WOE TO EVERY slanderer, back-biter,
Ruin is for every open slanderer, backbiter.
Woe unto every backbiter, slanderer,
WOE unto every slanderer, fault-finder!
Woe Unto every slanderer, traducer,
Woe to every slanderer and backbiter.
Woe to every slanderer backbiter.
Woe to every fault-finding backbiter;
Woe to every Humazah Lumazah.
Woe unto every slandering traducer,
Woe to every scandal-monger and slanderer,
Woe to every backbiter, slanderer
Woe to every scorner and mocker
Woe to every slanderer and backbiter
Woe to every slanderer, defamer,
Waylun likulli humazatin lumaza<b>tin</b>
Woe to every fault-finding back-biter,
Woe to every (kind of) scandal-monger and-backbiter,
بِسْمِ ٱللَّهِ ٱلرَّحْمَٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ وَيْلٌ لِّكُلِّ هُمَزَةٍ لُّمَزَةٍ
Evil consequences and a severe punishment awaits the one who frequently backbites the people and taunts them.
Evil consequences and a severe punishment awaits the one who frequently backbites the people and taunts them.
<p>Warning against dreadful end of those committing three obnoxious sins</p><p>This Surah warns of the severe punishment on three grave sins, and then highlights the nature of that severe punishment. The three sins are backbiting, deriding and selfish hoarding of wealth. The words hamz and lamz are used in several senses. Most commentators agree that the word hamz, from which is derived the word humazah, means to 'backbite', that is, to speak ill of a person behind his back. The word lamz, from which is derived the word lumazah, means to 'slander' or 'to deride', that is, to speak ill of a person to his face. Both these sins are morally and socially obnoxious and deadly. The Qur'an and the Sunnah have sounded a stern warning against these sins. However, 'backbiting' is, from one perspective, worse than 'slander'. 'Backbiting' is worse because the ill of a person is spoken behind his back; the victim is not present to defend himself and put an end to it; thus the sin continues to be committed to a greater and increasing degree. 'Slander', on the other hand, though an obnoxious sin in itself, is relatively less in degree than backbiting, because the victim is present to defend himself and put an end to face-to-face insulting or fault-finding with him. From another perspective 'slander' is worse than 'backbiting', because to speak ill of a person to his face is tantamount to insulting him and denigrating him. This is morally and socially more harmful and hurting, and therefore its punishment is more dreadful. According to a Hadith, the Holy Prophet ﷺ has said,</p><p>شِرارُ عِبَادِ اللہِ تَعَالٰی المَشَّاءُونَ بِالنَّمِیمَۃِ المُفَرِّقُونَ بَینَ الاَحبَّۃِ البَاعُونَ البُرَآَءَ العنت</p><p>"The worst servants of Allah are those who speak ill of someone, creating enmity between friends and finding fault with innocent people."</p>
Warning against dreadful end of those committing three obnoxious sinsThis Surah warns of the severe punishment on three grave sins, and then highlights the nature of that severe punishment. The three sins are backbiting, deriding and selfish hoarding of wealth. The words hamz and lamz are used in several senses. Most commentators agree that the word hamz, from which is derived the word humazah, means to 'backbite', that is, to speak ill of a person behind his back. The word lamz, from which is derived the word lumazah, means to 'slander' or 'to deride', that is, to speak ill of a person to his face. Both these sins are morally and socially obnoxious and deadly. The Qur'an and the Sunnah have sounded a stern warning against these sins. However, 'backbiting' is, from one perspective, worse than 'slander'. 'Backbiting' is worse because the ill of a person is spoken behind his back; the victim is not present to defend himself and put an end to it; thus the sin continues to be committed to a greater and increasing degree. 'Slander', on the other hand, though an obnoxious sin in itself, is relatively less in degree than backbiting, because the victim is present to defend himself and put an end to face-to-face insulting or fault-finding with him. From another perspective 'slander' is worse than 'backbiting', because to speak ill of a person to his face is tantamount to insulting him and denigrating him. This is morally and socially more harmful and hurting, and therefore its punishment is more dreadful. According to a Hadith, the Holy Prophet ﷺ has said,شِرارُ عِبَادِ اللہِ تَعَالٰی المَشَّاءُونَ بِالنَّمِیمَۃِ المُفَرِّقُونَ بَینَ الاَحبَّۃِ البَاعُونَ البُرَآَءَ العنت"The worst servants of Allah are those who speak ill of someone, creating enmity between friends and finding fault with innocent people."
