The First Person to be Ressurected

Do not distinguish between Allah's prophets, for indeed the horn will be blown, and everyone in the heavens and everyone on Earth would lose consciousness, except whom Allah wills. It would then be blown another time, and I would be the first to be resurrected, and behold! Musa would be holding the 'Arsh! I do not know, was he taken to account the first time he passed out on the mountain or was he resurrected before me? And I cannot say that anyone is better than Yunus ibn Matta.

[Saheeh al-Jaami' as-Sagheer: # 2570]

In another narration:

"Indeed all people would pass out and I would be the first to gain consciousness, and behold! Musa would be firmly grabbing on to the side of the 'Arsh! So I do not know, was he amongst those who lost consciousness, and then gained it before me, or was he from amongst those who were exempted by Allah the Elevated?

An-Nawawee stated:

The Sa'qah [translated in the Hadeeth above as losing consciousness] is death and annihilation [linguistically]. A person Sa'aq means he died. [Other linguistic benefits have been omitted but can be found in the Arabic version]

Al-Qaadee stated: This Hadeeth is amongst the most puzzling, because Musa already died, so how could he die again [by the blowing of the horn]? Only things that are alive can die.

His statement ﷺ-:

…or was he from amongst those who were exempted by Allah the Elevated?

This indicates that Musa was alive, however, no evidence has been transmitted indicating that Musa came back to life, or that he is alive now - as is the case with 'Eesa. Furthermore, the Prophet -ﷺ- said [in another Hadeeth]: "If I was still there I would have shown you his (Musa’s - ‘Alayhi as-Salaam) grave at the side of a path."

Al-Qaadee continues:

It is possible that what is meant by this 'Sa'qah', is a passing out after the resurrection, when the heavens and Earth are rent asunder, this way the Ayaat and Ahadeeth would be in cohesion. This is also supported by the choice of words the Messenger -ﷺ- used, where he said 'gained consciousness', since this is only used with someone who has lost consciousness, as for someone who is dead; it is said 'he was resurrected'. Also, Musa passing out on the mountain was not a death.

Regarding his saying:

I do not know, was he amongst those who gained consciousness before me…

It is possible that the Messenger of Allah -ﷺ- said this before he came to know that he was the first person to be resurrected, if the meaning was to be taken literally, and that our Prophet -ﷺ- is the first person to be resurrected unrestrictedly.

And it is also possible that what it means, is that he is amongst the first group of people to be resurrected, and Musa would also be from that group.

BadruDeen al-'Aynee al-Hanafee stated:

If it is asked: So with this precedency, has Musa – ‘Alayhi as-Salaam become superior to our Prophet? 

It is said: If he is superior from one angle, this does not necessitate that he is superior unrestrictedly. It has also been said that the two options that are doubted do not necessitate superiority unrestrictedly.

Al-Hafidh [ibn Hajar] states:

What is meant by Sa'qah, is a losing of consciousness that befalls a person who hears a [frightening] sound or sees something frightening. And this narration clearly proves that people gain consciousness after the horn is blown for the second time. An even clearer proof is the narration of ash-Sha'bee on the authority of Abu Hurayrah in the Tafseer of Surat az-Zumar with the wording:

I am the first who will raise his head after the horn is blown for the second/last time.

…

His statement: 

So I do not know, was he amongst those who lost consciousness, and then gained it before me, or was he from amongst those who were exempted by Allah the Elevated?

Meaning was he  exempted from passing out; if he gained consciousness before him, then this is an evident virtue, and if he was amongst those who have been exempted by Allah and didn’t lose consciousness, then this too, is also a virtue.

The following wording is found in the Hadeeth of Abu Sa'eed:

I do not know, was he from amongst those who lost consciousness – meaning and gained consciousness before me – or was he taken to account the first time he lost consciousness. Meaning when he lost consciousness after asking to see Allah. 

Ibn al-Fadl clarified this through his narration with the wording:

…was he taken into account by passing out the day he was on the mountain…

By combining this narration with his statement:

or was he from amongst those who were exempted by Allah?

