And Allah Most High says:
“Then We caused those of Our servants whom We chose to inherit the Book. Among them are those who wrong themselves, those who follow a middle course, and those who are foremost in good deeds by Allah’s permission”—to the end of the verse.
[Sūrat Fātir: 32]
The first forerunners are those who spent and fought before the Conquest. They are superior to those who spent and fought after the Conquest. Those who took the Pledge of al-Ridwān were included among them, and they numbered more than fourteen hundred. How, then, can it be said that this community had only one forerunner?!
Fourth: His statement, “This virtue has not been established for any other Companion,” cannot be conceded, for people have differed over who first embraced Islam. Some say that Abu Bakr was the first to embrace Islam and therefore preceded Alī in doing so. Others say that Alī embraced Islam before him. Alī, however, was still a child, and scholars differ concerning a child’s profession of Islam. There is no disagreement that Abu Bakr’s embrace of Islam was more complete and more beneficial. Thus, by agreement, his precedence was more perfect; and according to the other view, he was the earliest in an unrestricted sense. How, then, can it be said—without any evidence to establish it—that Alī preceded him?
Fifth: This verse accords superiority to the first forerunners (1), but it does not indicate that everyone who embraced Islam earlier was therefore better than others. Rather, what establishes the superiority of the forerunners is the saying of Allah Most High:
“Those among you who spent and fought before the Conquest are not equal. They are greater in rank than those who spent and fought afterward, though Allah has promised the finest reward to each.”
[Sūrat al-Hadīd: 10]
Thus, those who preceded others in spending and fighting before al-Hudaybiyyah are superior to those who came after them, for the Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—interpreted the Conquest as al-Hudaybiyyah.
Although some of those forerunners preceded others in embracing Islam, there is nothing