People of the Right Hand: Difference between revisions

'''Aṣḥāb al-yamīn''' (Arabic: {{ia|أصْحاب الیَمین}}) or '''aṣḥāb al-maymana''' (Arabic: {{ia|أصْحاب المَیْمَنَة}}) or '''people of the right hand''' are people who receive the [[Record of Actions|records]] of their actions with their right hand and go to the [[Heaven]]. In the [[Qur'an]], they are contrasted to [[ashab al-shimal]] (people of the left hand). According to Quranic verses, people of the right hand are characterized by their belief in God, their certainty in the judgment of the [[resurrection]], feeding the orphans and people in need, and emancipating the slaves. According to some Shiite [[hadiths]], "al-yamin" (the right hand) refers to [[Imam 'Ali (a)]], and "ashab al-yamin" refers to his followers.

"Ashab al-yamin" is a Quranic term which literally means the people of the right hand, as opposed to "ashab al-shimal" which literally means the people of the left hand. According to the exegetes of the Qur'an, people of the right hand are people who were righteous during their life in this world and so, in the [[afterlife]], they will receive the record of their actions with their right hands. On the contrary, people of the left hand receive the record of their actions with their left hands. The term, "ashab al-yamin", is mentioned 6 times in the Qur'an, and in some Quranic verses, it is mentioned as "ashab al-maymana". According to some exegetes, "al-maymana" literally means blessing and happiness, and the people of the blessing (as opposed to "ashab al-mash'ama" [people of the misfortune]) are the people of the right hand.

The [[Qur'an]] has characterized the people of the right hand in [[Sura al-Waqi'a]], [[Sura al-Inshiqaq]], [[Sura al-Balad]], and [[Sura al-Haqqa]] as follows: