ثُمَّ أَوْرَثْنَا ٱلْكِتَٰبَ ٱلَّذِينَ ٱصْطَفَيْنَا مِنْ عِبَادِنَا فَمِنْهُمْ ظَالِمٌ لِّنَفْسِهِۦ وَمِنْهُم مُّقْتَصِدٌ وَمِنْهُمْ سَابِقٌۢ بِٱلْخَيْرَٰتِ بِإِذْنِ ٱللَّهِ
"Then We gave the Book in inheritance to those of Our servants whom We chose. Among them is one who wrongs himself, one who keeps to the middle, and one who is foremost in good deeds by God's leave."
| Group | Word | Root |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ẓālimun li-nafsih | ظ-ل-م — the one who wrongs himself |
| 2 | Muqtaṣid | ق-ص-د — the one who keeps to the middle |
| 3 | Sābiqun bi'l-khayrāt | س-ب-ق — the one foremost in good deeds |
The division of human beings into three was treated in detail in al-Wāqiʿa at 56/7-11 (aṣḥābu'l-maymana, aṣḥābu'l-mashʾama, al-sābiqūn), and it was tabulated there how the names of the groups change through the sūra.
| al-Wāqiʿa 56/7-11 | Fāṭir 35/32 | |
|---|---|---|
| Who is being classified | All human beings | Those who inherit the Book |
| The name of the third group | Al-sābiqūn | Sābiqun bi'l-khayrāt — the same root |
| The bad side | Aṣḥābu'sh-shimāl — a separate place | Ẓālimun li-nafsih — inside the same group |
This is the most striking difference, and I record it as my own reading: in Fāṭir the one who wrongs himself is also counted within the scope of "those We chose" (iṣṭafaynā). All three groups have received the same inheritance.
And the root sābiq (س-ب-ق) was treated in al-Baqara at 2/148 and in al-Wāqiʿa at 56/10 and 56/60; I rely on that treatment. Here the object of the root is stated: bi'l-khayrāt — in good deeds.
The record بِإِذْنِ ٱللَّه comes only for the third group. The lexicographers dwell on the reason for this; I do not impose a preference.