Who Are the Fuqarā’ Who Will Be the First to Enter Jannah?

Allah, the Exalted, states: "O mankind, you are the ones in need (fuqarā’) of Allah, while Allah is the Free of need, the Praiseworthy" (Q 35:15). The Messenger of Allah ﷺ also said: "The poor will enter paradise 500 years before the rich—half a day." (Narrated by al-Tirmidhī).

In light of these traditions, we find ourselves compelled to return to the essence of faqr, which transcends the conventional notion of lacking material wealth. The highest form of faqr is the realization of one’s complete dependence on Allah, the Almighty. Even someone blessed with abundant provisions can still be faqīr—in need of Allah. 

For the People of Truth, the Sufis, faqr in the path to God is, in fact, a light; for the one who truly depends on Allah becomes a seeker (murīd) actively striving to find Him. The threads of divine power (qudra) inevitably guide a person imbued with such faqr to a walī from the spiritual heirs of al-Muṣṭafā ﷺ. When the walī lifts the veils of the heart and unveils the divine light, they quench the thirsty seeker with the light of the Self-Sufficient, Allah, and reveal their essential dependence on Him. Through this spiritual light of faqr, one comes to transform their being and recognize in the process their true need for Allah. This is why they are called fuqarāʾ—those who are ontologically in need of Allah.

This quality can only be attained by following the path of wilāya and adhering to the guidance of a walī. Allah, Most High, indeed states: "Allah is the walī of those who believe; He brings them out of the darknesses into the light." (Q 2:257).

The fuqarāʾ will be the first to enter jannah (paradise). This is both a prophecy and a promise from the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him. A ḥadīth in Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim further explains the state of these individuals, who will be at the forefront on the Day of Judgement. This narration reaffirms that true faqr is akin to divine light, with both being proportional—the greater the faqr, the greater the light:

“[On the Day of Judgement,] everyone–whether hypocrite or believer–will be given a light, and they will follow it. On the bridge over hell (jahannam), there are hooks and spikes that will snatch whomever Allah wills. Then the light of the hypocrites will be extinguished, while the believers will be saved. The first group to be saved will have faces as radiant as the full moon, consisting of seventy thousand people who will not be held accountable. After them, the next group’s light will be like the brightest star in the sky, followed by others.”

Considering both narrations, the first group must be comprised of the poor, fuqarāʾ, whose light shines like the full moon on a clear night, while the second group resembles a shining star in the bright sky. May Allah make us among them and gather us with them.

In the Karkariyya, this is precisely the focus of Sīdī Muḥammad Fawzī al-Karkarī, quddisa sirruh, who trains the murīd to strive in obedience to Allah and steadfastness until their light evolves from a star to a moon, and eventually to a sun. The greater the light, the closer the person comes to embodying faqr. Spiritual exercises and practices serve this purpose, as the ultimate goal of this path is not to become an ascetic or to fill one's spiritual record with acts of worship for the sake of worship itself. Rather, it is to increase the light, drawing closer to Allah the Almighty, His beloved Messenger, peace be upon him, and the awliyāʾ.

This method is illustrated in the account of Prophet Ibrāhīm, peace be upon him. Allah, the Exalted, states: “And when the night covered him, he saw a star. He said, ‘This is my Lord.’ But when it set, he said, ‘I do not like those that set.’ When he saw the moon rising, he said, ‘This is my Lord.’ But when it set, he said, ‘Unless my Lord guides me, I will surely be among the people gone astray.’ When he saw the sun rising, he said, ‘This is my Lord; this is greater.’” (Q 6:76-78). (These verses refer to witnessing the divine light, shuhūd nūr Allah, during wakefulness while being in Allah’s presence and in seclusion, khulwa, with one’s Lord. It is nighttime, which makes it illogical to see the accidental sun; rather, it speaks of tajallī, the unveiling of divine light. Furthermore, a Prophet is flawless and far above the intellect of a seven years old. He cannot in any circumstances associate partners with Allah, shirk, or fall into disbelief, kufr, as some interpretations mistakenly suggest regarding Sayyidunā Ibrāhīm. May Allah protect us from such misguidance.)

One, thus, realizes on this path that faqr is an exalted station—a recognition of one’s nonexistence and Allah's true closeness to the servant. A person who lacks money and wealth may assume they are faqīr to Allah, yet if their sustenance increases, they might become arrogant and oppressive. Such people are not truly fuqarāʾ, as they rely in their inner selves on themselves and believe in reality in their self-sufficiency. Conversely, one who becomes impoverished might also turn tyrannical, demonstrating a lack of acceptance of Allah’s decree and the blessings that remain. Therefore, the true measure of faqr is the light of Allah the Almighty. Without this light, one cannot claim the Prophetic faqr and a share in the truths of the verse mentioned above. This is a station beyond their reach, reserved for those blessed in pre-eternity.