a multitude of those of later time) [56:13-14]. �Urwah ibn Ruwaym said: �When Allah, exalted is He, revealed (A multitude of those of old, And a few of those of later time) [56:13-14], �Umar [ibn al-Khattab] wept and said: �O Messenger of Allah, we believed in you and accepted your message and despite this only a few of us will be saved�. Allah, exalted is He, revealed (A multitude of those of old, And a multitude of those of later time). The Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, then summoned �Umar and said: �O �Umar ibn al-Khattab, Allah has revealed something about what you said and made it (A multitude of those of old, And a multitude of those of later time)�. �Umar exclaimed: �We are pleased with our Lord and believe in our Prophet. The Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, then said: �From Adam to us a multitude of people, and from me to the Day of Judgement a multitude which will only be completed by black herdsmen who say, there is no deity except Allah� �.
Tafsir
Hafiz Ibn Kathir
Chains of transmission
Oral — isnād
- ~610–632 CERevelation & memorisation
Received by the Prophet ﷺ and preserved by the ḥuffāẓ (memorisers) among the Companions.
- 1st century AHMutawātir transmissionawaiting curation
Carried by mass-transmission through the generations of qurrāʾ.
- TodayLiving chainsawaiting curation
Continuous ijāzah chains link reciters today back to the Prophet ﷺ.
Verified isnād chains for this āyah will be added by curators.
Written — the manuscript record
- ~650 CEʿUthmānic codicesawaiting curation
The standardised muṣḥaf sent to the great cities (e.g. the Topkapı and Samarqand codices).
- 8th–10th c.Early Ḥijāzī & Kūfic foliosawaiting curation
Surviving leaves in Birmingham, Sanaa, Paris (BnF) and beyond.
- Modern printModern printawaiting curation
The 1924 Cairo edition → today: the standard printed muṣḥaf used worldwide.
A curated chain of manuscript images for this exact āyah — roughly one per century — is coming. Help us source and verify them.
And now — what do you think?
The text, its history and the classical commentary are laid out above. Share your own understanding, ask a question, or reason with others.
Community resources
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