This article offers the complete translation and Tafsir of Surah al-Humazah.
Translation and Tafsir of Surah al-Humazah
Translation
- Woe to every slanderer and defamer!
- who amasses a fortune and counts it,
- thinking that his fortune will immortalize him.
- But no! He will certainly be thrown into the Hutamah.
- And who will tell you what the Hutamah is?
- The kindled Fire of Allah
- which rises to the hearts.
- It will close in on them.
- in extended columns (of flames).
And now, let’s move on to the Tafsir of Surah al-Humazah.
Tafsir
In this verse, Allah says, « Woe to those who slander and backbite others. » This can include people who repeatedly find fault with others, verbally or physically.
This verse continues on the first verse, and also refers to those who amass their wealth and make a habit of counting it.
The third verse refers to two categories of people. The first includes those who believe their wealth will prolong their stay in this worldly home. The second includes those who believe their wealth can grant them immortality. In any case, the meaning is clear: these people are so absorbed by their material possessions that they forget their inevitable death.
“Nabadh” means to possess something worthless – these slanderers and greedy people will be treated as worthless on the Day of Judgment, because they only care about their wealth and mock others for lack of it.
Allah asks us about the Fire of Hell.
Here, hell is called the fire of Allah for the first time in the Quran. This is to signify his contempt for those who amass wealth and slander others, and how they cannot escape his fire with their riches.
The heart, which is the center of human life, will be overtaken by Fire because of the person’s greed and immoral ways.
Hell will be closed in on them, without any opening.
This ayah can have several meanings: (1) the gates of Hellfire are closed, with huge columns placed on top of them, or (2) the people of Hellfire will be tied to columns, or (3) the flames will rise like tall columns.
Surah al-Humazah tells us not to engage in backbiting or slandering others. Furthermore, we should not be proud of our material possessions and wealth, especially since money earned in this world will not help us buy anything in the Hereafter if we use it for greed and dishonest ways.