أُولَئِكَ الَّذِينَ أَنْعَمَ اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِمْ مِنَ النَّبِيِّينَ مِنْ ذُرِّيَّةِ آدَمَ وَمِمَّنْ حَمَلْنَا مَعَ نُوحٍ وَمِنْ ذُرِّيَّةِ إِبْرَاهِيمَ وَإِسْرَائِيلَ وَمِمَّنْ هَدَيْنَا وَاجْتَبَيْنَا إِذَا تُتْلَى عَلَيْهِمْ آيَاتُ الرَّحْمَنِ خَرُّوا سُجَّدًا وَبُكِيًّا۩ ࣛ ﴿۵۸﴾ فَخَلَفَ مِنْ بَعْدِهِمْ خَلْفٌ أَضَاعُوا الصَّلَاةَ وَاتَّبَعُوا الشَّهَوَاتِ فَسَوْفَ يَلْقَوْنَ غَيًّا ﴿۵۹﴾ إِلَّا مَنْ تَابَ وَآمَنَ وَعَمِلَ صَالِحًا فَأُولَئِكَ يَدْخُلُونَ الْجَنَّةَ وَلَا يُظْلَمُونَ شَيْئًا ﴿۶۰﴾

﴾58﴿ Ulaaa'ikal lazeena an'amal laahu 'alaihim minan Nabiyyeena min zurriyyati Aadama wa mimman hamalnaa ma'a Noohinw wa min zurriyyati Ibraaheema wa Israaa'eela wa mimman hadainaa wajta bainaaa; izaa tutlaa 'alaihim Aayaatur Rahmaani kharroo sujjadanw wa bukiyyaa (make sajda)
﴾59﴿ Fakhalafa min ba'dihim khalfun adaa'us Salaata wattaba'ush shahawaati fasawfa yalqawna ghaiyyaa
﴾60﴿ Illaa man taaba wa aamana wa 'amila saalihan fa ulaaa'ika yadkhuloonal jannata wa laa yuzlamoona shai'aa

﴾58﴿ They are those upon whom Allah bestowed His favor from among the prophets, from the descendants of Adam, and of those We carried with Noah, and of the descendants of Abraham and Israel, and of those We guided and chose. When the verses of the Most Merciful were recited to them, they fell down in prostration and weeping
﴾59﴿ Then there came after them successors who neglected prayer and followed their desires, so they will soon face the punishment of their transgression
﴾60﴿ Except for those who repent, believe, and do righteous deeds according to the way of the Sunnah; they will enter Paradise, and they will not be wronged in the least

[58] In this verse, the overall theme of the sūrah is being affirmed: the servitude and weakness of the prophets (peace be upon them), and their complete dependence on Allah, the Exalted.
It shows that even the prophets were in need of Allah for His blessings—such as:
being carried in the ark (as in the time of Nuh),
receiving guidance, and
being chosen (ijtibā’)—all of which were purely from Allah’s grace.
Their human limitations are also highlighted:
they had children, fathers, and ancestors—clear signs of their humanity and need.
Their servitude is expressed through their sujūd (prostration) and bukā’ (weeping) before Allah.
The names of four prophets are mentioned for a specific reason:
Ādam (peace be upon him) was the first father (Ab al-Awwal) of mankind,
Nūḥ (peace be upon him) was the second father (Ab al-Thānī) after the Flood,
Ibrāhīm and Ismā‘īl (peace be upon them) were the fathers of prophets—through them, prophetic lineages continued.
In the phrase:
“Anʿamnā” (We blessed)—this refers to the blessing of prophethood,
“Hadaynā” (We guided)—refers to tawḥīd,
“Ijtabaynā” (We chose)—refers to their lofty qualities and virtues beyond prophethood.
[59] This passage is a response to a common objection: If the events and teachings of the prophets prove that tawḥīd (monotheism) is the true religion, then how did other religions emerge that contradict it?
The answer given is that after the prophets (peace be upon them), unworthy successors (khalf) arose in their communities—people who destroyed the religion of the prophets.
There are two main ways they ruined the religion:
1. “They neglected the prayer” (aḍāʿū aṣ-ṣalāh) – This refers not only to abandoning prayer itself but represents the ruin of the entire religion, because neglecting prayer leads to neglecting all other aspects of faith. This means they abandoned the path of the prophets.
2. “And they followed their desires” – This means they began creating their own versions of religion based on personal whims. In summary, they abandoned tawḥīd and the Sunnah, and turned instead to shirk and innovation (bidʿah).
The word “khalf” (with a silent L) refers to corrupt successors, unlike khalaf (righteous successors).
“Ghayyan” either refers to an actual valley or pit in Hell, or it means rebellion and misguidance. So the meaning could be their punishment or their state of spiritual loss.
Benefit: In verse 166 of Surah Al-A‘rāf, the reference is to those who were semi-scholars (false religious leaders), and their misguidance was due to greed for the world.
But in this verse, the reference is more general—to the common people who ruined the religion through ignorance and following their desires.
“Aḍāʿū aṣ-ṣalāh” includes:
abandoning it completely,
delaying it beyond its proper times,
and performing it improperly by not fulfilling its pillars correctly.
It is narrated from Hasan al-Baṣrī that those who abandoned congregational prayers and prayed at home alone also fall under “aḍāʿū aṣ-ṣalāh”.
[60,61,62,63] This verse indicates that after the prophets, some among the people were righteous (ṣāliḥīn), and their qualities are described here.
For them, there is glad tidings of seven states of Paradise.
The phrase “illā salāman” is a case of munqaṭiʿ (disconnected) exception, meaning: rather, they will hear only words of peace.
This refers to:
greetings exchanged among the righteous,
the greetings of the angels, and
the salām from Allah Himself.
The point is: they will hear nothing in Paradise except speech that is pleasant and beloved.
“Bukratan wa ʿashiyyā” (morning and evening) implies continuity and permanence, as supported by verse 33 of Surah Al-Wāqiʿah.
Ibn ʿAbbās (may Allah be pleased with them) interpreted it to refer to measured periods resembling morning and evening, even though in Paradise there is no literal night or day.
In the final verse, the reason for their entitlement to Paradise is mentioned: it is taqwā (God-consciousness).