<h2 class="title">Which was revealed in Makkah</h2><div class="text_uthmani arabic">بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَـنِ الرَّحِيمِ </div><p>In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.</p><div class="text_uthmani arabic">هَمَّازٍ مَّشَّآءِ بِنَمِيمٍ </div><p>(Hammaz, going about with slander) (68:11) Ibn `Abbas said, "Humazah Lumazah means one who reviles and disgraces (others)." Mujahid said, "Al-Humazah is with the hand and the eye, and Al-Lumazah is with the tongue." Then Allah says,</p><div class="text_uthmani arabic">الَّذِى جَمَعَ مَالاً وَعَدَّدَهُ </div><p>(Who has gathered wealth and counted it.) meaning, he gathers it piling some of it on top of the rest and he counts it up. This is similar to Allah's saying,</p><div class="text_uthmani arabic">وَجَمَعَ فَأَوْعَى </div><p>(And collect (wealth) and hide it.) (70:18) This was said by As-Suddi and Ibn Jarir. Muhammad bin Ka`b said concerning Allah's statement,</p><div class="text_uthmani arabic">جَمَعَ مَالاً وَعَدَّدَهُ</div><p>(gathered wealth and counted it.) "His wealth occupies his time in the day, going from this to that. Then when the night comes he sleeps like a rotting corpse." Then Allah says,</p><div class="text_uthmani arabic">يَحْسَبُ أَنَّ مَالَهُ أَخْلَدَهُ </div><p>(He thinks that his wealth will make him last forever!) meaning, he thinks that gathering wealth will make him last forever in this abode (the worldly life).</p><div class="text_uthmani arabic">كَلاَّ</div><p>(But no!) meaning, the matter is not as he claims, nor as he reckons. Then Allah says,</p><div class="text_uthmani arabic">لَيُنبَذَنَّ فِى الْحُطَمَةِ</div><p>(Verily, he will be thrown into Al-Hutamah.) meaning, the person who gathered wealth and counted it, will be thrown into Al-Hutamah, which is one of the descriptive names of the Hellfire. This is because it crushes whoever is in it. Thus, Allah says,</p><div class="text_uthmani arabic">وَمَآ أَدْرَاكَ مَا الْحُطَمَةُ - نَارُ اللَّهِ الْمُوقَدَةُ - الَّتِى تَطَّلِعُ عَلَى الاٌّفْئِدَةِ </div><p>(And what will make you know what Al-Hutamah is The fire of Allah, Al-Muqadah, which leaps up over the hearts.) Thabit Al-Bunani said, "It will burn them all the way to their hearts while they are still alive." Then he said, "Indeed the torment will reach them." Then he cried. Muhammad bin Ka`b said, "It (the Fire) will devour every part of his body until it reaches his heart and comes to the level of his throat, then it will return to his body."</p><h2 class="title">Concerning Allah's statement,</h2><div class="text_uthmani arabic">إِنَّهَا عَلَيْهِم مُّؤْصَدَةٌ </div><p>(Verily, it shall Mu'sadah upon them.) meaning, covering, just as was mentioned in the Tafsir of Surat Al-Balad (see 90:20). Then Allah says,</p><div class="text_uthmani arabic">فِى عَمَدٍ مُّمَدَّدَةِ </div><p>(In pillars stretched forth. ) "Atiyah Al-`Awfi said, "Pillars of Iron." As-Suddi said, "Made of fire." Al-`Awfi reported from Ibn `Abbas, "He will make them enter pillars stretched forth, meaning there will be columns over them, and they will have chains on their necks, and the gates (of Hell) will be shut upon them." This is the end of the Tafsir of Surat Al-Humazah, and all praise and thanks are due to Allah.</p>
Which was revealed in Makkahبِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَـنِ الرَّحِيمِ In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.هَمَّازٍ مَّشَّآءِ بِنَمِيمٍ (Hammaz, going about with slander) (68:11) Ibn `Abbas said, "Humazah Lumazah means one who reviles and disgraces (others)." Mujahid said, "Al-Humazah is with the hand and the eye, and Al-Lumazah is with the tongue." Then Allah says,الَّذِى جَمَعَ مَالاً وَعَدَّدَهُ (Who has gathered wealth and counted it.) meaning, he gathers it piling some of it on top of the rest and he counts it up. This is similar to Allah's saying,وَجَمَعَ فَأَوْعَى (And collect (wealth) and hide it.) (70:18) This was said by As-Suddi and Ibn Jarir. Muhammad bin Ka`b said concerning Allah's statement,جَمَعَ مَالاً وَعَدَّدَهُ(gathered wealth and counted it.) "His wealth occupies his time in the day, going from this to that. Then when the night comes he sleeps like a rotting corpse." Then Allah says,يَحْسَبُ أَنَّ مَالَهُ أَخْلَدَهُ (He thinks that his wealth will make him last forever!) meaning, he thinks that gathering wealth will make him last forever in this abode (the worldly life).كَلاَّ(But no!) meaning, the matter is not as he claims, nor as he reckons. Then Allah says,لَيُنبَذَنَّ فِى الْحُطَمَةِ(Verily, he will be thrown into Al-Hutamah.) meaning, the person who gathered wealth and counted it, will be thrown into Al-Hutamah, which is one of the descriptive names of the Hellfire. This is because it crushes whoever is in it. Thus, Allah says,وَمَآ أَدْرَاكَ مَا الْحُطَمَةُ - نَارُ اللَّهِ الْمُوقَدَةُ - الَّتِى تَطَّلِعُ عَلَى الاٌّفْئِدَةِ (And what will make you know what Al-Hutamah is The fire of Allah, Al-Muqadah, which leaps up over the hearts.) Thabit Al-Bunani said, "It will burn them all the way to their hearts while they are still alive." Then he said, "Indeed the torment will reach them." Then he cried. Muhammad bin Ka`b said, "It (the Fire) will devour every part of his body until it reaches his heart and comes to the level of his throat, then it will return to his body."Concerning Allah's statement,إِنَّهَا عَلَيْهِم مُّؤْصَدَةٌ (Verily, it shall Mu'sadah upon them.) meaning, covering, just as was mentioned in the Tafsir of Surat Al-Balad (see 90:20). Then Allah says,فِى عَمَدٍ مُّمَدَّدَةِ (In pillars stretched forth. ) "Atiyah Al-`Awfi said, "Pillars of Iron." As-Suddi said, "Made of fire." Al-`Awfi reported from Ibn `Abbas, "He will make them enter pillars stretched forth, meaning there will be columns over them, and they will have chains on their necks, and the gates (of Hell) will be shut upon them." This is the end of the Tafsir of Surat Al-Humazah, and all praise and thanks are due to Allah.