SURAH (104) AL-HUMAZAH (AYA 1 to 9)

Sura (104) AL-HUMAZAH (The Slanderer) Aya 1 to 9 verses in 1 Section

Revealed at Makka

SECTION 1

One who amasseth wealth

Those who amass wealth and think that their wealth will keep them alive forever, shall be thrown into Hell.

بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ 

وَيْلٌ لِكُلِّ هُمَزَةٍ لُمَزَةٍ {104:1}

[Q104:1] Wai lul-li kulli hu mazatil-lumaza,
[Q104:1] Woe to every slanderer and backbiter.

Humazah is one who defames men, or speaks evil of men, or backbites them -a backbiter; a ***scandal-Humazah is one who defames men, or speaks evil of men, or backbites them-a backbiter; a scandal-monger. A ***scandal-monger habitually blames, upbraids, reproaches, finds faults with and attacks the honour and character of others with evil motives.

µ  Piling up wealth, by not spending it in the service of those who need it, is another vice condemned in this surah. The miser imagines [*] that his wealth can prolong his life OR [*] protect him from punishment. THE SLANDERER, THE BACKBITER AND THE HOARDER WILL BE THROWN INTO HUTAMAH.

Hutamah is that which smashes and breaks to pieces. It is a vehement fire that destroys everything that is cast into it. It is the fire of the wrath of ALLAH (SWT), kindled by Him, therefore shall not be extinguished by anyone or anything. The fire will not only scorch the body but also destroy the soul. It will cover them all over.

µ  Imam Ali ibne Abi Talib said: "What you bring forth will go into dust; what you hoard will be left behind. What you build will be leveled to the ground in time; BUT what you do is recorded, and increases (as an asset) for the day of final requital."

THOUGH THE APPLICATION OF THREE VERSES IS UNIVERSAL, they were revealed to curse and condemn Akhans bin Saqfi, Umayya bin Khalaf and Walid bin Mughayra (Qalam 68:8 to 13 and 16 and Muddaththir 74:11 to 26) who were actively busy with the character assassination of the Holy Prophet (pbuh & hf).

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(104:1) Woe to every fault-finding backbiter; *1

*1 The words used in the original are humazat il-lumazah. In Arabic hamz and lamz are so close in meaning that they are sometimes used as synonyms and sometimes with a little difference in the shade of meaning. But this difference is not definite and clear, for the meaning given to lamz by some Arabic speaking people themselves is given to lamz by other Arabic speaking peoples. On the contrary, the meaning given to harm by some people is given to hamz by others. Here, since both the words appear together and the words humazat il-lumazat have been used, they give the meaning that it has become a practice with the slanderer that he insults and holds others in contempt habitually. He raises his finger and winks at one man, finds fault with the lineage and person of another, taunts one in the face and backbites another; creates differences between friends and stirs up divisions between brothers; calls the people names and satirizes and defames them.

الَّذِي جَمَعَ مَالًا وَعَدَّدَهُ {104:2}

[Q104:2] Al-lazi jama'a maalaw wa'addadah, 
[Q104:2] Who has gathered wealth and counted it,

 (see commentary for verse 1)

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(104:2) who amasses wealth and counts it over and again. *2

*2 This second sentence after the first sentence by itself gives the meaning that he slanders others because of his pride of wealth. The words jama`a malan for collecting money suggest the abundance of wealth; then the words "counting it over and over again" depict the person's miserliness and his selfish hoarding of wealth. 

يَحْسَبُ أَنَّ مَالَهُ أَخْلَدَهُ {104:3}

[Q104:3] Yahsabu anna maalahu akhladah. 
[Q104:3] He thinks that his wealth will make him last forever!

THE QUESTION HERE IS a warning to the one who avariciously piles up wealth that whatever amount of it, one might posses, it shall go, and shall not remain with him forever, for he has to pass away from empty-handed as a destitute. HENCE, if anyone thinks that his wealth will abide with him forever, he is fooled by his imagination for it is a matter of certainty that it is only a passing show, with a great many commitments with it, in its disposal, why should man toil more than what he must reasonably do and why should he be proud of a thing which is of only a temporary value and of no permanent worth or use to him. AND IF HE ACQUIRES IT EVEN BY THE RIGHT MEANS, HE IS ACCOUNTABLE TO THE LORD ABOUT ITS PROPER DISBURSEMENT AND DISPOSAL AND IF HE ACQUIRES IT BY ANY FOUL MEANS, HE IS TO BE SURELY PUNISHED FOR IT.

µ  The first Holy Imam Ali ibne Abi Talib says “What ye bring forth (the children) is for dust --- (to die and get buried). What ye amass (i.e., wealth) is to be left behind. What ye construct (buildings) is to be demolished by time. BUT what ye act (the deeds) is to be recorded and pled up for the day of the Final Requital.”

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(104:3) He thinks that his wealth will immortalise him forever. *3

*3 Another meaning also can be: "He thinks that his wealth will make him immortal." That is, he is so engrossed in amassing wealth and counting it over and over again that he has forgotten death and he never bothers to consider that a time will come when he will have to depart from the world empty-handed, leaving everything behind. 

