Surah Al-Waqi'ah, Ayah 55

Those on the Left and Their Recompense

After Allah mentioned the condition of those on the right hand, He then mentioned the condition of those on the left hand,

وَأَصْحَـبُ الشِّمَالِ مَآ أَصْحَـبُ الشِّمَالِ

(And those on the left How will be those on the left) meaning, `What is the condition of those on the left,' then explains His statement, by saying,

فِى سَمُومٍ

(in Samum,) means, a fierce hot wind,

وَحَمِيمٍ

(and Hamim.) i.e., boiling water,

وَظِلٍّ مِّن يَحْمُومٍ

(And a shadow from Yahmum,) the shadow of smoke, according to Ibn `Abbas, Mujahid, `Ikrimah, Abu Salih, Qatadah, As-Suddi and others. In a similar statement, Allah said,

انطَلِقُواْ إِلَى مَا كُنتُمْ بِهِ تُكَذِّبُونَ - انطَلِقُواْ إِلَى ظِلٍّ ذِى ثَلَـثِ شُعَبٍ - لاَّ ظَلِيلٍ وَلاَ يُغْنِى مِنَ اللَّهَبِ - إِنَّهَا تَرْمِى بِشَرَرٍ كَالْقَصْرِ - كَأَنَّهُ جِمَـلَةٌ صُفْرٌ وَيْلٌ يَوْمَئِذٍ لِّلْمُكَذِّبِينَ

ثُلَّةٌ مِّنَ الْأَوَّلِينَ وَثُلَّةٌ مِّنَ الْآخِرِ‌ينَ (many from the earlier generations, and many from the later ones....56:39-40) In connection with sabiqun, (the Foremost) two views of the commentators were quoted earlier as to the identity of 'the earlier' and the 'later' generations. If 'the earlier' refers to the generations from 'Adam (علیہ السلام) to the period just prior to the advent of the Holy Prophet ﷺ and 'the later generations' refers to the 'Ummah of the Holy Prophet ﷺ till the Day of Judgment, as some of the commentators have opined, then the verses would mean: 'the People of the Right' will constitute a 'large party' of believers and the righteous from all the previous communities combined together, while there will be a 'large party' from the Ummah of the Holy Prophet ﷺ alone. In this case, it is a great honor for the Ummah of the Holy Prophet ﷺ that, despite the short period they lived in this world, they could be compared to all the previous communities who were headed by hundreds of thousands of Prophets (علیہم السلام) . Besides, the words 'many from the later generations' has the scope of being larger in number than the 'many from the earlier generations'.

‘Those on the Left’ (ashab ash-shimal) means those to whom is condign punishment will be meted out. Deceived by the amenities they had in this world, they had made things other than God the centre of their attention, and this is the greatest human crime. They had made themselves so forgetful of the Hereafter, it was as if it was not to become a reality at all. Such people will receive severe punishment on the Day of Judgement.