104- Surat Alhumazah

9 Verses Meccan (revealed in Mecca)

A'auzu Bellahi mena ash-shytani ar-rajim

I seek refuge in Allah from the accursed Satan

Bismi Ellahi Ar-rhmani Ar-rahim

In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful

Waillun lekulli homazatin lumazah (1).

Woe to every scorner! slanderer.

Alladhi gama'a malan wa addadah (2).

The one who accumulates wealth and counts it.

Yahsabu anna malahu akhladah (3).

He thinks that his wealth will immortalize him.

Kalla layunbazana fi elhuttamah (4).

Nay! surely he will be cast into Alhuttamah.

Wa ma addraka ma alhuttamah (5).

And what will make you know what Alhuttamah is?.

Narruo Allahi almuoqadah (6).

It is Allah's kindled fire.

Allati tattali'o ala alaf'eedah (7).

Which mounts over the hearts.

Innaha alayhim mu'sadah (8).

Surely, it will be closed down upon them.

Fi amadin mumadadah (9).

In outstretched columns.

Simplified interpretation:

 Surat Alhumazah describes three evil deeds of the people of the Hellfire, and it was said that this Surah has been revealed about a certain person, but most commentators said that it was revealed in general without specifics, and this means that it is not for anyone, rather for every one who had these three evil characteristics.

 Allah says in the first verse (1) "Woe to every scorner! slanderer", that is, Allah threatens every scorner, slanderer with the painful torment on the day of resurrection, where the word woe (Wail) idiomatically carries the meaning of destruction and perishing and means that the torment will be theirs as a recompense for their deeds. So Allah, Almighty threatens every scorner, and slanderer (mocker) with a severe torment in the Hereafter, and both terms carries all kinds of ridicule from the others, they refer to slander from others by speech and by action e.g: making gestures with eyes, or head, or eyebrows either for defamer the others, or for made fun and mockery.

 They also means speaking about others in a manner that they dislike, from which mentioning them behind their backs (backbite). The backbite is a great sin, for Allah, Almighty says in Surat Alhujurat aya (12): "And does not backbite one another, would one of you like to eat the flesh of his dead brother?, you would detest it, and fear Allah, indeed, Allah is the ever accepting of repentance, the Most Merciful". The example of the one who backbites his brother is like the one who eats the flesh of his brother when dead, so just as we hate eating from a dead person, we must hate backbite as Allah has commanded us to do so. 

 When Allah's Messenger Muhammad (PBUH) was asked about backbiting in narration of Abu Hurayrah, He said that it is ''Mentioning about your brother in a manner that he dislike, and he was asked: "what if my brother was as I mentioned?, He answered: "if he was as you mentioned, you will have committed backbiting, But if he was not as you say about him, you will have falsely accused him".

  

 Allah states in the second verse the third characteristic of the companion of the Hellfire, and says that he accumulates wealth and counts it; he always spends his day in amassing his wealth and counts it over and over, and he do not pay the obligatory charity and do not spend in the way of Allah.

 This characteristic does not mean anything but miserliness which is here a great sin, And Allah Almighty, always warns us about it, for He says in Surat Aliemran aya (180): "And do not let those who miserly with what Allah has given them of His bounty, think that it is good for them, rather it is bad for them, their neck will be encircled with what they were miserly with on the day of resurrection".

 And Allah states in the last verse of Surat Muhammad that whoever acts miserliness is but miserly toward himself for he will deprived of reward in the Hereafter, and the bad outcome will come back to him, and Allah says in the same Aya that He is free of need while we are the needy.  

 The one who commits this three evil deeds: scorner, slanderer, and the stingy person who thinks that his wealth will immortalize him Aya (3), then Alhuttamah will be his recompense Ayat (4-9), and Alhuttamah is one of the names of the Hellfire, and it was said that it was called by this name for it crushes anything will be thrown into it.

 Alhuttamah is a kindled fire, and it carries a great torment where it will burn them while they are still alive till it reaches their hearts, then it will return to their bodies for when it ends, it starts over and over again. It will be closed down upon them in outstretched columns, so as not to let them escape from it.

No one Knows its interpretation except Allah