كَلَّا ۖ لَيُنْبَذَنَّ فِي الْحُطَمَةِ {104:4}

[Q104:4] Kalla layum ba zanna fil hutamah. 
[Q104:4] Nay! Verily, he will be thrown into the crushing Fire.

The root of ‘Hutama’ is ‘Hatima’, i.e., getting rendered or broken into pieces, i.e., it will be crushed, destroyed and thrown into Hell before the eyes of those who spent their lives in amassing it and prided over it and got intoxicated of it, thinking it to be of a permanent value to them --- deprived the others of their share, did not spend of it for the benefit of the others who suffered miserably for want of something of it. BESIDES they had been so much maddened by the acquisition of their wealth they had forgotten ALLAH (SWT) who had allowed them to have it, and thought themselves totally independent of Him and acted as their devilish passions dictated to them, never cared for the limits prescribed by the Lord.

µ  ‘Hutama’ that which will break or destroy it, is the Hell-fire.

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(104:4) Nay, he shall be thrown *4 into the Crusher. *5

*4 The word in the original is la yrtnbadhanna. Nabdh in Arabic is used for throwing away a thing regarding it as worthless and mean. This by itself indicates that because of his wealth he thinks that he is a great man but on the Day of Resurrection he will be hurled into Hell as a mean and contemptible object. 
*5 The word hutamah in the original is from hatm, which means to smash, crush and break into pieces. Hell has been described by this epithet because it will crush and break to pieces whatever is thrown into it because of its depth and its fire. 

وَمَا أَدْرَاكَ مَا الْحُطَمَةُ {104:5}

[Q104:5] Wa maa adraaka mal-hutamah
[Q104:5] And what will make you know what the crushing Fire is?

The question put in this verse about ‘Hutama’ means to signify that man in this life, not having seen anything like it, cannot visualize or understand what ‘Hutama’ would actually be.

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(104:5) And what do you know what the Crusher is?

نَارُ اللَّهِ الْمُوقَدَةُ {104:6}

[Q104:6] NaaruL Laahi-mooqadah, 
[Q104:6] The fire of Allah, kindled,

FOR VERSES 6 & 7.

THE FIRE which will not be restricted to effect only the outer body of the individual BUT penetrating to the innermost parts of the individual’s existence as well as cover the whole of him, enveloping him in huge columns from all sides. It will be a fire kindled by ALLAH (SWT) Whose existence was disbelieved and Whose authority was rejected and disobeyed.

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(104:6) It is the Fire *6 kindled by Allah,

*6 Nowhere else in the Qur'an has the fire of Hell been called the fire of Allah. Here, its ascription to Allah not only expresses its dreadfulness but it also shows how the wrath and contempt of Allah envelops those who become proud and arrogant with the worldly wealth. That is why Allah has described that fire as His own Fire into which they will be hurled. 

الَّتِي تَطَّلِعُ عَلَى الْأَفْئِدَةِ {104:7}

[Q104:7] Al latee tat tali'u 'alalafidah: 
[Q104:7] Which leaps up over the hearts,

 (see commentary for verse 6)

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(104:7) the Fire that shall rise to the hearts (of criminals). *7

*7 Tattali'u is from ittala a, which means to climb and mount to the top, and also to be aware and informed. Afidah is plural of fuwad, which means the heart. But this word is not used for the organ which throbs in the breast, but for the seat of man's understanding and consciousness, his feelings and desires, beliefs and thoughts, motives and intentions, Thus, one meaning of the rising of the fire to the hearts is that this fire will reach the place which is the centre of man's evil thoughts, false beliefs, impure desires and feelings, and wicked motives and intentions. The second meaning is that the Fire of AIIah will not be blind like the tire of the world, which burns up the deserving and the non-deserving alike, but it will reach the heart of every culprit and discover the nature of his crime and then punish him according to his guilt. 

إِنَّهَا عَلَيْهِمْ مُؤْصَدَةٌ {104:8}

[Q104:8] Innaha 'alaihim moosada, 
[Q104:8] Verily, it shall be closed in on them,

FOR VERSES 8 & 9.

It will cover the individual, all around him, i.e., the punishment will be to every part of the individual, outer or the innermost, which will be drowned in the fire, and the columns of the fire will be rising even high above him.

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(104:8) Verily it will close in upon them, *8

*8 That is, after the culprits have been thrown into it, Hell will be closed in upon them without leaving any slit or opening anywhere, in order to choke and suffocate them. 

فِي عَمَدٍ مُمَدَّدَةٍ {104:9}

[Q104:9] Fee 'amadim-mu mad dadah. 
[Q104:9] In pillars stretched forth (i.e. they will be punished in the Fire with pillars, etc.).

 (see commentary for verse 8)

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(104:9) in outstretched columns. *9

*9 Fi amad-im-mumaddahah can have several meanings (1) That the gates of Hell will be closed and tall columns will be erected on them; (2) that the culprits will be tied to the tall columns; (3) according to Ibn `Abbas, the flames of the fire shall be rising high like tall columns.

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