سورة الواقعة

Ali ibn Ibrahim (may Allah have mercy on him): وَ أَصْحَابُ الیَمِینِ مَا أَصْحَابُ الیَمِینِ [And the companions of the right hand; how happy are the companions of the right hand!] — what is meant by "the right" is Ali (peace be upon him) and his companions and his Shi'a.

The Prophet (peace be upon him and his family): It has been narrated from Hudhayfa ibn al-Yaman that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) sent for Bilal and ordered him to call the adhan for prayer before its time and out of its usual time. Thirteen days of the month of Rajab had passed. When Bilal raised the call, the people were greatly frightened and alarmed by this and said, "The Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) is among us; he has not been hidden from us, nor has he died!" So they gathered and assembled together. Then the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) came on foot until he reached one of the doors of the mosque, and took hold of the two sides of the doorway. In the mosque there was a place called al-Suddah. He gave the salaam and said, "O people of al-Suddah! Do you hear?" They said, "Yes! We have heard and we have obeyed." Then he asked, "Will you convey [this message]?" They said, "O Messenger of Allah! We guarantee it." Then the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) said, "I inform you that Allah created people in two kinds and placed me in the better group, and this is the saying of Allah who says: أَصْحابُ الْیَمِینِ وَ أَصْحابُ الشِّمالِ [the companions of the right hand and the companions of the left hand]; so I am among the companions of the right, and I am the best of the companions of the right."

The Prophet (peace be upon him and his family): [It is narrated] from Salman (may Allah have mercy on him) who said: During the illness in which the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) passed away, I came to the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) and sat before him and asked about his condition, and I stood up to leave when he said to me: "O Salman (may Allah have mercy on him), sit down! Soon Allah the Mighty and Majestic will show you a matter which is among the best of matters." So I sat down, and in that state suddenly some men from his Ahl al-Bayt and some men from his companions entered, and his daughter Fatima (peace be upon her) came in among those who entered. When she saw the weakness and frailty of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family), she was overcome with weeping until her tears flowed down her face. The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) saw this and said: "Allah the Exalted created the creation and made them into two groups, and He placed me and Ali (peace be upon him) in the better of the two groups, and that is the saying of Allah the Exalted: وَ أَصْحابُ الْیَمِینِ ما أَصْحابُ الْیَمِینِ [And the companions of the right hand; how happy are the companions of the right hand!]."

The Prophet (peace be upon him and his family): Indeed! Allah the Exalted has divided His creation into two groups, and He placed me in the worthy group of those two, just as He Himself has referred to these two groups in the Quran: أَصْحابِ الْیَمِینِ [the companions of the right hand] and اصحاب الشمال [the companions of the left hand].

Imam Kazim (peace be upon him): Muhammad ibn Fudayl said: I asked Imam Kazim (peace be upon him) about the saying of Allah the Mighty and Majestic: وَ أَصْحابُ الْیَمِینِ [And the companions of the right hand]. He said: "By Allah! They are from our Shia."

Imam Ali (peace be upon him): The Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) received prophethood on Monday, and I became a Muslim on Tuesday morning. The Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) used to pray, and I would pray on his right side, and no man other than me was with him. Then Allah revealed: أَصْحابُ الْیَمِینِ ما أَصْحابُ الْیَمِینِ [The companions of the right hand; how happy are the companions of the right hand!].

Imam Kazim (peace be upon him): Ibn Abi Umayr said: I said to Imam Kazim (peace be upon him): "Why did Amir al-Mu'minin (peace be upon him) wear the ring on his right hand?" His Eminence (peace be upon him) said: "Because he was, after the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family), the Imam and leader of the aṣḥāb al-yamīn (companions of the right hand), and Allah the Exalted has praised the aṣḥāb al-yamīn (companions of the right hand) and censured the aṣḥāb al-shimāl (companions of the left hand)."

