Youth Lecture - 24/9/10 & 8/10/10 - Tafsîr of al-Humazah

Part 1

On Friday Night, we learnt about a brief Tafsîr of Surah al-Humazah (104). It is a Makkiyyah Sûrah.

Literally, al-Humazah means The Slanderers, or those who lie about others.

This Sûrah is called al-Humazah because the whole Surah is a description of the Slanderers' traits & the punishment which awaits them in the next life.

The Reason For This Revelation

In the beginning of Prophethood, the Kâfirs of Quraysh used to make fun & make up stories of the Prophet & his companions. We can see today that the situation between now and at the time of the Prophet is very similar indeed. Today, our Prophet, the Muslims, Islam & everything to do with it is being mocked at by the Kuffâr of the present day.

Allâh revealed the Sûrah to point out the traits of the disbelievers in order that the believers may avoid them & that the believers may know a brief idea of what the punishment of the disbelievers will be like.

Tafsîr of the Sûrah

Âyah 1: Woe be on every slanderer & backbiter وَيْلٌ لِّكُلِّ هُمَزَةٍ لُّمَزَةٍ

Allâh sends bad wishes to all who tell lies about innocent people. He curses backbiters, whether Muslim or non-Muslim. Islâm is firmly against slander & backbiting in all forms.

Abû Hurayrah reported that on one occasion, the Prophet asked the companions: "Do you know what backbiting is?" They replied: "Allâh & His Messenger know best." He said: "It is mentioning something about you brother that he doesn't like." Someone asked: "What if I say something about my brother that is true?" He replied:"If what you said about him is true, then you have backbitten (Ghîbah), and if it is false then you have slandered (Buhtân).

To make up for backbiting which has spread far is like climbing up a very tall tower with a bag full of feathers. You then flip the bag upside down and jump off the tower, trying to catch every single feather that has fallen.

Âyah 2: Who gathered wealth and counted it الَّذِي جَمَعَ مَالًا وَعَدَّدَهُ

Because Allâh & religion mean nothing to a slanderer, life becomes a meaningless animal existence for him. According to a slanderer, there is no purpose in life, so the most important thing is to have fun, enjoy your life and indulge in worldly matters. According to him, to enjoy life, one must have a lot of wealth. Thus, a slanderer spends a lot of his time trying to gather all the wealth that he can and in any way he can.

Âyah 3: He thinks that his wealth has made him immortal! يَحْسَبُ أَنَّ مَالَهُ أَخْلَدَهُ

The one who slanders Allâh SWT becomes so wrapped up in the pleasures of this life that he begins to wish that he will not have to die. He starts to think that his great wealth should be able to keep him alive forever.

Indeed, this is the case today. Millions of Dollars, Euros & Pounds are being spent to find a cure for incurable things like death & old age. Their efforts are to no avail. Indeed, Allâh did not send a disease/illness to this earth but there is a cure for every single one of them except old age [and death].

Âyah 4: No, but surely he will be thrown into The Crusher كَلَّا ۖ لَيُنبَذَنَّ فِي الْحُطَمَةِ

Here, al-Hutamah (The Crusher) refers to Hellfire (see below). It crushes whatever is put into it.

For the slanderer, there will be no pleasure for him as his body & soul is completely destroyed. All that he will experience after his death is pain upon pain upon pain.

Part 2

Âyah 5: But what can make you understand al-Hutamah? وَمَا أَدْرَاكَ مَا الْحُطَمَةُ 

By asking this question, Allâh is really telling us that al-Hutamah (The Crusher) is too much for man's mind to understand. We are told that this creation of Allâh is beyond the imagination of man. Indeed, no sane man who has understood what Allâh is saying would want to meet al-Hutamah.

This verse strikes fear in the hearts of the believers & encourages them to do as much good as they can.

Âyah 6: It is the Blazing fire of Allâh نَارُ اللَّهِ الْمُوقَدَةُ

Here, Allâh explains just exactly what al-Hutamah (The crusher) is. Al-Hutamah is one of the names of Hellfire.

Allâh describes Hellfire in the Qur'ân as follows:

When they are cast into it they will hear the dreadful drawing in of its breath as it blazes (TMQ al-Mulk 68:7) إِذَا أُلْقُوا فِيهَا سَمِعُوا لَهَا شَهِيقًا وَهِيَ تَفُورُ 

Indeed, even the hottest flames of this world are nothing compared to the flames of Hellfire.

Âyah 7: Which overcomes the hearts الَّتِي تَطَّلِعُ عَلَى الْأَفْئِدَةِ

The flames of Hellfire are so powerful that its burning flames reach into the human body & grab the heart in its fiery hands. Indeed, a man's heart is the most private thing which he owns. It is where he keeps his secrets hidden from all those around him. Also, all of the decisions of his life take place there. Therefore, that heart is the home of the disbelievers & the slanderer's disbelief in Allâh.

[The rest of this Sûrah will be explained in 2 weeks time, Inshâ'allâh]

(Ibnu Âdam)