What does "it" in "And indeed you were before it..." refer to?

Imām Ibn al-Jawzī (d. 597/1201) summarized the scholars' opinions in his book "Zād al-Masīr" as follows:

1. Islam. [Ibn ʿAbbās]
2. Guidance. [Muqātil, al-Zajjāj]
3. The Qurʾān. [Sufyān al-Thawrī]