Surah Al-Waqi'ah 56:9
سُورَةُ الوَاقِعَةِ · Meccan · Verse 9 of 96
وَأَصْحَٰبُ ٱلْمَشْـَٔمَةِ مَآ أَصْحَٰبُ ٱلْمَشْـَٔمَةِ
Translation
Those on the Left––what people they are!
English translation: M.A.S. Abdel Haleem.
Meaning and reflection
'And the companions of the left, what are the companions of the left!' Ibn Ashur and al-Saadi note the phrasing now carries dread rather than wonder, 'ma ashab al-mash'ama', a marvelling at the wretchedness of the people of the left hand, the ruined. Ask yourself: the same grammatical frame that expressed awe at the saved now expresses horror at the lost, forcing me to hold both destinies side by side. There is no third, neutral shore, the verse just before divided humanity, and here are two of the three, opposite in everything. The uncomfortable question the pairing presses is not abstract: of these two hands, right and left, which does the actual shape of my private life, my habits, my loves, my refusals, point toward?
Grounded in classical tafsir: Ibn Ashur, al-Saadi, al-Biqa'i.
Topics that discuss this verse
Surah Al-Waqi'ah 56:9 is discussed in 2 study guides on Maani. Each guide gathers the key verses, Arabic words and lessons of one Quranic topic.
Reflect on this verse
Open Surah Al-Waqi'ah 56:9 in Maani to reflect on it through the Five Lenses: its wording, its context, what it means for you, its connections across the Quran and its lessons, grounded in classical tafsir.