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THE HUNDRED-FOURTH SŪRAH Al-Humazah (The Slanderer) Mecca Period

TAKING its conventional name from a noun occurring in the first verse, this sūrah seems to have been revealed towards the end of the third year of Muḥammad’s prophethood – probably after sūrah 75 (“Resurrection”).

1

بِسمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحمـٰنِ الرَّحيمِ وَيلٌ لِكُلِّ هُمَزَةٍ لُمَزَةٍ

WOE unto every slanderer, fault-finder!1

  1. 1.  I.e., everyone who maliciously tries to uncover real or imaginary faults in others.
2

الَّذي جَمَعَ مالًا وَعَدَّدَهُ

[Woe unto him2 who amasses wealth and counts it a safeguard,

  1. 2.  This repetitive interpolation is necessary because the blameworthy attitude spoken of in verses 2-3 obviously belongs to a category entirely different from the two mentioned in verse 1.
3

يَحسَبُ أَنَّ مالَهُ أَخلَدَهُ

thinking that his wealth will make him live forever!3

  1. 3.  This is a metonym for the tendency to attribute an almost "religious" value to the acquisition and possession of material goods and facilities - a tendency which precludes man from giving any real importance to spiritual considerations (cf. note 1 on 102:1). My rendering of 'addadahu in the preceding verse as "[he] counts it a safeguard" is based on Jawhari's explanation of this term.
4

كَلّا ۖ لَيُنبَذَنَّ فِي الحُطَمَةِ

Nay, but [in the life to come such as] he shall indeed be abandoned to crushing torment!4

  1. 4.  Al-hutamah - one of several metaphors for the otherworldly suffering comprised within the concept of "hell'" (see note 33 on 15:43).
5

وَما أَدراكَ مَا الحُطَمَةُ

And what could make thee conceive what that crushing torment will be?

6

نارُ اللَّهِ الموقَدَةُ

A fire kindled by God,

7

الَّتي تَطَّلِعُ عَلَى الأَفئِدَةِ

which will rise over the [guilty] hearts:5

  1. 5.  I.e., originating in their hearts - thus clearly alluding to the spiritual nature of the "fire" in the sinners' belated realization of their guilt.
8

إِنَّها عَلَيهِم مُؤصَدَةٌ

verily, it will close in upon them

9

في عَمَدٍ مُمَدَّدَةٍ

in endless columns!6

  1. 6.  Lit., "in extended columns", i.e., overwhelming with despair.
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