al-Wāqi‘ah

وَكُنتُمْ أزْوَاجًا ثَلَآثَةً

فَأصْحَابُ الْمَيْمَنَةِ مَا أصْحَابُ الْمَيْمَنَةِ

وَأصْحَابُ الْمَشْأمَةِ مَا أصْحَابُ الْمَشْأمَةِ

7. And you shall be in three groups on that Day.

8. Therefore, people on the Right Hand are as if they are personifications of happiness.

9. And people on the Left Hand, how unfortunate shall they be because of their vices and unhappiness.

Depiction of the Great Event of Resurrection is followed by a treatment of the conditions of people on that Day. They are divided into three groups;

("And you shall be in the three groups on that Day").

The Arabic word jawj is not only applied to feminine and masculine but also it connotes similar objects. Since certain people shall be similar on the Day of Resurrection, the blessed Verse 8 treats of the first group, namely

the people on the Right Hand (ashab al-maymana)

whom are being referred to as fortunate, since the record of their deeds are given to their right hands. They symbolize the saved believers doing righteous good deeds. They shall be granted Divine Rewards. The Arabic word maymana is cognate with yumn which denotes happiness. Thus, the first group includes the happy and the fortunate. The blessed Verse 9 makes mention of

the people on the Left Hand (ashab al-mush’ama)

who are the unfortunate people. How unfortunate they are that the records of their deeds shall be given to their left hands owing to their misery and unhappiness. They symbolize those who committed sins and did wrong. The expression:

"people on the Left Hand"

reflects their utmost misery and unhappiness.