أُولٰئِكَ المُقَرَّبونَ
They are the close ones.
EXEGESIS
Ulāʾika is a plural demonstrative pronoun meaning they, used for referring to a group in a distance. Its usage here indicates the lofty position of the foremost ones.
Muqarrabūn means those who are brought near. Here, it means being near God, much like Prophet Jesus (a) and God’s close angels (3:45, 4:172). To understand what this proximity to God means, one should note that God is all-perfect. He is the source of all perfection and the possessor of the most excellent names (7:180, 17:110, 20:8, 59:24). Therefore, achieving proximity to God means to achieve a higher share of perfection and excellent qualities. It means to become more and more God-like, and to free one’s self from the limitations and determinations of contingence. Further, it can be argued that muqarrabūn are those who have no self anymore. That is because muqarrabūn means those who are brought near – by someone else, as opposed to those who come near by themselves (in other words, muqarrab is an object, not a subject). In this sense, muqarrabūn can be interpreted as mukhlaṣūn (those who are chosen and purified by God and to whom Satan has no access because they have no self or will), which are mentioned in many places in the Quran.
EXPOSITION
The close ones are those who have emptied their hearts from everything and everyone other than God. They have dedicated their hearts to God. Their every second is spent in the cause of God and with His remembrance. They are those who find peace and tranquillity only with their Lord. Their hope and trust is only in God, and they fear not anyone other than God. They have chosen God as their beloved and His pleasure as their goal. Thus, He has chosen them as close ones.
[1] Tahqiq, under q-r-b.
[2] Murtaza Alidina, series of lectures on the exegesis of Sūrat al-Wāqiʿah, available at <http://www.dartabligh.org >.
[3] Rahmah, 4/258-259.