Al-Waqi'ah: (8-9) "So the companions of the right—what are the companions of the right? And the companions of the left—what are the companions of the left?"

This is a detailing of the three categories, accompanied by a general indication of their states prior to the detailed exposition.

It is common parlance that 'As-hab al-maymanah' (the companions of the right) is the subject (mubtada'), and the Almighty’s saying, "What are the companions of the right?"—the 'ma' (what) in it is interrogative and acts as a second subject, while 'as-hab' is its predicate. The sentence acts as the predicate for the first subject, with the noun [repetition of the subject] functioning in place of the pronoun—the same is said regarding the Almighty’s saying, "And the companions of the left," and so on. The origin in both instances is "What are they?"—meaning, what are they in terms of status and description? Even though 'ma' is commonly understood to denote essence and reality, it is also used to inquire about quality and state, as when you say, "What is Zayd?" and the reply is, "Learned" or "Good."

The explicit noun was placed in the position of the pronoun because it is more effective for the intended purpose, which is magnification in the first instance and belittlement in the second. The intent is to evoke wonder in the listener regarding the status of the two groups, both in their grandeur and their hideousness, as if it were said: "The companions of the right are in a state of ultimate excellence, and the companions of the left are in a state of ultimate wretchedness."

It has been said that the sentence "What are the companions of the right?" is a predicate of the qawl (a tacit "say")—as is understood regarding interrogative sentences when they occur as predicates concerning them [the states of these people], thus there is no need to consider it a case of placing an explicit noun in the position of a pronoun; however, there is consideration regarding this.

Al-maymanah signifies the direction of the right (yamin) or [the source of] blessing (yumn) and grace. Al-mash'amah signifies the direction of the left (shimal)—from the inauspicious hand (al-yad al-shu'mi), which is the left—or it derives from shu'm (ill-omen) as the opposite of yumn (blessing). It is favored that the meaning of "direction" is intended in both, as it is more consistent with the detailed exposition that follows.

There is disagreement regarding the two groups:

• It is said that the companions of the right are those of high rank, and the companions of the left are those of lowly rank, deriving from their being "right-blessed" or "left-cursed" by their characteristics, as one hears regarding the favorable (sarih) and the unfavorable (barih); this is a common metaphorical usage.
• It is permitted that it is a metonymy.
• It is said they are those who are given their scrolls in their right hands, and those who are given them in their left hands.
• It is said they are those who are led to the right toward Paradise, and those who are led to the left toward the Fire.
• It is said they are the companions of the right and the companions of ill-omen, for the blessed are auspicious (mayamin) to themselves through their obedience, and the wretched are ominous (masha'im) to themselves through their sins. This is narrated from al-Hasan and al-Rabi'.