Quran Universe
9:100

وَٱلسَّـٰبِقُونَ ٱلۡأَوَّلُونَ مِنَ ٱلۡمُهَٰجِرِينَ وَٱلۡأَنصَارِ وَٱلَّذِينَ ٱتَّبَعُوهُم بِإِحۡسَٰنٖ رَّضِيَ ٱللَّهُ عَنۡهُمۡ وَرَضُواْ عَنۡهُ وَأَعَدَّ لَهُمۡ جَنَّـٰتٖ تَجۡرِي تَحۡتَهَا ٱلۡأَنۡهَٰرُ خَٰلِدِينَ فِيهَآ أَبَدٗاۚ ذَٰلِكَ ٱلۡفَوۡزُ ٱلۡعَظِيمُ

Waalssabiqoona alawwaloona mina almuhajireena waalansari waallatheena ittabaAAoohum biihsanin radiya Allahu AAanhum waradoo AAanhu waaAAadda lahum jannatin tajree tahtaha alanharu khalideena feeha abadan thalika alfawzu alAAatheemu

And the first forerunners [in the faith] among the Muhajireen and the Ansar and those who followed them with good conduct - Allah is pleased with them and they are pleased with Him, and He has prepared for them gardens beneath which rivers flow, wherein they will abide forever. That is the great attainment.

Word by word
  1. وَٱلسَّـٰبِقُونَAnd the forerunners
  2. ٱلۡأَوَّلُونَthe first
  3. مِنَamong
  4. ٱلۡمُهَٰجِرِينَthe emigrants
  5. وَٱلۡأَنصَارِand the helpers
  6. وَٱلَّذِينَand those who
  7. ٱتَّبَعُوهُمfollowed them
  8. بِإِحۡسَٰنٖin righteousness
  9. رَّضِيَAllah is pleased
  10. ٱللَّهُAllah is pleased
  11. عَنۡهُمۡwith them
  12. وَرَضُواْand they are pleased
  13. عَنۡهُwith Him
  14. وَأَعَدَّAnd He has prepared
  15. لَهُمۡfor them
  16. جَنَّـٰتٖGardens
  17. تَجۡرِيflows
  18. تَحۡتَهَاunderneath it
  19. ٱلۡأَنۡهَٰرُthe rivers
  20. خَٰلِدِينَwill abide
  21. فِيهَآin it
  22. أَبَدٗاۚforever
  23. ذَٰلِكَThat
  24. ٱلۡفَوۡزُ(is) the success
  25. ٱلۡعَظِيمُthe great
At-Tawbah · 9:100Madinah

Allah is pleased with them, and they with Him.

The first ones, and those who follow well

Who the verse names
the Muhajirinleft their homes first
the Ansartook them in first
those who followwith excellence
all receive
mutual pleasureHe with them, they with Him
Where you fit
too late for thisit was only for them
following wellthe door left open

After many verses on those who stayed behind, the surah turns to the foremost: the Muhajirin and Ansar. Scholars Ibn Kathir cites said they were those who gave the pledge at Hudaybiyyah, or who prayed toward both qiblahs. Then come those who followed them with excellence.

You may feel your faith is second-hand, learned from an app, a parent, a convert friend's story. The verse leaves a place in the circle for those who followed well, long after the first ones. Being late does not lock you out.

The great reward was only for the first generation.

Following their lead with excellence brings me into the same pleasure.

Try this

Read about one of the early Companions today and copy one small habit of theirs.

Simplified reflection. Read the tafsir for scholarship.draft
Tafsir Ibn Kathir

And the foremost to embrace Islam of the Muhajirin and the Ansar and also those who followed them exactly (in faith). Allah is well-pleased with them as they are well-pleased with Him. He has prepared for them Gardens under which rivers flow (Paradise), to dwell therein forever. That is the supreme success (100)

Virtues of the Muhajirin, Ansar and Those Who followed Them in Faith

Allah mentions that He is pleased foremost with the Muhajirin, Ansar and those who followed them in faith, and that they are well-pleased with Him, for He has prepared for them the gardens of delight and eternal joy. Ash-Sha'bi said that,

وَالسَّابِقُونَ الْأَوَّلُونَ مِنَ الْمُهَاجِرِينَ وَالْأَنصَارِ

(The foremost Muhajirin and Ansar) are those who conducted the pledge of Ar-Ridwan in the year of Hudaybiyyah. Abu Musa Al-Ash'ari, Sa'id bin Al-Musayyib, Muhammad bin Sirin, Al-Hasan and Qatadah said that they are those who performed the prayer towards the two Qiblahs with the Messenger of Allah ﷺ [first toward Jerusalem and later toward the Ka'bah]. Allah, the Most Great, stated that He is pleased foremost with the Muhajirin, the Ansar and those who followed their lead with excellence. Therefore, woe to those who dislike or curse them, or dislike or curse any of them, especially their master after the Messenger, the best and most righteous among them, the Siddiq (the great truthful one) and the grand Khalifah, Abu Bakr bin Abi Quhafah, may Allah be pleased with him. The failure group, the Rafidah (a sect of Shiites), are the enemies of the best Companions, they hate and curse them, we seek refuge with Allah from such evil. This indicates that the minds of these people are twisted and their hearts turned upside down, for where are they in relation to believing in the Qur'an They curse those whom Allah stated He is pleased with! As for the followers of the Sunnah, they are pleased with those whom Allah is pleased with, curse whomever Allah and His Messenger ﷺ curse, and give their loyalty to Allah's friends and show enmity to the enemies of Allah. They are followers not innovators, imitating [the Sunnah] they do not initiate it on their own. They are indeed the party of Allah, the successful, and Allah's faithful servants.