Verses 1–9
بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمنِ الرَّحِيمِ
In the name of Allah, the All-Merciful, the Ever-Merciful
This sūrah was revealed in Mecca and consists of 9 verses. It severely warns the arrogant money-grubbers who amass wealth in order to lord it over others, look down upon them, and find fault with them unjustifiably.
Commentary
وَيْلٌ لِكُلِّ هُمَزَةٍ لُمَزَةٍ ١
(104:1) Shame on every scandal-monger (humazah, from hamz) and slanderer (lumazah, from lamz),
Majmaʿ al-bayān says:
Humazah is someone who frequently spreads false libels about others and blames them for what is not really blameworthy. The root meaning of hamz is “breaking.”
Lamz also means “flaw, defect, slander.” Humazah and lumazah are synonyms. However, according to al-Layth, there is a slight difference between them, in that humazah is someone who slanders others behind their back, while lumazah is someone who slanders them in their face.
Some also say that humazah is a person who annoys the other with their foul words, whereas lumazah is a person who does so non-verbally, through gestures of the eye and head.
The verbal pattern fuʿalah denotes someone who does an action frequently, such that it becomes second nature to them. For instance, nukaḥah is a man who often does nikāḥ (sex, marriage), and ḍuḥakah is one who is given to laughing. Humazah and lumazah follow the same pattern.
The meaning is: “Shame on every slanderer and gossiper.” Exegetes have also proffered other views according to their different interpretations of humazah and lumazah.
الَّذِي جَمَعَ مَالًا وَعَدَّدَهُ ٢
(104:2) who amasses some wealth and counts it over.
This verse interprets scandal-monger and slanderer (). The word wealth is in the indefinite form, which indicates insignificance. This is because no matter how abundant one’s wealth may be, it cannot do nothing for its owner beyond taking care of their daily needs, such as some food and drink to satisfy their hunger and thirst.
… and counts it over (ʿaddadahu, from taʿdīd) Taʿdīd is synonymous with ʿadd, which means “counting, enumerating, tallying.” The meaning is: “Since they are so enamored with wealth, they constantly endeavor to amass more of it, and then count their wealth again and again because it gives them pleasure to see how much they have hoarded.”
Some have interpreted taʿdīd as “making a backup” (ʿuddah). The meaning would be: “They stockpile money as a precautionary measure against potential future tragedies.”
يَحْسَبُ أَنَّ مَالَهُ أَخْلَدَهُ ٣
(104:3) He supposes (yaḥsabu) his wealth will make him immortal (akhladahu).
They think their wealth will make them immortal in this world by staving off death and destruction.
Because of being engrossed in far-fetched hopes and attached to the worldly life, humans will never be content with the amount of wealth necessary to take care of their meagre daily needs. As their wealth increases, so too will their covetousness, to which there is no end. The way they conduct themselves in life is as though they suppose their wealth would make them immortal. Out of their instinct to live and survive, they acquire wealth and keep count of it. The wealth that they accumulate and count will give them a sense of self-sufficiency and superiority over others, as God, says: Indeed man transgresses for he views himself self-sufficient (). This sense of arrogance and transgression [] would lead them to slander and gossip [].
Here, it becomes clear that the current verse—He supposes his wealth will make him immortal ()—explains the cause of the last verse: who amasses some wealth and counts it over (), which itself is the cause of the first verse: shame on every scandal-monger and slanderer ().
كَلَّاۖ لَيُنْبَذَنَّ فِي الْحُطَمَةِ ٤
(104:4) Nay (kallā)! He will surely be tossed (la-yunbadhanna, from nabdh) into the Crusher (al-ḥūṭamah).
The exclamation kallā (nay, never, no way) refutes their notion that their wealth will keep them alive forever. The letter lām in la-yunbadhanna expresses an oath. Nabdh means “flinging, throwing away, discarding.” Ḥūṭamah is an intensive form derived from ḥaṭm, meaning “breaking, cracking.” It is also defined as “consuming, eating.” Ḥūṭamah is one of the names of hell, as interpreted below: [It is] the fire of Allah, set ablaze (). The meaning is: “Contrary to what they suppose, their wealth will not make them immortal. Rather, I swear that they will die and then be flung into the Crusher.”
وَمَا أَدْرَاكَ مَا الْحُطَمَةُ ٥
(104:5) And what shall teach you what is the Crusher?
This is to emphasize the magnitude of the Crusher, and to inspire awe in the audience.
نَارُ اللَّهِ الْمُوقَدَةُ ٦
(104:6) [It is] the fire of Allah, set ablaze (al-mūqadah, from īqād),
When used for fire, īqād means “kindling, setting aflame.”
