Yeh

Al-yumn: barkat : (profusion not physically but in effect): al-maimanah: barkat: towards the right side: al-yaman: on the right side: al-yameen: right hand: on the right side: it also means strength:** yameen: the plural is aimaan: promise : a swear: the Arabs used to strike their right hand over the other when they swore: *

Surah Kahaf says: zaatal yamini wa zaatash shimaal: 28:30 it can also mean “from the right end of the valley” and also “from the corner of the mubarak (blessed) valley”:

To mean barkat the words ashaabil yameen 56:27 have been used and also ashaabul maimanah: 56:8 but they can also mean “those on the right side”:

at-tooril aiman: 19:52 to mean power the word appears in surah Sa’affaat : faragha alihim zarban bil yameen: 37:93 Ibrahim struck the statues (idols) with full might or power: in the same surah, a little earlier it is said: qaalu innakum kuntum ta’tu nana unil yameen: 37:28 they will say that you used to come to us with tremendous strength and means : (and thus used to prevent us from adopting the way of the haq [truth]):

At several places the Qur’an has said: ma malakat aimaanukum: literally it means ‘whose posessors: at some places this phrase means those who are your subordinates or under you: as in 4: 36: but at other places it means slaves and slave-girls: surah Noor says: wal lazeena yabtaghooonal kitaaba mimma malakat aimanukum: 24:33 those slaves of yours who enter into makatibat (or a pact in writing) with you: i.e. enter into a pact for their freedom:

Before Islam’s advent slavery prevailed in Arab culture :slavres used to work outside the home and slave-girls within: this was the society in which Islam made its advent: when the Arabs turned to Islam, they had these slaves and slave-girls: Islam had made its appearance to free mankind but if it advocated freedom for all slaves (who were present in society at that time) at once then this would have created imbalance in society: young women in such large numbers without husbands (the slave-girls) , if let loose in society would certainly create chaos and would have given rise to corruption in society: therefore Islam didn’t order them all to be freed from bondage at once but closed the door to any more slavery: and at the same time gave such orders for slaves and the slave girls then present in society that would gradually induct as free men and women in society as respectable human beings and till they did so they would be treated humanely: whatever has been said in the Qur’an under ma malakat aimanukum has been said about these slaves and slave women: thereafter the door to further slavery was closed: therefore there was no further need for these orders: although if a situation arises again in the future like when a nation accepts Islam and comes out of paganism then the orders about slaves and slave-women would also apply to them.

As per the above meanings of ma malakat aimanukum, if we view various places in the Qur’an where the phrase has appeared, it will become clear that these orders are for the slaves and slave-girls of that time: and that’s all: (not for all times) : as wal lazeena hum lifurujihim haafizuna illa ala azwajihim au ma malakat aimaanuhum means 7:29:30 i.e. those who protect their chastity or go only to those women (for having sex) whom they possess (everywhere this subject has cropped up the past tense has been used): for more details see heading miim, laam, kaf

It is unfortunate that Muslim rulers found it a convenient way to open the door to slavery and presented the ayaats of the Qur’an as an argument (or in support of their deed): what can be more silly than accusing the Qur’an of perpetuating slavery.