Name of the Surah
This surah is called Al-Humazah because it begins by [waylun likulli humazatin lumazat, namely, woe to every backbiter, slanderer, ]. Al-Humazah is a backbiter. This surah was revealed in Makkah. It contains nine ayat.
It is mentioned that this surah was revealed about some wealthy disbelievers who used to abuse Messenger Muhammad [peace be upon him] and his companions; however, all rules mentioned in this surah apply to all those who act like those disbelievers. There are some rules in the Islamic Shariah that are legalized because of specific causes, but they can be applied to similar cases.
Relationship between Surah Al-‘Asr and Al-Humazah
According to the written copy of the Quran, al-Mushaf, surah Al-‘Asr comes before surah Al-Humazah.
Surah Al-‘Asr mentions that man will be a loser save he who believes in Allah’s Oneness, obeys His commands, and avoid His prohibitions. Then, surah Al-Humazah mentions some attributes of the losers and their end in the Hereafter.
Topics Discussed in Surah Al-Humazah
• Surah Al-Humazah tackles widespread and irremediable problems that exist among people, namely, backbiting and slander. 104:1 Woe to every backbiter, slanderer,
• The surah warns those who amass wealth in the life of this world, as if they will be immortal, of the evil fruits of their conduct. 104: 2 who gathers wealth and counts it. 104: 3 He thinks that his wealth will make him immortal.
• Surah Al-Humazah warns the backbiters and slanders of severe punishment on the Day of Judgment. 104:4 No! He shall surely be thrown into the Crusher.
English Translation of Surah Al-Humazah
Revealed in Makkah, Contains 9 Ayah
Bism-Allah ar-Rahman ar-Rahim
In the Name of Allah, the Giver of Mercy, the Most Merciful
104:1 Woe to every backbiter, slanderer,
104: 2 who gathers wealth and counts it.
104: 3 He thinks that his wealth will make him immortal.
104:4 No! He shall surely be thrown into the Crusher.
104:5 And what shall make you know what the Crusher is?
104:6 It is the Fire of God, kindled,
104:7 which penetrates the hearts.
104:8 It shall be closed on them,
104:9 in columns, outstretched.
Tafsir
104:1 Woe to every backbiter, slanderer,
104: 2 who gathers wealth and counts it.
104: 3 He thinks that his wealth will make him immortal.
Woe to every backbiter, slanderer! He speaks maliciously about others in their absence and says untrue things about them to damage their reputation. He persistently defames others and attacks their reputation that it becomes his second nature. For him, there will be humiliation and severe punishment.
The slanderer does not only talks ill about people and slanders them, but he also gathers wealth and does not spend it for Allah’s sake. Rather he spends a great time of his age counting his wealth because of his extreme love for it and belief that wealth is the foundation of excellence among people, which is a baseless belief. In addition, he believes that his wealth will protect him from life calamities and death and make him immortal, which is a false belief.
In other words, the backbiter and slanderer speak unfavorably about people because he owns great wealth that he always gathers and counts. He thinks that he is better than other people, who do not have wealth like him. He also believes that wealth will shield him against life's misfortunes and make him immortal and that death will not approach him, which is a groundless belief.
104:4 No! He shall surely be thrown into the Crusher.
No! The matter is not as the backbiter and slanderer think, namely, that his wealth will protect him from the punishment of Allah and keep death away from him. Rather, he will surely be thrown into the fire of Hell, the Crusher, which crushes everything thrown into it and no one knows the extent of the degree of its hotness.
104:5 And what shall make you know what the Crusher is?
The interrogation is to magnify the severity of Hell and its punishment. No one knows how severe the burning and hotness of Hell except Allah.
104:6 It is the Fire of God, kindled,
104:7 which penetrates the hearts.
104:8 It shall be closed on them,
104:9 in columns, outstretched.
The Crusher is the Fire of God. It is extremely kindled and penetrates the hearts so that burns them intensely. The great fire of Hell, the Crusher, will be closed on the backbiters and slanders that they can never escape from it. Moreover, very long, outstretched columns surround Hell, so it will be impossible for its dwellers to run away from it.
The fire of Hell, the Crusher, is called the fire of God because He has created it. Furthermore, describing it as the crusher implies sarcasm. It fits well with the condition of the arrogant and haughty person, who gathers his wealth and believes that it will make him immortal. However, it will crush him and his arrogance and haughtiness will not avail him.
The hearts are specifically mentioned because they are the softest parts of the body and any harm may affect them. Another possibility for the cause of referring to the hearts, in particular, is that they are the place where false creeds and evil intentions and deeds originate. Thus, the backbiter and slander deserve that the severe torment of Hell reaches his heart.
In sum, the backbiters and slanders are threatened with severe punishment in Hell, which will be closed on him and long columns surround it that he can never escape from it.
Learned Lessons from Surah Al-Humazah
• Humiliation and severe punishment will be for the backbiters and slanderers.
• Wealth may cause some people to believe that they have immunity against death, which is a baseless belief.
• Arrogance and haughtiness are evil characteristics that make one believes that he is better than other people.
• Collection of wealth and not spending it for Allah’s sake leads to destruction and loss.
• Nothing will protect the backbiters and slanders, who gather their wealth believing that it will make them immortal, against Allah’s severe punishment.
• The fire of Hell will be the abode of the backbiters and slanderers where they will suffer its crushing and severe punishment.
• The dwellers of Hell can never escape from it as it is surrounded by very long columns.
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