‘Uqbah ibn Suhban said: I asked Aishah about the saying of Allah, Exalted is He: “Then We granted the Book as an inheritance to those of Our servants whom We chose,” and the rest of the verse. She said: “My son, all of them will be in Paradise. As for the one who excels in good deeds, he is one who passed on during the lifetime of the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, and for whom the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, testified to Paradise. As for the one who takes a middle course, he is one of his Companions who followed in his footsteps until he joined him. As for the one who wrongs himself, he is one like me and like you.” Thus, she placed herself among us. (1)

Mujahid, al-Hasan, and Qatadah said: Among them are those who wrong themselves—the companions of the left; among them are those who take a middle course—the companions of the right; and among them are those who excel in good deeds [by Allah’s permission] (2)—the foremost, those brought near, from among all people. (3)

It is narrated from Ibn Abbas that he said: “The one who excels is the sincere believer; the one who takes a middle course is one who acts for show; and the one who wrongs himself is one who is ungrateful for Allah’s blessing without denying it, for He has decreed that all three will enter Paradise, saying: ‘Gardens of perpetual residence, which they will enter.’”

Some have said—attributing this view to al-Hasan: “The foremost is the one whose good deeds outweigh his evil deeds; the one who takes a middle course is the one whose good deeds and evil deeds are equal; and the one who wrongs himself is the one whose evil deeds outweigh his good deeds.” (4)

It was also said: The one who wrongs himself is he whose outward appearance is better than his inner state; the one who takes a middle course is he whose outward appearance and inner state are alike; and the foremost is he whose inner state is better than his outward appearance.

It was also said: The one who wrongs himself is he who affirms Allah’s oneness with his tongue, while his actions do not accord with his words; the one who takes a middle course is he who affirms Allah’s oneness with his tongue and obeys Him with his limbs; and the foremost is he who affirms Allah’s oneness with his tongue, obeys Him with his limbs, and devotes his deeds sincerely to Him.

It was also said: The one who wrongs himself is one who recites the Quran; the one who takes a middle course is one who recites it and knows it; and the foremost is one who recites it, knows it, and acts upon what it contains.

It was also said: The one who wrongs himself is among those who commit major sins; the one who takes a middle course is among those who commit minor sins; and the foremost is one who has committed neither a major nor a minor sin.

Sahl ibn Abdullah said: “The foremost is the scholar, the one who takes a middle course is the learner, and the one who wrongs himself is the ignorant person.”

Ja‘far al-Sadiq said: “He began with those who wrong themselves to make known that none can draw near to Him except through His generosity, and that wrongdoing does not affect His choosing. He then mentioned those who take a middle course second, because they stand between fear and hope. Then He concluded with the foremost, lest anyone feel secure from His plan. Yet all of them will be in Paradise.”