Peace to everyone
I also have been struggling to understand who the people of the Right Hand are.
It seems to me that God made sure we would understand it. Here is what I found.
Quote90.10 And We guided him (to) the two paths/good or bad ?
90.11 So he did not rush/force (himself) into the high mountain
path/road ?
90.12 And what made you know/informed you what the high
mountain path/road (is) ?
90.13 Releasing/freeing a neck/person/slave.
90.14 Or feeding in a day/time of hunger/starvation/famine.
90.15 An orphan of a relation/near/close.
90.16 Or a poorest of poor/poor oppressed of poverty.
90.17 Then he was from those who believed and
directed/commanded each other with the patience, and
directed/commanded each other with the mercy/compassion .
90.18 Those are the blessings'/right's (side's/hand's)
owners/friends/company.
Everyone talks about 23.5-6 and it seems people are confusing some issues perhaps. Just because we are allowed to show our privates to our spouses and what the right hand posseses doesnt mean that they are of the opposite sex. In fact, that would not make sense given light of many other verses in the Quran regarding modesty and chastity and avoiding fornication.
Could it be perphaps a different way? I pose the following scenario.
A women is married, and her husband is a land owner. Maybe a farmer. He hires on staff to help till the fields for crop production. They receive room and board for his family in a guest house area, and a small wage to save for himself. Now, the women may help the wife with the chores such as cooking and cleaning and laundry (not trying to be sexist, just giving an example scenario LOL). So now the wife has "hand maidens". Its very likely that these women may help the wife with her bathing, or dressing (this is quite common even today) and would then see her privates in a non-sexual yet modest way.
Likewise the men may have male staff that fetch the water for his bath etc. It does not mean, that male servents see women naked, nor does it mean women servents see the men naked. God did NOT say your female Right hand people. He just said what your Right Hand posses that includes BOTH male and female.
I think too often we get so wrapped up in our own sex, that we forget that there is another sex also. We automatically assume that it must mean a female Right Hand as opposed to a male Right Hand and we end up struggling to make sense of it.
Women are also allowed to marry of what their Right Hand posses, it was not just for men. There is balance. It seems to me the most modest way, would be as in the example scenario I gave above.
Given the verse about marrying them off...I too would have to agree with the person who wrote that it seems you would marry them off as to avoid poverty for yourself. Maybe if you could no longer afford staff? Your business was going under so you need to cut employees, and you could no longer afford to feed them all. They are of marrying age, so you would do what Allah has said is BEST and that is free them for marriage to another. It doesnt mean to take them for yourself.
As we see in 4.129, men are not able to be just or fair between two wives. Obviously you arent going to be able to take on more than one women even if one is an orphan. It seems the Best explanation is to free them to marry to the person of their choice.
If you put it into this context, all the other verses seem to make quite alot of good sense.
You are allowed to marry an orphan if you cannot find a suitable believing mate for yourself. And you are to give them that which you would give to a believing women to make things fair. Still just one.
I dunno just putting it out there for response. After reading 90.10-18 it just seemed to fall into place.