الَّتِي تَطَّلِعُ عَلَى الْأَفْئِدَةِ ٧
(104:7) which will overspread (taṭṭaliʿu, from iṭṭilāʿ) the hearts (al-afʾidah).
Iṭṭilāʿ and ṭulūʿ mean “rising, appearing and hanging” above something. Afʾidah is the plural of fuʾād, which is synonymous with qalb (heart). Both terms, in the Qur’anic nomenclature, refer to our principle of consciousness and reasoning, which amounts to the human soul.
Apparently what is meant here is that hellfire burns both the interior and the exterior of a person, as opposed to worldly fires, which only burn the outside. God says: Its fuel will be humans and stones ().
إِنَّهَا عَلَيْهِمْ مُؤْصَدَةٌ ٨
(104:8) Indeed it will close in upon them
They will be entirely surrounded by it. They will have no escape or refuge from it.
فِي عَمَدٍ مُمَدَّدَةٍ ٩
(104:9) in outstretched (mumaddadh, from tamdīd) columns (ʿamad).
ʿAmad is the plural of ʿamūd (pillar, pole, column.) Tamdīd is an exaggerated form of madd (stretching, extending). Some suggested interpretations are:
- The verse describes stakes that will close in on the inhabitants of hell.
- It describes massive and extended shackles in which they will be locked. They are like wooden posts or giant tree-trunks with holes pierced into them, where the feet of prisoners—such as thieves—are tied.
There are also other views.
Examining Narrations
- Rūḥ al-maʿānī has narrated several views on the person wbout whom this sūrah was revealed: (1) Ubayy b. Khalaf. (2) Ubayy b. ʿAmar al-Thaqafī, known as al-Akhnas b. Sharīq, since he was a foul-mouthed gossiper. (3) Umayyah b. Khalaf al-Jumaḥī, who used to pick on the Prophet. (4) Jamīl b. ʿĀmir. (5) Al-Walīd b. al-Mughīrah, who also used to defame and disparage the Messenger of God. (6) Al-ʿĀṣ b. Wāʾil.
Author’s comment: The author of Rūḥ al-maʿānī then adds, “It is possible that the chapter was revealed with reference to all of.” It could also be that these are the narrators matching the verse with specific people, as is the case in many narrations concerning the context of revelation of the verses (asbāb al-nuzūl).
- Tafsīr al-Qummī says: Shame on every humazah (): That is a person who winks at people [disdainfully] and scorns the poor. And lumazah (): That is someone who turns away their head and gets angry when they see a poor person or a beggar. Who amasses some wealth and counts it over (): This means accumulating wealth and storing it away.
- Tafsīr al-Qummī says: Which will overspread the hearts (): It sets fire to the hearts. Abū Dharr said: “Warn the arrogant about being branded in their chest, and dragged on their back.” Indeed it will be muʾṣadah upon them (): It [muʾṣadah] means muṭbaqah (closed, locked, covered). In outstretched columns (): By God, when the stakes [of fire] stretch out toward them, the stakes will consume their skins.
- Imam al-Bāqir said: The disbelievers and polytheists will taunt the [sinful] monotheists in hell, saying: “We don’t see your monotheism having done any good for you. We and you are all in the same boat.”
The Almighty Lord will take offence at that. So He will order the angels, “Intercede!” They will intercede for whomever God wills. Then He will order the prophets, “Intercede!” They will intercede for whomever God wills. Then He will order the believers, “Intercede!” They will intercede for whomever God wills. Then He will say: “I am the Most Merciful of all merciful. Leave [the fire], by My mercy!” Thus they [the monotheists] shall leave [hell] like moths fluttering off.
Then the columns [of hell] will be outstretched and will close in on them. That, by God, will mark eternity.
The present tense of the verb yaḥsabu shows that the verb akhladahu conveys a future meaning, even though it is in the past tense. (Auth.) ↩︎
On the authority of Ibn Abī Ḥātim, on the authority of al-Suddī. ↩︎
On the authority of Ibn Abī Ḥātim, on the authority of Ibn Isḥāq, on the authority of ʿUthmān b. ʿUmar. ↩︎
On the authority of Ibn Isḥāq. ↩︎
On the authority of Ibn Jarīr and others, on the authority of Mujāhid. ↩︎
Majmaʿ al-bayān, on the authority of al-ʿAyyāshī, via its chain of narration, on the authority of Muḥammad b. al-Nuʿmān al-Aḥwal, on the authority of Ḥumrān b. Aʿyan. ↩︎