[It becomes clear that] Ibn al-Fadl’s narration explains why he was exempted; it is because he was taken to account with his passing out on the mountain, so he was not tasked by passing out again.

…

In a wording in the narration of Muhammad ibn 'Amr on the authority of Abu Salamah that was collected by Ibn Mardawayh:

I am the first whom the Earth will split for [to emerge from] on the day of resurrection, so I would wipe the sand off my head.  I will approach the pillars of the 'Arsh, and would find Musa standing there. So I do not know, did he wipe the sand from his head before me, or was he amongst those whom were exempted by Allah.

With this wording; 'wipe the sand from his head before me…' it can be understood that they emerged from the grave at the same time, it could also be a figure of speech, meaning emerging from the grave. In either case, it is a virtue for Musa as has preceded.

Fat-h al-Baaree with omissions.

Shaykh 'Abdul Muhsin al-'Abbaad states [audio file]:

In some narrations he said:

I do not know, did he gain consciousness before me, or was he sufficed with the passing out on the mountain?

It was said: This passing out that takes place happens on the Day of Resurrection, when Allah – the Mighty and Majestic – descends to judge between mankind, all of them pass out. So the Prophet -ﷺ- would be the first to gain consciousness, and he would find Musa holding on to a pillar of the ‘Arsh. So the Prophet -ﷺ- says:

I do not know; did he gain consciousness before me

-    Meaning did he lose consciousness, and then gain it before me?

…or was he sufficed with the losing of consciousness on the mountain

-    Which happened in the life of this world. As Allah said:

But when his Lord appeared to the mountain, He rendered it level, and Moses fell unconscious.

[Al-'Araaf: 143]

So he lost consciousness twice; once in the life of this world, and once on the Day of Resurrection. This is if we were to consider the possibility that he passes out in the afterlife, but if he doesn’t pass out in the afterlife, and is safe from losing consciousness, then he would have been sufficed by the time it happened to him on the mountain in the life of this world, which Allah mentions in the Quran.

But when his Lord appeared to the mountain, He rendered it level, and Moses fell unconscious. And when he awoke, he said, "Exalted are You! I have repented to You

[Al-'Araaf: 143]

So the state of Musa in relation to this passing out which happens to all people, it is either that what happens to them happens to him as well. Or, that it doesn’t happen to him [in the afterlife] but something similar to it happens to him in the life of this world. So he would be sufficed by the first passing out [in the life of this world] and be safe from the second passing out in the afterlife, and there is a narration affirming this stating:

…or was he amongst those who were exempted by Allah

So this either means that he was exempted from passing out because it happened to him in the life of this world, as was affirmed in another Hadeeth. Or it could also mean:

And the Horn will be blown, and whoever is in the heavens and whoever is on the earth will Sa’qah’ [fall dead] except whom Allah wills.

[Az-Zumar: 68]

However, the Sa’qah’ referred to in this Ayah, is a death which befalls anyone who is alive at the end of times. There is a ‘Sa’qah’ of death, then a ‘Sa’qah’ of resurrection:
And the Horn will be blown, and whoever is in the heavens and whoever is on the earth will Sa’qah’ [fall dead] except whom Allah wills. 

And the Horn will be blown, and whoever is in the heavens and whoever is on the earth will Sa’qah’ [fall dead] except whom Allah wills.

[Az-Zumar: 68]

Meaning those whom Allah does not will to die, like those who were created in Jannah and Allah did not will their death such as the Hoor al-Ayn; they were created to remain in Jannah, so they will not die and are exempted.

This was related by the commenter of at-Tahawiyyah by way of Abul Hajjaaj al-Mizee, it was also mentioned by Ibn Katheer. They mentioned that the Sa’qah only happens in the afterlife when Allah comes for judgement, and that Musa -ﷺ- either goes through the Sa’qah a second time on the Day of Resurrection, and gains consciousness before the Prophet -ﷺ, or that he does not go through the Sa’qah [a second time] because he was sufficed with the Sa’qah in the life of this world when Allah - the Mighty and Majestic - descended and Musa fell unconscious, as was clarified in Surat al-‘Araaf.

Sharh Sunan Abu Dawud: 26/456