Imam Baqir (peace be upon him): Allah the Mighty and Majestic says: No supplicant has turned toward Me who is more beloved to Me than one who calls upon Me and asks of Me by the right of Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family) and his Ahl al-Bayt. The words which Adam (peace be upon him) received from Allah were these — he said: اللَّهُمَّ أَنْتَ وَلِیِّی فِی نِعْمَتِی وَ الْقَادِرُ عَلَی طَلِبَتِی وَ قَدْ تَعْلَمُ حَاجَتِی فَأَسْأَلُکَ بِحَقِّ مُحَمَّدٍ وَ آلِ مُحَمَّدٍ إِلَّا مَا رَحِمْتَنِی وَ غَفَرْتَ زَلَّتِی [O Allah, You are the Guardian of my blessing, and the One able to grant my request, and You know my need; so I ask You by the right of Muhammad and the Family of Muhammad that You have mercy on me and forgive my slip]. Allah addressed Adam (peace be upon him): 'Adam (peace be upon him)! I am the Guardian of your blessing and able to fulfil your request, and I also know your need — so how is it that you asked Me by the right of Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family) and his Family?' He said: 'My Lord! When You breathed the spirit into me, I raised my head toward the Throne and saw written around it: لا إِلهَ إِلَّا اللهُ محمّد رَسُولُ اللهِ [There is no god but Allah, Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah], and I understood that Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family) is the most honoured of creation before You. Then when the names were presented to me, among a group of the companions of the right hand who passed before me I saw the Family of Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family) and their followers, and I understood that they are the closest of people to You.' He said: 'You have spoken truly, Adam (peace be upon him)!'

Imam Baqir (peace be upon him): If people knew how the beginning of creation was, two people would not disagree with one another [in matters of religion]. Indeed Allah the Mighty and Majestic, before creating creation, said: Come into being as sweet water, so that I may create from you My Paradise and the people of My obedience; and come into being as salty, bitter water, so that I may create from you My Hell and the people of My disobedience. Then He commanded the two, and they were mingled — and it is because of this that a believer gives birth to a disbeliever and a disbeliever to a believer. Then He took clay from the surface of the earth and rubbed it vigorously, and suddenly they began moving like ants. Then He said to the companions of the right hand: To Paradise in peace; and He said to the companions of the left hand: 'To Hell, and I do not care.' Then He commanded, and a fire was kindled, and He said to the companions of the left hand: 'Enter it.' They feared it and held back. Then He said to the companions of the right hand: 'Enter!' They entered. Then He said: 'Be cool and safe!' The fire became cool and safe. The companions of the left hand said: 'Our Lord, overlook our slip and give us another chance.' He said: 'I have given you another chance — enter!' They went, and again feared. There obedience and disobedience became fixed, so neither can this group be of those, nor can those be of this group.

The Prophet (peace be upon him and his family): The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) said to Ali (peace be upon him): 'You are the one by whom Allah completed the proof concerning you at the beginning of creation, when He set them all up as forms and said to them: أَ لَسْتُ بِرَبِّکُمْ [Am I not your Lord?]. They said: قالُوا بَلی [Yes]. He said: And Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family) is My Messenger. They said: Yes. He said: And Ali (peace be upon him) is the Commander of the Faithful — and all of creation refused, out of arrogance and rebellion, to accept your wilaya, except for a few, and they are the fewest of the few, and they are the companions of the right hand.'

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): The companions of the right hand are those whom Allah took from Adam's (peace be upon him) right shoulder and placed in his loins, and the companions of the left hand are those whom Allah took from Adam's (peace be upon him) left shoulder and placed in his loins.

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Whenever you see in someone ignorance, foolishness, haste in affairs [without deliberation and reflection] and bad manners, know that his [nature] is from the companions of the left hand and from the people of Hell. And if you see someone dignified and of good character, know that his [nature] is from the companions of the right hand and from the people of Paradise.

Imam Baqir (peace be upon him): Zurara said: A man asked Imam Baqir (peace be upon him) about this verse: And [remember] when your Lord took from the backs and loins of the children of Adam their offspring, and made them bear witness against themselves, [saying]: "Am I not your Lord?" They said: "Yes." (al-A'raf/172). While his father was listening, His Holiness (peace be upon him) replied: My father narrated a hadith to me: "Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, took a handful of the dust of the earth from which He created Adam (peace be upon him), poured sweet, fresh Euphrates water upon it, and left it for forty mornings. Then He poured salty, bitter water upon it and left it for another forty mornings. When that clay became leavened, He took it and rubbed it vigorously, then human beings, like tiny ants, began to stir from His right and His left. He commanded them all to enter the fire; the companions of the right hand entered, and the fire became cool and safe upon them, and the companions of the left hand refused to enter it."