say: “People will be seated near Allah on Friday according to the order in which they went to Friday prayer: first, second, and third.”’ Then he said: ‘The fourth of four! Yet the fourth of four is not far behind.’”
This hadith is among those the scholars have cited as evidence that going early to Friday prayer is recommended. They have also included this meaning among the interpretations of His words:
“And the foremost will be the foremost.”
Some of them said: “Those who are foremost in attending Friday prayers in this world will be foremost on the Day of Increase in the Hereafter”—or words to that effect, for I do not presently recall the exact wording. This is supported by the Prophet’s statement, peace and blessings be upon him, recorded in the two Sahīh collections:
“We are the last, but will be the foremost on the Day of Resurrection, although they were given the Scripture before us and we were given it after them. This was their day, concerning which they differed, but Allah guided us to it. Thus, the people follow us in this regard: the Jews tomorrow and the Christians the day after tomorrow.”
Our precedence over them in the Hereafter is thus attributed to our having been given the Scripture after them, then being guided to the truth concerning which they differed, until we came to precede them in worship. Just as we preceded them in worship in this world, we shall precede them in receiving His honour in the Hereafter.
As for the hadith of Anas—the best-known of the hadiths concerning what will take place on Friday in the Hereafter, including visiting Allah, seeing Him, and going to the market of Paradise—the most authentic report from him is what Muslim narrated in his Sahīh, from Hammād ibn Salamah, from Thābit, from Anas, may Allah be pleased with him, that the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said:
“In Paradise there is a market which they will visit every Friday. A north wind will blow, sweeping over their faces and clothes, and they will increase in beauty and loveliness. Their families will say to them: ‘By Allah, you have increased in beauty and loveliness since we parted!’ They will reply: ‘And you, by Allah, have increased in beauty and loveliness since we parted!’”