104
Muhammad Asad
AL-HUMAZAH (THE SLANDERER)
THE HUNDRED-FOURTH SURAH
Total Verses: 9
Introduction
TAKING its
conventional name from a noun occurring in the first verse, this surah seems
to have been revealed towards the end of the third year of Muhammad's prophethood - probably after surah 75
("Resurrection").
IN THE NAME OF
GOD, THE MOST GRACIOUS, THE DISPENSER OF GRACE:
(1) WOE unto every slanderer, fault-finder! 1
(2) [Woe unto him 2] who amasses wealth and counts it a
safeguard,
(3) thinking that his wealth will
make him live forever! 3
(4) Nay, but [in the life to come such as] he shall indeed
be abandoned to crushing torment! 4
(5) And what could make thee conceive what that crushing
torment will be?
(6) A fire kindled by God,
(7) which will rise over the
[guilty] hearts: 5
(8) verily, it will close in upon
them
(9) in endless columns! 6
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1 I.e., everyone
who maliciously tries to uncover real or imaginary faults in others.
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 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 Al-hutamah - one of several metaphors for the otherworldly
suffering comprised within the concept of "hell'" (see note 33 on
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.
6 Lit., "in
extended columns", i.e., overwhelming with despair.